Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-05-16
VIII.

HN WHEN Manchester aspired to
. commercial and manufa ctur-
w ing greatness Liverpool at
tempted to choke it with dis
railroad rates. Manchester
les only an hours ride from it's older
dval, but it cost more to ship freight to
Liverpool than it did from Liverpool
% New York. Threats, entreaty and
were all in vain. The fate OF
depended on securing cheap
with the ocean. Liver
pool was relentless. Manchester declar-
ed that she would cut her way to the
sea and become port. Liverpool smil-
ed. The citizens Of Manchester form
ed canal company, raised SAC, 200, 600 |
and began their titanic task. When
this amount was exhausted they Dor
rowed $10,O00,O0o more. When this
was expended they were at the end Of
their resources. The canal was not
completed and no mora private capital
could be raised.
The city Of Manchester came to tho
rescue. 1t raised $25,000,O0O from a
bond issue and became "a partner in
the enterprise The company could
not meet It's interest, and again the city
came to Its aid. The canal was opened
to traffic several years ago and has
done for Manchester all that its advo- ,
Gates claimed for 1t. The city now
has invested in the enterprise $4,000
600 and has a bill before parliament
authorizing it to advance $10,001000
more for the purpose Of deepening the
canal 80 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 $100,O00000 and is likely to be-
come 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 specific
business purpose.
Chicago's drainage canal was not de-
signed to yield revenue, but the Man
chester ship canal is primarily busi-
ness enterprise. It 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 it's municipal
work. 1t has constructed dwellings and
cottages for Its laboring classes. It has
an extensive system Of baths and wash
houses. It owns three municipal ceme-
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 large annual revenue into the
city treasury. It owns $1,000. 900 worth
Of markets. which are a large and
steadily increasing source Of revenus.
It's department for the scientific han
ding and disposal of refuse is the most
extensive in the world and has brought
about huge manufacturing plant and
a farm Of 3,6S1 acres, the whole Civ
ing employment to an army Of 1850
men. Its publicly owned and operated
tramways rival those Of Glasgow and
excel those Of the Scottish metropolis
In some particulars. 1t has we'll or
ganized works department. which ex
ecutes most Of the tasks formerly lei
by contract, and 1t contemplates tele
phone system, which when installed
will complete the list Of the ten utili
ties mentioned in the introduction o!
this article as the more popular objects
of multiplication in Great Britain.
Manchester has expended $2,0o0,00t
and more in erecting Qnartera for 1T
laboring class. Those first provided
and those now under way show y
striking contrast the development
which has been made along this lin
in Great Britain. Electric transports
ton had not then developed to poin
where 1t was possible for the wording
man to live in the environs Of the city
1t was assumed that he was foreve
fated to live in tenement houses, an,
those who wished to make his If
more endurable bent their energies to
ward planning and building the bes
Of tenement structures.
When the time, comes-and an
enough Of an optiyhist to believe that
will come-when every workingman II
Manchester, Lopdon, New York, Chica
go and all pQrulous centers shall b
able to rent or own house and plo
OF ground, he will gaze with amaze
ment at such structures as now from
on Oldham road, Manchester, and tn
gloomy piles which London has reare
In Millhhnk and other central sites
The tenement house is the worst singl
feature in civilization which ha
been unevenly developed from the raI
Id perfection Of the machine. There ca,
no more be "model tenement house
than there can be model death traI
and tenement house Is q tenemen
house. be it next to tgnnery with ren
rates of s1.5o week, payable in ad
vance, or dubbed an Apartment house
on Fifth avenue with "suites" calm
Tor 9he payment of ia, 900 year.
| When Manchestsr decided to erec
tenement houses her officials wen
about 1t in no half hearted way. Their
was district in Oldham road wher
Death reaped an a lnual harvest of frol
% to 50 ont Of every 1000 who wer