Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-29
REPORT ON OPERATION
OF PUBL|CUT|L|T|ES
Conclusions Reached by Ma
ti0naI Civic Federation.
REGULATION RECOMMENDED
Corporations That Serve the People
Should Be Controlled.
POPULAR OWNERSHIP VIEWS
Work of Commission to Inquire Into
Conduct Of Gas, Electric, Water
and Street Railway Plants.
POPULAR OWNERSHIP VIEWS

NEW YORK, July 29-The final report Of
the conclusions Of the committee on in
vestigation Of the National Civic Federa-
ton commission on public ownership and
operation was given to the public yesterday.
This committee, Of which Melville b. In
CALLS chairman board of directors Big Four
railroad, is chairman, made a thorough in
vestigation Of municipal and private work.
ings Of gas, electric light, water and street
railway plants, both in the United States
and England.
1t Is worthy of note that Of the commit
teemen all but one, Walton Clark OF
Philadelphia, who presents a separate pa
per giving his views, sign the report
Charles L. Edgar of Boston and w. j.
Clark of New York present statement
of minor exceptions The committee Is
unusually representative in character. be-
ing made up of representatives Of business
interests, labor leaders, college professors
and journalists.
The conclusions reached give in detail
the opinions of the committee on all the
various questions connected with the pub
lie ownership problem, and present a num-
Der Of practical and important recommends
tons on the subject.
SiGners OF the Report.
The members of the committee who sign
the report are Melville E. Ingalls,, chair
man; DR.. Albert Shaw. editor Of the Re-
view OF Reviews, vice chairman; Edward
A. Moffett, secretary: Edward w. Bemis,
superintendent of water works, Cleveland,
Ohio; William ]. Clark, general manager Of
the foreign department OF the General Elec.
trio Company; Prof. John r. Commons OF
Wisconsin University, Charles l.. Edgar,
president of the Edison Electric and 1llumi-
mating Company of Boston; Walter l.: Fish
er. president of the Municipal voters
Of Columbia University, Prof John II.
Gray of Northwestern University. Illinois;
Timothy Healy, president OF the Interna-
tional Brotherhood of Stationary F1rernen;
Daniel ]. keefe. president OF the lnterna-
tional Longshoremen's Association; Milo r.
Maltbie. member of the new public service
commission for the Greater New York; II.
B. F. Macfarland, president OF the board OF
Commissioners of the District of Columbia;
Frank ]. McNulty, president Of the 1nterna-
tional Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers,
Springfield, H.; Prof Frank Parsons presi-
dent of the National Public Ownership
League. Boston; J. w. Sullivan. editor OF
Clothing Trades Bulletin. New York; Tai
colt Williams editorial writer og the Press,
Philadelphia and Albert E. Winchester,
superintendent OF the South Norwalk
Comm electric works.
E1nQ1nRS OF the Co1Qu1tCee.
The report made public by Mr.. Moffett,
the secretary, says:
1T is difficult to give positive answers
of universal application to the questions
arising as to the success or failure Of mu-
nicipal ownership as compared with pri-
vate ownership The local conditions af-
fecting popular plants are In many cases
so peculiar as to make a satisfactory COM
parison impossible, and 1t Is very difficult
to estimate the allowance that should be
made for these local conditions. For In
financial conditions of Wheeling, as affected
by its gas plant. as compared with those
of Atlanta and Norfolk with their private
plants allowance must be made for the
pres ence Of natural gas in Wheeling.
Again, in comparing the public water
works Of Syracuse with the private water
works Of Indianapolis from the point of
view of the success or failure of municipal
operation, geographical conditions must be
taken into consideration The situation at
Syracuse Is extremely favorable to the es-
tablishment Of an efficient plant with com
paratively little effort on the part of Its
management. At Indianapolis the condi-
tons are unfavorable. In Syracuse the
water flows to the city by gravity; in In
dianapolis it must be pumped.
$50 we might go through the various
cities here and abroad that have been
visited and show that the results were af-
fected favorably or unfavorably by special
conditions applicable to each city.
Local Conditions.
Further the difficulty Of reaching salts
factory results by the comparative method
is not confined to special or local condi-
lions. 1t is true, as well, Of much broader
questions. Thus any attempt to compare
municipal with private electric light plants
in the United States would be fruitless II
allowance were not made for the fact that
in most cases such municipal plants are
confined to street lighting and may not do
made also for the fact that many municipal
plants have had a struggle to exist in the
face of unSympathetic public opinion
Again, in England consideration must be
given to the fact that the municipal cleo
trio light and street railway plants have
permanent rights. while the rights OF the
private companies operating these particu-
lar utilities are limited as to the length OF
their existence many street railway fran
chises expiring twenty-one years after
they were granted.
FINALLY, not only must 1t be borne in
mind that the social and political condi-
tons which characterize the two countries
find expression In their private and public
systems. but we must consider the differ
enoa in the nature of the two peoples which
causes them to adopt different Ideas and
views as to the expediency Of certain
things. In other words, measure of sue
cess in the municipal management Of pub
lie utilities In England Should not De re-
garded as necessarily indicating that the
municipal management Of the same utilities
In this country would be followed by a like
measure of success. Conditions are quite
different in the two countries.
Government Control Necessary.
There are some general principles which
we wish to present as practically the
unanimous sentiment Of our committee.
First. we wish to emphasize the fact
that the public utilities studied are 80 con-
stituted that 1t Is impossible for them to be
regulated by competition. Therefore they
must be controlled and regulated by the
government: or they must be left to do as
they please; or they must be operated by
the public There is no other course None
of us is in favor of leaving them to their
own will. and the question Is whether it Is
better to regulate or to operate.
There are no particular reasons why the
toll N