New-York tribune., 1906-09-10
ENGLISH EXAMPlp
Americans Need Caution in Fan
ing IL In Public Orrmer,b;.

~ -'N' O"1 mixed ana uncertain "
tne OBVIOUS conclusion TO Be drawn ,.s
series OF letters which have recently b..,A
ihs rom Durham. Yorkshire. Lancass,. NJ
soinerSe'snre. Ihe towns were not sel.c,..
tne purpose OF supporting or refutins anv,s~
OF puohc ownership The choice wa. n.sNS
RANDOM. ana the facts were recorded i1apa-..aa
srter painstakins Inquiry on the ground -
cafes OF municipal socialism can prove ths,-
oy carefully selecting group OF towns !, -
land and Scotland where the water ms
way and electricity services have passas -' '
public control and local taxation Ia, -.
dueed oy surplus profits Opponents or tb,r,
tenn can form with equal facility sno.5.- ~" y"
in which municipal trading has been upr.-'o 80
ative and there has not been any SAVING -
rates: or they may make anotber Us, as
fashioned municipalities. which have lss. 81
electricity, water and tramway service, ga
vate hands and have as low taxation a, rsae
gov. Manchester. Leeds. Liverpool. HuH %
ford. Dundee and other towns where puhlIe -
ership and operation prevail sef-intsr..r.ds
vestigators can find what they wan. /, 81
know where to look for II. but their corcIu. a..
Will be unsafe generalizations and tainted v,..
suspicion II towns are taken as one co7,..a
them. without deliberation or selection. tss -
suits VIII Inevitably vary materially. and ara,
ions respecting the expediency or utility !,
municipal trading viii be formed With nor, -
serve and less dogmaticaIly.
The moral for Americans was 50 clearIv s-.
IN an admirable editorial IN The Trfsup. =
August % that II may be superfuous 10 res,a,.
IL. Yet the observer has hts own point OF v,sx
and Il he has studied his subject year after v.s.
IN one locality after another he NAV rsneor,.
by his Judgment the opinion OF the most tudiesar,
commentator. When came 10 England eleven
years ago. nothing interested me so much as n,
progressive system OF local government on eol.
lectivist lines. and 7 have watched tho rssu,,,
closely. repeatedly making journeys 70 provincial
towns and obtaining information from the Iocal
officials respecting the practical operation Of hs
new policies. Favorably impressed as 7 hars
often been with the public utility OF munie,a
trading and with the sacrifices OF time "a
energy made by men Of wealth and leisure VA
have devoted themselves 20 the local service a
unpaid members Of councils. I have never been
able to convince myself that the system can 10
safely and advantageoUsly introduced IN Amer
lea II there were grave reasons for doubling
Il ten years ago. when the gas and water SER
vices were the main municipal industries and
when the British town councils were recruited
with high minded men. who could have nothing
to get out of local politics. there more serious
grounds for uncertainty az present. when ths
tramway and electric lighting services have IN
volved heavy Increase OF debt and the standing
or men conducting the business OF the towns 70
not so high as it was.
The problem OF public ownership has steadily
increased in magnitude IN the course Of a decade
Municipal control over the water supply has not
required Justification. and cities like London
Bristol and Newcastle-on-Tyne. which havs
neglected 20 secure II. have been hopelessly be-
hind the times Public ownership OF gas has also
been a moderate experiment. which has not in
voIved excessive outlay IN plant When II was
first undertaken there was idea OF making
money OUT OF IL for the relief Of taxpayers The
original purpose was 10 allow the consumers 70
have the benefit Of minimum charges, but that
has been lost sight Of as the necessity has arisen
for setting aside surplus profits so as 20 justify
other investments in municipal Industries El-c-
tric lighting and tramways have enlarged the
scope Of municipal trading and involved 50 iaV-
ish use of borrowing powers that millions nave
been added to local Indebtedness.
The best financial results have been secured
when the cities are large and the three services
gas, electricity and tramways-ars under puo-
lie control but not infrequenty either the s'rest
railway traffic or the electric lighting IS leIt ~
private hands and there is no margin for the reeI
of the rates Under the most favorable eond-
tions a shilling or even a shilling ana slXpehee,
comes on the rates I'm consequence or economies
rnanagement OF these services. but the eApV'F'
ence Of English towns is not By any means UNI
form. Some municipalities are doing remafAa0S
we'll with the gas and tramway business ouv's
are barely meeting the charges OF ne shAns
fund and providing reserves for the reneNa "a
pIants Thers may be large sources Of reFena'
when the capital outlay is repaid, hui mean
while an towns have been borrowing heaN"
and the cost of financing municipal undeTtaA"'
is rising
Local government has become more comps
and requires more expert talent than icrniels
A town council carries on through it's commF
tees series OF Industries for which a eoS]
plant and a highly organized working io''
have 10 he provided. It's members are untfan'1
for their work in local government. excep' "
they have experience in managing one oIaH-I
or another Of the public service and prom
the instruction OF experts who are IN sa'
dinate positions. They are neither eIec'ii'ie-@
nor sanitary experts, nor traction ensin1O
Yet they have To supervise systems Of sfss'
lighting. surface drainage and rapid transf'
which everything needs 10 be done with scisa
tihc precision Necessarily there have been cruz.
experiments and many bhnders. and' Nu"9
standard Of efficiency Is high. tt has oeeh -
cult for municipalities % secure the oeS'
for local government. and IL Is ny no -
certain that the work, as IL becomes of''l'' "A
more complex. is not attracting an iniei0. y.
less high minded class Of public func cl'o'o-
Masterman, who has been iec'ui'Hs iec,.,,,
British institutions at the Cambridge eN'''T ~.
meeting. has been complaining that ." !.
CATION OF service 20 the community "H
taken hold of the minds OF those cdpao'e - -.
manding the broadest outlook on iocai - -
ment. Rich men. he asserts. should iV''ie -.
business earlier than they do and de.u's .s.r
selves to municipal work; and peii'@R9 80.
would be more willing 70 make peIal-- -.