The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-16

- nave q 4ONSA Cdpltdl41dI4Ou IMAM
private plants, both in relation to out
put and in relation to assets"
Prof. Parsons on Philadelphia Gas.
Discussing so-cailed failures of NUM-
cipal ownership, Prof Parsons claims
that some Of such cases are really
failures of private ownership. Take
Philadelphia gas, for example," he
says. 1T does not appear that Phila-
delphia ever had real public ownership
of the gas works. She had government
ownership Of gas works. But govern
ment ownership is not public owner
ship unless the people own the govern
ment. Philadelphia had the paper title
to the gas works, but the people did
not own or control them because they
did not own the city government. The
councils were full Of the agents and al
lies Of the private street railway, tele-
phone, gas and electric light interests
and they purposely mismanaged the
gas works, allowed them to be filled
with supernumeraries and let them get
out Of repair by refusing year after
year to appropriate, even out Of the
receipts Of the plant itself. the money
necessary to keep 1t in order. so that
they might have an apparently good
excuse for executing lease of the
works to themselves. Philadelphia did
not have real public ownership of gas,
but one of the worst forms of private
ownership-ownership by political graf
tiers, in the pay of corporations but
masquerading as public servants"
The Review by Mr.. BeInis.
Mr.. Bemis declares that the over-cap-
italization and high earnings thereon
of private companies and the democrat
I izing relations often existing between
private companies and city govern
ments are the two great reasons for
the municipal movement
Mr.. Bemis opens his detailed review
of the experts reports with an analy-
sis Of the charges for water, he find
ing the rates to be more favorable to
the consumer in the municipal plants,
with especial commentator for the
low meter rates at Cleveland He also
declares that in spite Of great reduction
of rates in Syracuse on going from pri-
vate to municipal ownership, and the
phenomenally low charges for all res
idence consumers under the present
meter system in Cleveland and the
moderate charges also in Chicago, the
financial results of municipal owner
ship, from the standpoint Of the COM
mungty and the taxpayer, are far better
in the three municipal plants than in
the case of the two private companies
studied.
Syracuse is found to have the great
est mileage of water mains per 100
miles of streets and indianapolis and
Chicago the smallest The private COM
panies, he points out also, have the
smaller fire protection, indianapolis
having but 40 fire MIGRANTS per mile
OF street, New Haven SO, while Chi
caso the lowest in this respect Of the
municipal plants examined. has rs,
Cleveland 11.S and Syracuse ILL.,.
On the subject of purity and quality
Of water Mr.. Bemis says:
while a high typhoid death rate is
not conclusive evidence. Of the bad
quality Of the water supply, yet a low
| typhoid death rate is absolute proof Of
the sanitary excellence of the water.
The following table gives the death rate
| from typhoid per 100000 of the popula-
ton in the five cities for the past two
years:
Typhoid Death Rate.
New Haven-1s05, 42.S; 1905, $40; av-
ferage 1872.
Indianapolis--lsO5, sos; 1906, s4.a;, av-
erege S4.2.
chicago-1so5, 165; 1905. 1871; aver
age 1913.
syracuse-l9o5, III; 1905, 90; average
I13.2.
Cleveland--19O5, 14S; 1905. 2o.2; aver
age 116.
With reference to the character Of
the plants, Mr.. Bemls describes the
municipal works at Syracuse as almost
ideal. Cleveland is declared to be bet
ter than indianapolis, while New Ha-
ven is deficient in the extension Of the
meter system
Under the heading Political Condi-
lions, Mr.. Bemis says:
Syracuse Is the only one of three
municipal water works studied where
the spolls system prevails
1.-THE general popularity and success
Of municipal ownership in Syracuse
have doubtless been somewhat lessen
ed, but not seriously impaired, by the
spoils system. In Chicago and Cleve-
land there is practically none Of the
spotls system, and in Cleveland the
head of the department has even great
er power than in most Of the British
plants This Cleveland experiment, con-
scously borrowed from English exam
pies which have been personally inves-
tigated by the mayor and the head of
the water department, shows the pos
sibility of profiting in America from
the fruits of European experience This
is an apparently self-evident PROPOSE
ton, but one which some deny.
Gas Works.
Richmond, Va, is cited by Mr.. Bemis
as city where a municipal gas plant
has not only reduced prices, but has
also turned a profit into the city treas
ury. The city authorities declined, how
ever, to permit full investigation to
be made, saying that a. recent inves-
tigation had been very unfair. Enough
was learned to show that the Richmond
plant was free from the spoils system
and from graft, and that the workmen
were white men who were paid nearly
twice as high wages as were the negro