Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-12
TOWN THAT NEEDS NO TAXES
Its Modern, Too, Knows Good Thing and
Pushes 1t Along.
MAY DECLARE DIVIDENDS BEFORE LONG


1t Is not necessary TO go abroad and OBJ
serve in ancient cities the operation of
public utilities for public profit Port
Arthur. Canada, is a modern town which
furnishes lesson in municipal ownership
calculated " start thrill Of envy In COM
munities south of the boundary line. A
correspondent OF the Washington Star
tells about 1t in this way:
With what emotions would a property
holder receive an Official statement from
the assessors office that he would not be
required to pay taxes thereafter? And the
same citizen would probably not survive
the shock OF later being requested to call
at the district building to receive a check
as his share OF the profits of the municipal
government. This state of affairs is about
TO be realized in Port Arthur
Every stranger who drops into this hos
pitable little city at the head of Lake
Superior, on the Canadian side, is forced to
become familiar with the towns method
and manner of doing business before he
can make any sort of Roadway at all in
any other direction. He may not be inter-
ested, but that matters. not a whit. He
must listen! Every citizen OF the town is
loaded to the guards with information
about municipal ownership and carries
around with him the last quarterly state
ment Of the railway and light commission.
He knows to cent just how much profits
there was in the operation Of the water
works and can tell you to a mill the profits
OF the last quarter from the telephone
system. Incidentally, he will explain be-
tween grins and chOrtles that the rival
town OF Fort William, six miles away. is
helping to pay the taxes due on Port
Arthur's real estate, because the street
railroad which connects the two towns OF
approximately the same population is
owned by the municipality of Port Arthur.
Therefore, when Fort William resident
pays cents 20 the street car conductor he
I contributes mite 20 every individual tax
I payer in the rival town. That fact seems
20 tickle the Port Arthurians to death. II
you are with Port Arthur resident for
half an hour and he doesn't mention the
above conditions thirteen times It is con-
sidered remarkable by the natives
Low Telephone Rates.
Although the street railroad doesn't give
the citiEens any reduction in car tickets
which other cities do not enjoy, the tele-
phone service is much cheaper. The en-
thusiastio advocate Of municipal owner
ship IN this town-and every citizen is in
this olass-will not forget to explain that
the BSf company used to charge x36 a year
piled for ~ and that q residence tele-
phone now costs only Sl2 a year. He
knOwG too. that Port Arthur is the only
town on the American continent which
owns and operates all Of it's utilities ana Is
very fond OF explaining how all this came
about
me most conspicuous citizen OF this town
IL Q member OF the railway and light con-
mission. The membership OF the commits
( sion IL restricted 10 three and one mem
bsr Il elected each year. II is by far q
groater honor 70 be a member OF the com
mission than 1t IL TO be 9 mayor or alder.
man As member OF the board the citizen
VINO has been so honored by the munich.
panty must serve without pay.
Nobody rides on passes in this town
and perhaps that Is one OF the reasons
wing municipal Ownership is possible: bui
4hsfs are sven better reasons than that
: - O. tails q The Current river are Al