The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-20
The Kootney Country and rs IS
Gold and silverA Mighty.
Inland Island. B 81

-. g,
almost everywhere In favor Of munict-s
pal ownership. N. s
Shortly after. / HI arrived in Nelsonsl
was told that the city owned It's Haae e
works, electric lights and street cars
II tterelipon remarked : y Il think I5SSWil
go and see the mayor The reply came
with some embarrassment u f!il3 sRssas
Stranger we haven't got no mayo
+ Our 5d-n mayor has run off. ~ "
s. Upon Inquiry I:sfound that this state
rnent was correct There had been some
trouble about taking over the power plant
blythe city and the mayor had h grown
disguised and left. I suppose he u has \
returned BY now or that another had
been chosen to take his place.
Grating in Canada.
AS to the matter Of grating. I find evil viz
dences that5it IS quite as much of q pro-
fesslon north OF the boundary as south Of
It. Many Of the older towns are steadily K
mlked by public officials, and the only 1
trouble with the new settlements Is tina q
they are too near the calf age to give,
milk. The accusations OF grating are by \
no means confined to the towns and ex-sss
officials OF the dominion government are
said to have made fortunes out Of thelr &
positions. There As considerable talk
about certain railroad interests controls
ing legislation. 1T used to be said that /
the Canadian Pacific ran the govern
ment, and It Is now charged that the
Grand Trunk railway. which, with the
government, Is now building the Grand I
Trunk Pacific Mt q cost OF one hum
dred and twenty five million dollars, has !
taken Its place. AS to these things. how
ever, my information Is based upon rus
mors and L do not give them rs facts.
These Cities Do Their Own
R,1sineSS.
There is no doubt, however, but that
municipal ownership Is advancing In fa-&
8vor In all rartsgof British America. Eds
monitor has Its own electric light pla nt,#
and 1t has taken possession Of the telc-
phones within the past year.
1t owns the wnterworks and sewers
and it charges a minimum cost for Its
various services. The telephone rates are ire
$40 per year for dwellings and $40 per
year for business. and the light rates
are low,
Winnipeg Is now managing ITS own wa t
terworks, and 1t Is giving at S24 Il year
a servive for, which In the past q house, y
holder paid $50. 1t pnves Its own streets
and has a municipal asphalt plant. ItH
now gets a part of the earnings OF the
street cars and at certain hours Of the "
day insists on three-cent fare In orr
der to benefit the worklngmen and school II
children IA.
am told that Toronto has made a Il
contract as to the operation OF its street p
railways which will give n three-cent b
rate at certain hours of the day and that
a certain percentage of tho street Gar
earnings are to go into the city treasury, u
The contract is to run for twenty years.
after which the plant goes back to the
city nj an appraised valuation OF Its stock II
and materials,
Cheap Municipal Telephones.
All of these city ownership institu- /
lions give cheap telephones.
In Port Arthur the city rates 81 per Is
month for residences and 81 n month Tor
business houses. and on these terms the
makes money. Fort VIII.
liam expects eventually to cut Its rest
dence phones to so cents per month ana
business houses to 81, while radical raduc- i5
tlors have been made In other quarters.
Regina has taken over It's electric light
plant, has cut the rates 90 per cent and
Is making money. Medicine Hat oWns II
rs ttltnl gas works and Is furnishing light
and heat to that town OF four Thousand
at the lowest rates. The charge Is H.
cents for lighting and heating. and all
cooking Is now done over gas, The town ya
Is also Offering Its gas at cents rsr
thousand for factories, and several
WOODEN mills and matchmaking plants
haze already been started, The city Is
gas works are only little more than si
n year old, and even at these low rates
they have made a profit OF $4,000,
(C.onyright 1905. by frank g. Carpentry