Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-07-03
ION PUBLIC ownership
Figures That Alarm Tax
payers in England
A FEW ILLUSTRATIONS
Higher s1uniclpaf Taxes Due %
Cftfes' Pnblic TradinE Enterpri-es-
Public 3IAna<emen1 q 60
WORKS Less Economlcai Ehan
Private Ownership

Great Britain has neel Cor 1--ee1
Fears Or more the pioneer - experi-
uenfs II municipal trading L1e
believers n the prineipls 81 ulni-i-
raI raanageEert q certain ferns Of
trade and industry have lad re-
markably free hand e. Lo4ac1 114 +
Ias principal large cities g E1z-1z-4
I'D Scotland The puollc purse las
5een open 70 them alEosr w1t1ol-
-esrrIctton; their control q the large
enterprises in which they have en-
sarked has been absolute and t1slr
saDorts OF the results q t1slr stew
ardzhi9 have been such as t1sz chose
- make, SAYS t1e New ToEk San
The English people are am0ng tie
most patient n TIE world II bear
Ing their public burdens. They have
sadured with little srgm5li1s the
heavy Increase IL national Eaxar-cz
nade necessary b the Beer var
Like the American people. tleg p1y
greater attention % the manage
r1ant OF national than q Local
fairs. and this tendency mas oeen
emphasized during the crisis o. -As
laSs six years
The debt OF the municipalities o.
Great Britain has increased from
g965 ,GO0. 900 IL 1851 to Sz.s45,8e9-
GOO In 1904 The amount % lceal
government expenditure IN Great
Britain In 1892 was ssse .e0o.g80s
70 1902, the last complete veaF avail
able, Il had increased 70 $I2es949.-
600. The explanation always given
OF the vast growth 81 municipal IN
debtedness has been that IL was IN
Cured for renumerztive purposes.
But EngIlshmen have found that
the rate per year q local taxation
IN the country has Increased 70 Jess
than 60 per cent. This. 81 course.
is entirely inconsistent with the eN-
PLANTATION offered.
The impression generally prevails
IN thls country and abroad tAat ma
nicipaIIy controlled tFal lines sas
and electric supply, water Uorks.
| important cities show q considerable
improvement I'm the matter ~ econ
omy and efficiency over privately
managed enterprises q the SANE na-
tare Il viii b. . considerable sag
prise 70 the general Dabiie % learn
that the exact contrary 81 true.
The accounts Of fOrty-eight mlnl-
cipalities working tFamwags show
only thirteen make any contribution
70 the rates. seventeen make 10 C.
probation allowance. and czly
eleven, allow Elore than 2 per eenL
We al know aow disastrous the
steamers OF the London Couzty
Council haye been AID e0ntinue
TO be.
II Is no answer 70 sag that private
companies also make mistakes and
lose MONEY. 30 doubt they DO e
IL inevitable and IS an additional ar
gumenf. not for bar against muni-
elDal trading. bat the difference IT,
| that II one cause they are losing
their o~n mOneT, g. the ether the
rateDayrrs.
II vii be supDoed mat % TIE
natter 81 gas supply H iu nothing
else municipal management w0gid
be able to compare favorably with
private or company enterprise.
Comparative returns -sith0at ez-
ceDtlOn shOw the contrary
The Manchester municipality re-
ports an annual profit 20 tire eitg
81 $4,000 on to gas works. re
the London COMPANY charged the
same price a. Eancae9tef It's eas-
toners would have - Bag $3.50
900 more a year for 81. r Nan
chester charged tire same price a.
the London company their customers
would pay @2e5,900 q year Iess and
the sO-calIeG profit would b. turned
into loss o. $50. 900.
II - IL the mesesemeat - tram
nays that most credit IS claimed for
municipal trading experiments 70
| Great Britain. Lord Ays51rg ana
| lyses the so-caIlsd snceesaes. and
he result becomes quite another
HOry.
There are IN LONDON two tram
Way systems. one nsrth ~ tie
Thames, the other south - the river.
The County Council became PCS
sesse9 u both IN 1900
4 The capital FdlIe vas APPROX
mateiy the same. $3.50. geo On TIE
north, s4,4s0,000 on the south
The council leased the nottern lines
70 q company and worked the soGfn~
srn lines ifself
During the period, the council has
electrified the southern lines. which
has slightly fnteTfered with their
working, but the result u aTs years
operations II instructive The fares
| have been the sane Or both.
1 The council figures ont a profit
Tor the Eve years CT rs Ines -
g1f9, 500. During the sane period
the Iessees of the northern lies
have paid the city Ss5s,oeo- BEt.
f has been pointed CIT. even tie
claims Of the council 70 z prCEt q
s11s.500 did not bear ezaninarion-