Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-18
CONDITIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN

age and Failure Of Many Expert
ments Pointed Out.
A review Of the results OF municipal
| ownership in this country has been made
public by the experts acting for the ma
| tional civic federation municipal ownership
commission. This review is by a commit
tee OF four appointed by the commission
Two members Of the committee Walton
Clark. vice president of the United Gas
Improvement Company Of Philadelphia, and
Charles L. Edgar. president of the Edison
Electric and Illuminating Company of Bos-
ton, criticise severely the municipal plants
examined. while two other writers, Prof.
Frank Parsons of Boston, president of the
National Public Ownership League, and
Prof. Edward w. Bemis, superintendent of
the Cleveland (Ohio) water works, find
much to favor in municipal plants which
were investigated
Municipal Ownership Abroad.
The committees will later publish a re-
view of municipal ownership in Great Bril-
TAIN Messrs. Clark and Edgar concur in the
statement that the inquiry of the commit
tee, both from the standpoint Of British
and American experience more especially
the latter. has shown that where municipal
ownership has been removed from the
realm of philosophic discussion and put to
the test of actual experience it has failed
ingiorlously.' The belief is expressed by
these gentlemen that the few enthusiasts
who still advocate municipal ownership
will soon be convinced by the logic Of
events. turning their energies to other
things will through them realize their am
bitions of usefulness to their fellows
A Hopeful View.
On the other hand. Prof. Parsons and
Mr.. Bemis take a most hopeful view as to
NATURALIZATION, declaring that the failures
of municipal ownership are insignificant
compared to the failures Of private owner
ship. either in number or Importance
1T is not public ownership, but private
ownership" Prof Parsons says, that is re-
spons1ble for our periodic crises and the
ruin of our industries
AS to the fitness of American cities to
manage business affairs, many of them he
says. have clearly proved their fitness and
the rest can be made fit. ut is not impossi-
BILE" he adds that the elimination of the
public-service corporations through public
ownership is one OF the things that would
DO more to help along the process of max
ing our cities fit Mr.. Bemis believes that
the greatest reason for the strength of the
municipal ownership movement lies in the
| relations of the public-servce corporations
with the state and local governments which
relations he declares are destructive Of
political purity, democracy and free tnstttu
tons.
Political Machines.
Mr.: Edgar and Mr.. Clark take the view
that the evil Of building up political ma
chimes with city employees as a basis exists
now to degree in American municipalities
and that the disastrous effects would be
much greater If the many gas, electrical
and street railway employees were added to
the present number of city off1ceholders
Prof. Parsons expresses the conviction that
municipal ownership would develop a
higher class of municipal administrators
He denies that public ownership would de-
stroy individual initia tive, and says that "a
Gladstone or Roosevelt can find as much
room for individual initiative in the service
of the people as the president Of street
railway or lighting system can find In the
service Of his company"
A Serious Threat.
Mr.. Edgar and Mr.. Clark agree in setting
forth numerous objections to municipalities
ton, very important one being that In
several British cities which have tried pub
lie ownership 1t has been found that the
organization Of municipal workmen constt-
tutes a serious threat against the munich
pality itself. and as result the disfran-
chisement of city employees is being SER
iously considered In England. Were NUM-
cipal employees in this country to organize
under extended city control of public utili-
ties the writer's declare, the remaining vot-
ers would find themselves beneath "a tyr
amy of democracy which Is no less calling
to the individual oppressed and no less det-
rimental to the welfare of the state than Is
the tyranny of a despot-" The remedy pro-
posed in England, Acknowledgement, is de-
clared to be "unthnkable in the limited
States, Under public ownership Of
utilities 1t is declared. those in control of
the government are submitted to continuous
temptations; first through the opportunity
to build up political machine, with the
city employe as a basis, and second through
the opportunity to unduly favor contra ctors,
with the expectation Of either financial or
political benefit to themselves.
Bad Conditions at Wheeling.
I'm general, it may be said," declare
Messrs. Edgar and Clark, so far % con-
dition Of plant and operating efficiency
is concerned, there could not we'll be a
worse condition. of affairs than the engi-
neer's report as existing at Wheeling. In
two other cities the record regarding
condition Of plant and regarding the va
rious points Of practice mentioned above
in the case Of Wheeling, while it contains
a few points Of criticism, is on the whole
satisfactory. In both cases the plant is
pronounced to be modern and kept in an
orderly condition"
Referring to the Philadelphia gas works
instructive comparison of the re-
suit of municipal and private operation the
reviewers quote DR.. L. S. Rowe as au-
thority for the statement that the quality
Of the gas supplied has been improved by
the company now operating the service,
and that through the rental paid the city
has received for eight years average
profit of $491,674 annually. while for the
last few years under city operation there
was loss of $245, 1893 per year. The pri-
vate company. however, charges no more
than did the city, but supplies better gas,
At Home and in Great Britain.
Under the heading Financial" an ex-
haustive review of the economic opera
lions of municipal and private undertake
ings both in Great Britain and the United
States is given by the reviewers, who find
that 1t Is admitted by the advocates of
municipalization that the debts Of British
cities have been enormously increased by |
its operations. I'VE venture to believe"