The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-07-16

ganiation of municipal workmen con-
stitututes a serious threat against the
municipality itself, and as result
the disfranchisement of city en-
ployees is being seriously considered
in England. We're municipal en-
ployees in this country to organize,
under extended city control of public
,iti;ities, the writer's declare the re-
raining voters would find Themselves
beneath q tyranny of democracy
which is no less CALLING 10 the indi-
vidna. oppressed and no less Gei'i-
mental to the welfare Of The state
than is the tyranny of a despot. The
remedy proposed in England, dis
disfranchisement, is declared to be
"unthinkable' in the United States.
Gas Undertakings.
Three American gas plants were
examined by the investigating COM
nit and experts. These were at
Wheeling. where the plant is oper-
ated by the city, and Atlanta and
Norfolk, where there is private own
ership and operation. In addition
the committee visited the Phliadel-
phia gas works and the labor inves-
tigators visited the Richmond, Va,
gas works.
In comparing the public and pri-
vate gas service, the reviewers say:
''If we consider together the price
theWheeling consumer pays for gas
and the character of the service rem
dered, we may not doubt that he gets
less of net result per dollar expended
than does the gas consumer in At
lanta or Norfolk. Low and varying
pressure, uncertain candle power, in
fuenced at times by a dash of ma
tural gas Cat Wheeling), will bring
troubles to studying children that,
while not factors in financial calcula-
tons, have proper place in the in
quiry. Wheelings gas plant is not
an important factor in the well-being
of Wheeling's citizens. What with
fast meters, charges for service and
meter setting, absence of any gratu-
itpgs work, theadmixture of lucent,
S-candle power natural gas, INSULT
cient and irregular pressure, and gen
eral inefficiency in the complaint de-
partment, Wheeling gas is dear
commodity at any price. Our experts
have nothing to praise in wheeling S
service and little to criticise in the
service of the companies at Norfolk
and Atlanta.
In general, it may be said, so far
as condition of plant and operating
efficiency is concerned, there could
not we'll be a worse condition of al
fairs than the engineers report as ex-
listing at Wheeling. In the other two
cities the record regarding condition
of plant, and regarding the various
points of practice mentioned above in
1sYrfr tyIai
tains a few points of criticism, is on
the whole satisfactory. In both cases
the plant is pronounced to be mod
ern and kept in an orderly condi-
ton
The labor situation at the plants
examined is compared to the advan-
tage of the private plants. The gen.
eral impression made at Wheeling,
saws Messrs. Edgar and Clark, was
that no one about the works took any
more interest in his duties than was
absolutely necessary to enable him to
hold his Job, and no one, either at the
works or on the street, was at all in
terested in getting work done in an
efficient manner. The power of APP
pointment at Wheeling did not rest
with the superintendent and there
fore the employees did not have the
fear of discharge by him in case they
did not perform their work properly
At Norfolk and Atlanta the certainty
of prompt discharge in case they did
not satisfy their immediate superiors
in the operation of the plant acted to
make the men work better and more
efficiently than was the case at
Wheeling"
-. v,uyC
Referring to the Philadelphia gas
works as an instructive comparison
of the results of municipal and pri-
vate operation, the reviewers quote
DR.. l.. S. Rowe as authority 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 an
average profit of $491 ,674 annually,
while for the last few years under
city operation there was loss OF
$245,398 per year. The private COM
pany, however charges no more than
did the city, but supplies better gas.
1.-THE commission's records, say Mr..
Edgar and Mr.. Clark, indicate a
high degree of efficiency in the COM
pany operation of the Philadelphia
gas works, and kindly and liberal
treatment of employees. On these
latter points DR.. Rowe speaks as fol-
low: "As has been shown (under
municipal management there were
abuses in almost every branch of the
operation. The purchase of coal and
the residual products were each I'M
der the control of favored individ-
uals; the wages account was padded
with incompetents, the friends OF
men prominent in city politics. 1t is
unquestioned that there were leaks in
the management of the gas works at
other points than the distributing
system; it is true that the labor &C
count was debauched, and it is GER
tain that in the purchase and sales
departments there were influences at
work which worked harm to the
city's interests. But the losses
through such sources were inconsid-
cradle when compared with those in
fiicted by councils by the senseless
blocking of the way to Improvement
in cutting off the appropriations for
undermining the plant. During the
entire period of municipal operation
the officers in charge were engaged In
a losing fight to preserve the works
from ruin. There never was a time
during the entire period of munich
nal control when it could truly be
said that the works were in an eff
cient condition"
American Electricity.