The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-19


those operated by the Newcastle Sup
ply Co., the Newcastle District Com
pany and the four London companies:
the City of London, Westminster, st,
James and Central Charges by the mu-
urcipal plants were more economical,
according to Mr. Maltbie. the cities
charging .529d. per unit less than charg-
ed by the private companies. As to eff
tieiency of service, there was no diff
ference between the municipal and the
company undertakings as regards the
promptness. with which current was
turned on and complaints attended to,
the convenience of the location of Of
fees, the testing of meters, the restor-
alton of paving after streets were open
ed, the care given to street work gen
rally, although there were more com
plants upon this score against COM
panies than municipalities, the con-
struetion of extensions, and the extent
to which the entire area of supply was
served and appliances carried in stock
for sale or rent
The character and equipment of the
plants investigated is discussed Mr..
Maltbie summarizes the result Of this
branch of the examination, saying it
appears that one of the company sta
lions is more modern and. efficient
than any one maintained by a munich
pality; but it is also true that two of
the companies are more backward and
have a more antiquated equipment
than any municipality, Upon the whole,
| the municipal undertakings seem to b.
as modern as those belonging to the
companies, but not so we'll located or
! arranged, and perhaps not quite as eff
| ficient.
General Comment by Mr.. NfaItble.
In concluding his. review OF the re-
ports of the experts, Mr. Maltbie says;
"The opponents of municipal activity
have frequently tried to scare the Brit
isA voter and to prejudice him against
| the operation of public utilities by To-
cal authorities by citing the large in
crease in total Indebtedness within the
! last fifty years, as compared with the
! decrease of the national debt They
I ia NG pOllIlCQ OuN llleit ltl6f lOEdt uCDb
has more than trebled in. the twenty
| five years from 1875 to 1900, and that
| the amount Of local debt per G100 Of
! r&table value of property has doubled
! in the same period while the national
| debt has decreased almost IS per cent,
| "Over 40 per cent. of the local debt
| is for water, gas and electricity works,
| +,-, o,lr0
ments, wharves, cemeteries, baths,
! workingmen's dwellings, etc. In every
| one Of these cases the debt is repre-
| scented by physical assets. Besides, there
are parks, street improvements, school
houses, almshouses, bridges and many
| other investments which are now being
used for public purposes and by
which the present citizens are being
benefited What does the national debt
represent? To certain extent, public
works Of present use and value, but
principally war expenditures or expen-
ditures to guarantee success in case Of
war
Further, debt for productive under
takings, such as gas works, electricity
supply and tramways, has a quite DIFF
ferent character from debt for schools,
| parks, prisons, etc. The latter do not
! produce a financial return, however
necessary and valuable they may be,
! They may be even more important than
electricity works, but the mere fact
that they are not self-supporting places
them in a distinct class Their debt is
a burden upon the taxpayer, fer he
must pay the interest thereon as well
as the cost of maintenance. But in the
case of the three public utilities here
! considered, it has been thoroughly DEM
onstrated that the interest and fixed
charges are paid by users or consumers
and that in no instance has the tax
| payer been called upon to make up any
deficiency except possibly temporarily,
and then he has been repaid at later
| tina
but this is not all. 1t has been def
nitely shown not only that the debt Is
nor burden upon the taxpayer, but
that the taxpayer gets financial ben
eft from municipal operation, and
therefore from the very debt which is
claimed to be burden upon him, 1t is
not evidence, but it is suggestive, that
The local rates (tax rates1 were lower
for every group of towns when there
was municipal operation of gas, cleo
tricity or trans than where companies
we've or,era+i Inc
Review by MIR. Edgar and MFR. Clark.