The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-20
MUNICIPAL
 OWNERSHIP. .
FIRST PUBLICATION OF REsULTs FROM A SERIES OF IN-
 INVESTIGATIONS.
Etnds Non-User m Involuntary Partner to His own Loss In Mu-
 uicipsl Trading.

Chicago Dispatch.
 It has been known for some time that man of national reputation were en- ~aeed in making a frst-hand study of the municipalization question, in Eu- rope. in behalf of conservative Ameri- car, interests, but the reports of their fre,sstigations have been withheld as confidential documents. At last one of tasm is to appear. In the Journal of Political Economy for May, which is to came out this week. is an exhaustive examination of the methods and results of municipal ownership in Great Britain, made by Everett W. Burdett of the Boston bar.
 The importance which the subject of municipal ownership has assumed in this country Is pointed out by MT. Bur- dett by reference to recent events in view of which, he says, mo one inter- ested in either the safety. of private capital or the efficiency of municipal administration can close his eyes to the fact that a great socialistic agitation is upon us. which may result in far reaching economic changes"
 "Never has wiser and a saner treat ment of those public questions which most. nearly touch the individual namely, those arising in and which con- cern the municipality in which he lives and labors--been demanded than here and now" MT. Burdett continues. We must treat these who are temporarily dazzled and misled by the glitterine generaltiities of socialistic and quasi socialistic doctrines with patience and respect"
 In such a situation a clear and cor rect understanding of the truth about the actual results from municipal own efship is of the utmost importance to every American citizzen. The experi- ence of Great Britain being most ire quently cited as indicating what the experience of America would be, MT. Burdett went to England last summer and gathered exhaustive information f0r his report. Briefly stated, his con- clusions are that municipal 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 in Great Britain is desirable, it is owing to the conditions which do not exist and cannot be duplicated in America.
 The first municipaiized industry Mr. Burdette' considers Is that of furnishins light. The conclusion is drawn that taking it for granted that the munich palities of England and Scotland have on the whole, succeeded measurabfy in furnishing fair article at a fair price the consumer in the results obtained as contrasted with private lighting plants. The success of these city un- dertakings is confined to this single feature, however, resulting solely to the benefit of comparatively few con sumers and not to that of the general public. But against the one advantage of municipal lighting seems to afford Mir. Burdett sets other consequences of civic ownership and operations which are of a most detrimental character.
 Perhaps the most serious of the ill., consequences is the hampering and re- striction of industry. The backward ness of the development of electrical enterprise in England led to such a state Of things that in 1902 the Council of the Institution of Electrical Engi- neers appointed committee to inves- tfgate conditions and suggest action that would assist the industry The committees tabulated conclusions show. ed that the United States, with less than double the population of Great Britain, has six times the amount oi apparatus installed for furnishing cleo tric power, sixteen times as much fol electric traction, twenty-three times as many miles of electric railway, twenty six times as many motor cars. and five and a half times as much money in- vested in such enterprises.
 "The principal and controlling cause of the results which have been obtain ed in Great Britain" MT. Burdett says lis found in English legislation and official regulation respecting the elec- tric industry. The predominating char acteristic of the legislation has been the encouragement of municipal. and the discouragement of private, undertak- ings. Municipal ownership of existing gas plants. which. united with the nat urai inertia of public bodies. and the natural jealousy of such bodies when engaged in quasi business enterprises towards private companies organized for like purposes. caused for many years a practical stagnation in the supply of electricity.' Of the 241 cities operat- ing plants in 1903. more than half had rested on their rights from four to six teen years, while their citizens await ed such conveniences as Americans re- gard as absolute necessities: and at the rlose of 1903 there were seventy cities which had cut out private enterprise by sitting on their provisional orders without using them for from four to thirteen years.
 Similarly, electric railroading. which has meant so much for the development of the growing communities of the United States, has been retarded for years under the English provisions for municipal ownership and operation of tramways. Though electricity was sue cessfulIy adapted to street railway work in England and Ireland several yaars hefore If was successfully used fin