The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-20
The Kootney Country and It's
Gold and silver-A Mighty
Inland Island

almost everywhere in favor OF munich
pal ownership. 4i y t5s3tt
Shortly aftersI arrived in Nelson
was told that the city owned it's water.
works, electric lights and street cars.
I thereupon remarked: 7 think 4 Will
go and see the mayor" The reply came
with some embarrassment; NJ
Stranger, we haven't got no mayor
Our d-n mayor has rim off. - f
Upon inquiry found that this state
ment was correct Their had been soma !.
by the city and the mayor had grown
disguised and left. I suppose he has
returned BY now or that another had
been chosen to take his place. ,
Grating in Canada.
AS to the matter of grating, find evil
dcnces that tits quite as much Of a pro-
fesslon north OF the boundary as southTof
1t. Many OF the older towns nre steadily
MIXED by public officials, and the only i
trouble with the new settlements Is that i
they are too near the calf age to give
milk. The accusations OF grating are By y.
no means confined to the towns. and ex-
officials OF the dominion government are d
said to have made fortunes out of their 4;
positions. There is considerable talk &:
about certain railroad interests controls
ing legislation. 1t used to be said that 4
ment, and It is now charged that the
Grand Trunk railway. which, with the \
government, Is now building the Grand Y
Trunk Pacific ut a cost OF one hun q
5dred and twenty-five million dollars, has e
taken Its place. AS to these things, how "
ever, my information is based upon III 4
mors and 1 do not give them as facts.
These Cities Do Their Own
Business. .
There is no doubt, however, but that
municipal ownership ts advancing In fa-3
vor in all Parts of British America. Ed
monitor has Its own electric light plant,
and 1t has taken possession of the telc-
phones within the past year. y
1t owns the rwaterworls and sewers
and It charges a minimum cost for It's +
various services. The telephone rates are
$50 per year for dwellings, and $40 per
year for business. and the light rates
are low.
Winnipeg is now managing Its own wa
tcrworks, and 1t Is giving at s24 q year
a servive for. which In the past q houses y
holder paid $780, 1t pnves Its own streets
and has q municipal asphalt plant It
now gets n part OF the earnings of the
street cars and at certain hours OF the
day insists on n three-cent fare In orr
der to benefit the workingmen and school Il
children, A#
am told that Toronto has made d +
contract as to the operation OF its street
railways which will give n three-c cent q
rate at certain hours of the day and thai
a certain percentage of tho street car
earnings are to go into the city treasury
Tho contract Ia to run for twenty years.
after which the plant goes back to the
! city at an appraised valuation OF Its stock
and materials,
Cheap Municipal Telephones.
All of these city ownership nstitu-
lions give cheap telephones.
In Port Arthur the city rates 81 per-
month for residences and 50 n month for
business houses. and on these terms tho Z
municipality makes money Fort VIII Is
liam expects eventually to cut its rest
dence phones to so cents per month and
business houses to 81. while radical reduce Il
lions have been made III other quarters. h
Regina has taken over Its electric light
plant. has cut the rates 90 per cent and q
is making money Medicine Hat owns
natural gas works and Is furnishing light
and heat to that town OF four thousand
at the lowest rates. The charge Is II
cents for lighting and heating, and all
cooking Is now done over gas. The town
is also offering Its gas at cents per
thousand for factories, and several
wooden mills and brick making plants
have already been started. Tho city
gas works are only little more than
n year old, and even at these low ratea
they have made profit OF $4,000.
tconyrLrht 1908. by Frank q. Carpentry