The Washington herald., 1907-02-17
LONDON FIGHT GAINS
Extravaganza of the County
Council Exposed.
PROVES FIzzLE
General acknowledgement Affects
Bankers, Who Lose Quarter Million
Dollars Preft Each and in Turn
Cut on Extra Distribution to- Tn
derpaid Clerks and Employees.

/ London Feb. 16.-The campaign against
municipal socialism which controls the
administration of London gains IN
strength as the election approaches This
weeks. meeting OF the county council was
! it developed fresh revelations of inef-
ficiency and extragagance.
There was an interesting little object
lesson in municipal ownership connected
with municipal brickmaking The council
decided some time ago. when bricks cost
> shillings a thousand, TO make its own
bricks. 1t did SD. and they cost IS shil-
lings "A thousand. but it turned out that
only l6 per cent OF the council bricks
were any sood, so the whole product is
now worth 10 shillings "A thousand foY
roadmaking, The net loss to London tax
payers is So, O00. one of the defenders OF
concil-made bricks was embarrassed by
d specimen breaking in his hands while
he was defending its quality against
the aspersions If the other side
Trapped by Tax Commission.
The progressive champions of municipal
tramways have been COMPOUNDED by the
fact which has just transpred that the
council is in a dispute with the income
tax commissioner over a tax claim on
tramway profits. The council argues TO
the public that the tramways earned a
small surplus They object TO paying the
income tax, however on the ground that
the reported profit was only gross. not
net The opponents of the council again
charged that the accounts had been Jug
gled, and no reply has been made.
There was q striking example this
week of the ultimate effects of municipal
ownership i'm the temporary insolvency
Of WOolwich. The local council was
Obliged 10 seek an overoraft AT a bank
amounting 20 s2.5,Gol owing TO losses on
the municipal electric lighting scheme
the rate of taxation must be raised u
per cent this year in order to meet a
deficiency.
Bank Profits Dwindle.
An Indirect effect Of county council
extravaganza was shown at the annual
meetings of the principal London banks
this year. The London and County Bank
and the National Provincial Bank were
each obliged 10 write of quarter of a
million dollars from the years profits
owing - The decline IN the value of Lon
don bonds on account Of the damage to
the City's credit by the councils extraya-
gaGce. This HCcossitatcd a suspension Of
the annual custom of distributing a pOr-
ton of the profits among the staff II is "a
notorious that London bank clerks are
the most underpaid Of English employees
There g some revulsion against pro-
Eressionist control OF London, even among
prominent sympathizers of the Liberal
policy Henry Vivian NJ p. who is
closely identified with the working classes.
and is "a strong Liberal. made an en-
phatic protest iu the House OF Commons
on Tuesday against the socialism Of the
county council Mr. Vivian is interested
ia the cooperative movement. and has no
faith in national or municipal ownership.
Il means. he said. a decrease in produc-
tion. an enormous increase i'm adTninistra-
tive expenses. and q lower standard in the
article itself Ia the long run the loss
viii fall on the poor
Municipal Reformers at Work
The manifesto of the Municipal Reform
party is now In the hands II all the
voters and is being advocated from scores
of public platforms. The reform candi-
dates make no extrayagant promises.
They declare that if. owing 10 the enor-
nous commitments Of the county council
under progressive rule. they are unable 10
reduce the present rates, they viii at all
events call "a halt t. future expenditure Of
q reckless and unremunerative character:
viii avoid socialistic and municipal trad
ing experiments, and viii give their time
and energy 10 the detailed work of "a sober
and common sense administration Of vast
powers, injrusted 10 them for the good of
the capital of the empire"