New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-15
NJ, 0. BENEFIT DISPUTED
CITY T4TER and LIGHT.
Factions Of Ciric Federation COM
mission Fail to Agrec.


81 a revisw Of the second section of its report
,,eso6 on an examination by experts of the com
,aretiye value and efficiency Of ,runiciralIy
ogned ana privately owned public utility plants
IN thirteen american cities This follows the
:irs: section Of the report made public a week
ago. in which me relations Of labor l-lions to
municipal ownership were discussed
The present report IS made 10 Of the findings
o. committee Of four appointed by the COM
missio4. Two of the COMMITTEES might be said
to he the champions of private ownership
They are Walton Clark. vice-pres.dent of hhe
CtiIed Gas Improvement Company. OF Phila-
cs.plia. aI.d Charles L. Edgar president of TIE
La4SoE E-ectrio and Illuminating Company. Of
1'oefo:;- The advocates Of municipal ownership
"ho wrote their views il the report are Pro-
fessor Frank Parsons, u Boston. president of
the National Public Ownership League and
l-l " ara w Berlis. superintendent Of the Cleve-
'a2- waterRorls. which are owned by the city.
According TO the review, the representatives
Q: de Two economic factions have beer able to
agree on very few things Messrs Clark and
Edgar attempt To prove by figures that munich
pai Ownership has resulted in a loss wherever
trte.. IN reply Professor Bemis makes the
genera. assertion: Dollars and cents are no.
70 be neglected. bur life. liberty justice virtue
and in'elisence-the whole character produc;
and social product OF ou- institutions-are ~
g.saie: moment than their money product" In
addition 70 this. the review makes it plain that
wherever The municipal ownership disciples are
obliged to admit their system has been pro
ductlve Of nlisInanagement ana waste tbe,,
have replied that this has been because the city
government in such cases was corrupt and was
not representative Of the people
The various reports take up almost million
words. They are based on the findings Of tech
TAca- experts engineers, accountants and statis-
rtcans who visited and inspected many nIanrs
n this country and Great Britain They deal
with the comparison OF private and municipal
ownership Of gas water and electric lighting
and power.
one point that Will be especially interesting
70 New Workers. in view of the recent strike n
The street Cleaning Departments drivers &c
made ny Merrs. Clark and Edgar Tha,, eat
torth among their objections 10 n1unicinaI o,,,,
erShip that in several British cities u,b,ch t,.o
municipal ownership the unions Of cirv a,,
p'9ss nave become a menace, and that the
eueS''o" 81 d'sfranchisng these employees is
1eihs seriously considered This is of co,,rso
70 dlsassociate municipal i.be rr =.
lhey point out however. that disfranchisara.,.
NC1i- Dr. ii the United States "unthinkab1e"
NH-N or FIRST CLASS NOT ATTF Af,rr-r,
mere Is Atte about municipal trading - al
uact men OF the first class" Mr. Edgar and NJ
C-alA unite IN saying, We have not found evil |
- a" me United States that the personnel |
o. me city government Of Chicago (referrine - |
mayor Dunne's administration or Wheeling &c |
superior 10 that Of Atlanta or Norfolk. or that |
ule I"iooucion OF municipal water and electric |
pants IN Detroit has brought a higher tyne ~ |
citizenship in;o the governing body than we find |
IN New Haven which has neither"
Professor Parsons. on the other hand az
presses the conviction that municipal ovyrersti,
"oui2 develop a higher class Of municipal ad |
illustrators He denies that public ownership |
would destroy individual initiative. and saws |
mat a Gladstone or Roosevelt can find as |
much room for Individual initiative il, ,l,e cor
vice of the people as the president Of a stree,
railway or lighting system find in the ser
VICE ot his company"
AesSrs Clark and Edgar concur in the state |
ment that the inquiry of the committee. both |
from 'he point Of view Of British and American
experience, more especially the latter has shown
ha' where municipal ownership has been re-
moved from the realm Of philosophic discussion
e-i1 pnt ~ the test OF actual experience it has
lailed ing'oriously." The belief is expressed bv
'nese men that he few enthusiasts" who still |
soFocate municipal ownership will soon be CON
"hced by the logic Of events and turning their !
Energies 20 other things. viii through them real
Ae their ambitions Of usefulness 10 their feI- |
lows"
failures Il municipal ownership are nsigniacan.
compared 10 the failures # private ownership
e'leT N number or importance. 1T is not public
ownership but private ownership Professor
Fafsons says. that is responsible for our peri
Vl4c crises and the ruin Of our industries" As
~ 'he illness Of American cities to manage bust |
KISS affairs, many of them he says have clearly |
I'oPcd their fitness and the rest can he made fit |
Il Is not impossible" ne adds that the elm
nation of The public service corporations
a'"ugn public ownership is Of the things |
ust would DO much 70 help along the process Of |
|'ahng our cities 3t" Mr. Bemis believes that
"e greatest reason for the strength Of the |
NU'lclpal ownership movement lies in the rela- !
LUIS u the public service corporations with the |
tlale and local governments. which relations
- says are destructive Of political purity. de- !
"'facy and free institutions. In this same con-
"sc'l'a Mr Edgar and Mr. Clark take the view |
la me evil Il building up political machines /,
-" cfH employees n basis exiFts now 10 q |
s'ee in American municipalities, and that the
1'sSsfous effects would be much greater If the !
many gas electrical and street railway employees !
80 aatod 10 the present number az city Office |
hol5ers
Gas PLANTS INVESTIGATED.
inree American gas -.erts were examined by /
ne 'fVeslgating committee aEd Experts. These !
rs'e 81 Wheeling. where the plant is operated !
- hs city and Atlanta and Norfolk vhere |
Ie Is private ownership an4 operation. In |
-Ui'on the committee visited tne Phiad"lahi /
tss works aHd the isbor investigators visited !
se R'ehino'4. Va. gas works. As 20 the price /
'iS'ged iHo consumers 1t was found % be - |
f,g thousand feet net at Wheeling 81 net |
Alihiita and 81 net AT Norfolk. the municipal /
- mus selling a the lowest price. To offset |