The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-07-14

lies only an hours ride from its older
rival, lrlt 1t cost more to ship freight to
Liverpool than it did from Liverpool
to New York. Threats, entreaty and
influence were all in vain. The fate OF
Manchester depended on securing cheap
communication with the ocean. Liver
was relentless. Manchester declar-
ed that she would cut her way to the
sea and become q port. Liverpool smii-
ed. The citizens Of Manchester form,
ed a canal company, raised $40,OOO,0O0
and began their titanic task. When
this amount was exhausted they Dor
rowed S1O,OOO,OOO more. When this
was expended they were at the end Of
their The canal was not
completed and no more private capital
could be raised.
The city of Manchester came to the
rescue. 1t raised 25,OO0,OOO from a
bond issue and became a partner in
the enterprise. The company could
not meet its interest, and again the city
came to it's aid. The canal was opened
to traffic several years ago and has
done for Manchester all that its advo-
Gates claimed for it. The city now
has invested in the enterprise $34,0O0,-
600 and has a bill before parliament
authorizing it to advance $10,0OO,0OO
more for the purpose of deepening the
canal SO as to permit the passage of
ships of the greatest draft. The mu-
nicipality is represented on the canal
board by eleven Of its twenty-one mem
bers. This stupendous work when com
pleted will probably entail an expendi-
ture Of 500, OOO, 900 and is likely to be-
ONE exclusively the property of the
municipality Of Manchester. The city
has already made an investment larger
than any previously pledged by any
municipality in the world for a specific
business purpose.
Chicago's drainage canal was not de-
signed to yield revenue, but the Man
chester ship canal is primarily u bust
ness enterprise. 1t may therefore be
classed as the most conspicuous exam
pie of municipal ownership in Great
Britain or elsewhere.
Even eliminating the ship canal, Man
chester easily occupies first place in
England in the volume of its municipal
work. 1t has constructed dwellings and
cottages for Its laboring classes. 1t has
an extensive system of baths and wash
houses. 1t owns three municipal GENE
teries, with burial grounds set aside for
members of the Church of England,
Dissenters, Roman Catholics and Jews.
Manchester owns and operates success
fully an electric light and power gen
Grating plant. Its municipal gas works
turn a large annual revenue into the
| city treasury. 1t owns S., 900 worth
Of markets, which are a large and
steadily increasing source of n
Its department for the scientific han
ding and disposal Of refuse is the most
extensive in the world and has brought
about a huge manufacturing plant and
a farm of 3,GS1 acres, the whole CIV
Ing employment to an army Of $500
men. Its publicly owned and operated
tramways rival those of Glasgow and
excel those Of the Scottish metropolis
in some particulars. 1t has q well or.
gained works department which ex.
ecutes most Of the tasks formerly lei
by contract, and 1t contemplates a tele.
phone system, which when installed
will complete the list Of the ten utili.
ties mentioned in the introduction of
this article as the more popular objects
of municipalization in Great Britain.
Manchester has expended 100000
and more In erecting quarters for its
iaboring class. Those first provided
and those now under way show in
striking contrast the development
which has been made along this line
In Great Britain. Electric transporta.
don had not then developed to a point
where 1t was possible for the working.
man to live in the e%nvirons of the CITY
1t was assumed that he was foreye,
fated to live in tenement houses and
those who wished to make his ufe
more endurable bent their energies n
ward planning and building the hes,
of tenement structures.
When the time comes-and I am
enough Of an optimist to believe that Il
Will come-when every w%orkingman iu
Manchester, London, New York, Chico,
go and all populous centers shall he
able to rent or W a house and n nlc1
OF ground, he will gaze with omaza
ment at such structures as now from,
on Oldham road. Manchester. and the
gloomy plies which London has rearo
IN Millbank and other central s,tos
me tenement house Is the worst s,nple
feature In q civilization which hos
Deen uneyenly developed from the ran.
III perfection Of the machine, There oan
no more be a model tenement bonsa,
than there can be a model deatb +r.n
n a tenement house is q fenamap,
mouse, be 1t next to a t~annery with ron,
rates Of S1.59 a week, payable IN "A
vance, or dubbed an department. horss,