The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1905-08-02

America are three times the government
charges in England and three times what
the government in France allows.
Gas costs 81 per NJ in Chicago and
! one company before amalgamation was
selling II in Chicago at s072 per thou
sand. In Glasgow IL cost 800 before
municipal ownership, now 1t is but So
| cents.
"In the matter OF electric lights Chi
cago was paying 1920 and sl25 per arc
light eight years ago and now since the
municipal plant has been operating II has
been reduced about one-half. In the
! cities through Illinois and Michigan tho
cost is from sac 10 s6l.50, the latter in
| Detroit
II had an interesting experience with
water while l lived for four months in
a suburb Of Chicago where there was a
! private company furnishing the water
was not running a milk depot or anything
like that requiring a large amount OF
water Oaushter). We just had a good
sized family and used IL for external and
internal purposes and my bin was s22.
The water was metered. too. and the
company read the meter.
Il moved from that section right away.
Some OF you may say / moved because
| OF the water rates. but anyway moved TO
the city Of Chicago where the city fur
4 nlSnoS the water ana Tor n corresponding
time II cost me but $50.
! I'VE had the same sized family. or
there may have been one addition Oaugh-
teri but II was at least az large as when
the water had cost me s22.
NONE IN UNITED STATES
When we get down 70 street railways
II is a little more difficult TO make com
parisons as there are no publicly owned
street railways in the United States that
l know about.
There has been one recently estab-
lished at Port Arthur. Canada with cleo
tricity and gas plants and IL Is working
very we'll, so although Chicago is the
pioneer Il Is not privileged to enjoy bene-
fits OF the practice OF the idea with the
first.
There Is one unanimous feature about
| all the street car companies through the
United States. they all charge fve-cent
fares As a contrast just compare the
! rates with several cities In Europe where
there is municipal ownership In Milan.
Italy. 10000 population. Is cents Berlin.
! Pesth 500 600 people. 81 cents; London, 2.5
cents: Belfast. Ireland. 20 cents and Glas-
gov. Scotland, with $4,000 population, l1s
| cents
while have been spending my vaca-
tion here in the East have had occasion
| 10 visit some OF your suburbs and In
| coming into the city today 10-cent fare
was paid for distance OF eight miles or
| less
Now In chicago where we have had all
sorts OF abuses and poor service you can
| ride further for five cents than that.
NO INFLATED VALUES.
1--WE are in favor OF paying the traction
| companies for their plants.for their rights
| OF way and for their intangible property
as we'll. There is no city officer Of Chica-
| go who favors confscation OF property I
| believe but we do not favor the purchase
| OF the property at the inflated capitaliza-
| ton at which they are put. II was found
by an expert that the tangible property OF
the traction companies in Chicago only
amounted TO s27 900 oo0 but they had a
combined capitalization OF sl17ooo,ooo and
the companies are expected 10 pay a good
dividend on the capital.
About the only objection 10 municipal
ownership that you hear is that IL would
tend TO build UP a great political ma
chine
NV friends there is no right thinking
man who will agree 20 municipal owner
ship unless there was passed rigid civil
service law which was rigidly observed
TO the letter. That system OF peddlng out
jobs 10 political retainers would be fatal
20 any city or business
How long do you think a dry goods
muse OF any DlNlnfsS IN tnlS CITY WOULD
last " II changed the help every two
years.
Examine the applicants for work as 10
their physical and mental fitness and then
wait their turn without regard FOR poll
/ tics solely upon their merits Chicago has
/ a civil service law and II Is being honestly
! enforced I know of no way that n mayor
! or aldermen or a coterie OF aldermen can
/ get n friend on as n teacher clerk or a
| policeman 7 VIII repeat my Offer OF 500
4 20 any charity designated for q man ~
| get another on the police force without
/ waiting his turn under ao DAYS Under
| that system you cannot build up n ma
! chine
| PEOPLE WERE AROUSED.
"The citizens of Chicago are honestly
| and steadfastly IN favor OF the municIpal
ownership of the street railways About
! five years ago the traction company
thought they needn't give the people n
fair measure of service that would have
given them the appreciation IN n measure
Of the people any longer.
They went down 20 our capital AZ
Springfield and tried 10 get an extension
OF their franchise for half a century. and
tried the usual methods. not always open
argument There was open charges OF
bribery and corruption and the people
rose up and protested. and the next year