New-York tribune., 1905-08-28
LANCASHIRE MORALS.
Local Government in ROchdale and
Bolton-MunicipaI OzcHership.
Rochdale. Lancashire. August II.


Riding one smoky. bustIing factory town Is Ike
another and has little individuality apart from
the specialization OF its manufactures The great
1 tribune OF the English people loved the factory
chimneys Of ROchdale and chcss to be burIef
among them; and the Society OF Equitable PI
/ oneers founded by a group Of min hands sixty
years ago has prospered here. even II the r.
suits Of cooperation elsewhere have not equalled
the sanguine expectations Of the leaders Of the
mOvment. Yet a cause 20 which neither he nor
! they paid heed. has been taken up not only by
Rochdae. with it's voo'len and flannel mills bu,
/ by all the towns Of this populous industrial belt
with their varied manufactures. This is local
government on advanced principles. with CON-
: mon stock OF public interests supported and de-
veIOped by municipal investments. With
| radius OF thirty forty miles Manchester be-
| comes a centre Of population even larger than
( metropolitan London. and its growth has been
! even more rapid. II is in this section OF Eng
land that the results OF industrial progress dur
| Ing the last fifty years have been most con-
| spicuous in the draining OF workers from farms
| and the creation Of scores Of swarming factory
/ towns OF necessity municipal government has
/ been confronted with collective responsibilities
| and has acquired new functions and organized
| industries of its own. 1t has been the natural
resource for the improvement OF the conditions
| Of life in overcrowded communities. Without
| il Lancashire and West Yorkshire would have
degenerated into a black belt OF impaired VI
tauty and stagnant conservatism
| Local government in this way has become a
( field of cooperative benefit broader than the
/ founders Of the Equitable Pioneers had in mind
| and it supplies common ground for competitive
| efforts among the factory towns. What does
RochdaIe. with its population Of over $1,000 GET
/ out OF It? Increased taxation, OF course; but
/ nth fha avf-,
and sewering OF an enlarged area, the added bur
/ den OF the poor rate the cost Of policing more
| popuIous town. and the rise OF the school rate
under the new Education Act. With ratabis
valuation OF less than 100000 the local
\ taxes amount TO S.. on the pound and az
! least As. can be accounted for by these neees-
| sary expenditures. About - per cent OF
the local Indebtedness. which exceeds S9.0000OO.
| has been incurred IN outstanding loans for
| waterworks. gasworks. electric light. tramways
and markets. and there is an estimated corpor-
ate property Of over s1O.5OOOOO 10 show for
this municipal investment. Theoretically. the
| chief municipal undertakings are self-sustaiu-
| iEg and in the course Of time the bulk OF the
| dsbt will be scaled down and extinguished BY
the operation Of sinking funds; but practically
/ only one branch OF municipal trading now Yields
| a surplus available for the relief Of the rates.
| This Is the gas supply. with a margin Of profit
| equivalent to 1Od- in the rates. There ara
! deficiencies in the water and tramway services
| for which special provision has TO be made IN
creased outlay for enlarged supply accounts for
| the temporary water deficiency; and the Condi-
tions under which the tramways were purchased
! from private company and converted from
steam to electric lines explain the other deficit.
While Rochdale cannot be cited a con-
spicuous example OF the financial benefits OF
municipal trading. it is a well governed town.
where the conditions OF life have been greatly
improved by efficiency in local administration.
The corporation has established free libraries
and technical schools, and maintains public
baths so complete that Russian and Turkish
baths can be had for moderate cost II also
owns the markets and cemeteries. and has en-
Iarged the recreation grounds and parks.
refuse destructer has been brought into use for
the disposal OF street garbage; and the waste
steam will eventually be converted into source
OF power. as in Preston and other progressive
Lancashire towns. The water supply has been
largely increased. the cost OF gas TO consumers
has been lowered. and the tramway service has
been materially improved by the substitution u
| electric power for steam. with lower fares than
those charged by the private companies al
though the average has not Vet been reduced
! to penny in other Lancashire towns. Time
Will be required before the electric lighting AMI
tramway services can be depended upon for con-
tributions to the rates after adequate provision
has been made for depreciation and reserve;
but another generation will derive full beDeft
from these municipal investments. even II rate
payers continue to bear for a long period the
burdens Of heavy local taxation
Bolton with population of 10000 and al
! mcst as many iron foundries and engine works
as cotton mills. has accomplished more favorable
results than Rochdale in the conduct OF lis
municipal industries. From markets. water
gas. electric light. tramways and cOrpOr.+fo1
estates there is a total profit Of $IS750O which
is equivalent to the reduction OF the rates BY
over 13d in the pound Although there Is
a debt Of over $16.5OOOOO with corporation
property Of an estimated value Of over SIS OO0-
600 to show for it. the municipal services ara
managed so economically that the total rate
is reduced TO as. in the pound There was
so much opposition to the extension Of the
administrative area TO a dozen neighboring dis
trlcts seven years ago that the council has been
| forced TO justify annexation by balancing as
many accounts possible on the right side
The net surplus from gas is S1OOOOO-a notabis
result for district OF so considerable an area.
and not only are the tramways remunerat tive.
but electric lighting and power as we'll The Boil
ton Corporation has organized a series OF rnunic-
ipal undertakings with bUsinesslike efficiency.
and is steadily increasing its surplus earnings
from them. At the same time IL has n fine series
OF public pleasure grounds. excellent libraries
and technical schools. three museums and other
municipal institutions In this way a Lanca shire
town. which began witt the memory Of Croap-
ton, the inventor OF the spinning mule as It's