The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-19
SEVEN BILLIONS SPENT.
GRAFT {. CRY IN IN! LONDON |
People Turn searchlight on Ex-
penditures Of the County:
- Council.
Special Cable 70 The journal.

London, Aug. lS.As billion OF dol 1
lars! How many people understand the.
significance Of these fguresf A con-
siderate mathematician recently an
nounced that it would take one person,
400 years to count billion if he kept
it up continuously day and night from
the moment Of his birth. And yet there
Is one city council In the world that
has spent in the brief course Of its ex-
years. over seven billions Of dollars!
This is nearly half a billion per year.
This body Of municipal governors Is
the London county council. Last year
alone the council spent over three
quarters of a, billion ..dollars-$50,0 00,-
600 more than the expenditure of tho
entire imperial government Of tho Brit
ish empire. :, - - = $500 o. =
Holds Worlds Record. .~.. -.
Tho London county council can Ger.
tainly: claim the record for spending
more money than any man or nation In
the same length of time. It's debt, &C
cumuIated in less than a decade Is over
two and half billion dollars, or moro
than one half of the national debt Of
the British empire, which has been in
existence for 800 years. $50:
The British taxpayer and 'parttcu-
larly the Londoner is Just waking up
to the reality Of these enormous and
startling figures. And with the awak-
ening. there is coming realization Of
"graft. <.:rE-.E >.&" H..
It was charged at the meeting of the
council, held in the first week Of this
month, that London has far outdone
| the Tammany methods Of New York,
! Chicago, PHILADELPHIA, PittsburR and all
the other "graft'' cities of the United
States put together. /: :.
The council controller and the of
! fetal auditor, in lengthy, reports have
severely criticized the methods Of
! finance, So strong has the feeling be
come that London taxpayers have or
London Municipal society, Of which a
distinguished architect, W. q. fowler,
is secretary. -, - - ~. -. >S
- Pays High salaries: u.
Mr.. fowler, has just compiled atserie1
of startling reports For instance, he
shows that the London county council
pays, by nearly rs. per. cent, higher
wages to its employees than, either the
national government or private employ.
ers. Taking merely thirteen recent and
council spent $1,500,000 more construct
ing them than was offered in the high
est tenders of public contractors. HI
also shows that, on account of the ex
travagance, the municipal steamboats,
lodging houses and other council-con
Quoted affairs are ruin at q. heavy loss
! A long list of statistics indicate that
the greatest Tammany'' council il
the world has its finger upon the throat
Of the taxpayer and that London is the
most expensively> governed city on the
face of the earth: ~ =. : .:.>-
- $2e for Each Heal. ..... -.
Last year. alone the council spent
over $ll9, oUO,uOO or ABOUT $2G per neat
Of population. 1t: is further charged
the ma iority, called progressipes,.r run it
and close corporation. The party il
the majority, called progressives, run i
and it's reports, statements and book
are so huge and unwieldly, that scarce
tly even the auditors can make head O
tail Of: them. ..s> =, - = >.:'
The council has just adjourned for ;
holiday Of two months. The state 0
muddle which it's affairs are. in lis show,
by the fact that altho its last session
lasted only four and a half hours, j
would have taken one man thirty eigh
hours to read. out 2oathc details of tn
business before it.. This business wa
: scheduled in an. enormous tome Of 30
closely printed feolscap folio pages.
, 49,. To Balls Fine House. -.
The council is about to build. . ne1
; mun4 pal naiI Tor ltseil at W estminste
to rival the houses Of parliament. It
to cost something. over $4,000 ,ool
Architects to the number Of twenty-se1
en- have been engaged to draw plans fe
prize, y eeo each win be be guaranteed
,, The council, known as "London
parliament was instituted in 1881
, and London was turned into a count
for administrative purposes. The are
is 692 square miles and the populatio
: in round numbers: is 800 ,000., Th
+ parliament consists of a chairman, min,
:. teen aldermen elected fox six years, an
: 118 councillors elected for three year
:; Lurd Rosebery, ex-primeT minister {
e ! England, was the first chairman. Prom
: inent members are John Burns, Lol
3 Monkswell, earl Of Kinnou1l, Evan Sp
: Ger, the present chairman; Earl Ca
rington, of the king g household; ca
t Of Chesterfield, William Crooks, Ea
t Russell, Lord :.Sandhurst, Lord Ribble
e dale, Lord Tweedmouth, secretary Of Il
r navy; Sir Edwin Cornwall, and q nu1
= Der Of members of parliament and me
d who have lately. been made knight
5 baronets or peers for their /, work
r or5on - I'll nonf3 ~ = . :