The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-05-17
Attorney Burdett Gives out Re.
suit Of His Investigation Of
Municipal Ownership.
BENEFITS OF PLAN IN DOUBT
Boston Attorney Gives Out state
ment in Regard to the Munich
pally Owned Plants in Eng
land and America.

i -AMn--@l
| It has been known for some time
that men of ma tiona1 reputation were
engaged in making first hand study
of the municipalization question il
Europe in behalf of conservative Am.
erican interests, but the reports Of
their Investigations have been with.
held as confidential documents. All
last one of them is to appear. In the
Journal of Political Economy for May
which is to come out this week, is az
exhaustive examination Of the meth
DDS aud results of municipal owner
ship in Great Britain, made by Ever
EFT w. Berdett Of the Boston bar.
The experience of Great Britain be-
ing most frequently ited as indicating
what the experience of America would
be, Mr.. Burdette went to England
last summer and gathered exhaustive
information for his report. Briefly
stated, his conclusions are that NUM-
cipal ownership and operation Of
public utilities in Great Britain has
been only partially successful at the
best, and has failed in many Of the
very respects for which its supporters
here claim most; and that, so far as
the present status III Great Britain is
desirable, it is owing to the conditions
which do not exist and cannot be du-
plicated in America.
The first municipalized industry
Mr.. Burdett considers is that Of fur.
nishing light. The conclusion Is
drawn that, taking it for granted that
the municipalities of England and
Scotland have, on the whole, sue
.ceeded rneasurably in furnishing afail
article at a fair price, there is slight
difference in favor of the consumer in
the results obtained from municipal
as contrasted with private lighting
plants The success of these city
undertakings is. confined to this SIM
gle feature, however, resulting solely
to the benefit Of comparatively few
consumers aud not to that Of the gen
eral public. But against the one ad-
vantage municipal lighting seems to
afford, Mr.. Burdett sets other conse-
quences of civic ownership and opera
tons which are of most detrimental
character.
Perhaps the most serious of the i'll
consequences is the hampering and
restriction Of industry. The back
wardness Of the development of cleo
trical enterprise in England led to
such state Of things that in 1902 the
Council Of the Institution of Electri-
cal Engineers appointed committee
to investigate conditions and suggest
action that would assist the industry.
The committees tabulated conclu-
sions showed that the United States,
with less than double the population
of. Great Britain, has six times the
amount of apparatus installed for fur
nishing electric light and power, six
teen times as much for electric trac-
ton, twenty-three times as many
miles Of electric railway, twenty. six
times as many motor cars, and five
and half times as much money in
vested in such enterprises.
1.-The principal and controlling
of the results which have be en- OBJ
tanned in Great Britain Mr.. Burdett
says, els found in English legislation
and official regulation respecting the
electric industry. The predominant
ing characteristic of the legislation
has been the encourag cement 5of
municipal, and the discourag of
private, undertakings. Municipal
ownership Of existing gas plants,
which, united with the natural inertia
of public bodies, and the natural zeal
ousy of such bodies when engaged
in quasi business enterprises towards
private companies organized for like
purposes, caused for many years a
practical stag nation in the supply Of
electricity" Of the PAL cities oper-
ating plants in 1903, more than half
had rested on their rights from four
to sixteen years, while their citizens
awaited such conveniences as Ameri-
cans regard as absolute necessities;
and at the close of 1903 there were
seventy cities which had cut ont pri-
waite enterprise by sitting OH their
provisional orders without using
them for from four to thirteen years.