The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-10

protect themselves against adulteralloii
and contamination, and government in
tervention for the protection Of public
health is a matter of prime Importance.
There is also demand for more direct
and efficient inspection of houses, fac
tories and stores, with regard to their
stability, safety in case of fire and sani-
tary condition. 1 believe also that we
need systematic inspection of semi-public
institutions, regulated by law but under
private management, such as hotels, hos
pitfalls, private schools and colleges, public
conveyances owned by private individuals,
livery stables, slaughter houses, pawn
shops, saloons and other institutions in
whose soundness the public Is interested.
This function of municipal supervision
may be considerably expanded without
transcending the duty of police protection
of the public
The growing complexity Of city life re-
quires the extension of the municipalities
police power to protect the health and
property of Its citizens. Where private
or corporate enterprises under govern
ment supervision, fails to furnish cheap
and adequate supply of pure drinking wa
! ter, or fails to provide a sufficient supply
of water for such emergencies as great
fires, the municipality has little excuse
for failure to assume the task itself. The
experience of the city of New Orleans
, with regard to her water supply is an IL
lustration of this point. The course of
, the city in dealing with this question
seems to have been peculiarly vacillating.
In 1888, private water system was
built; In 1863 It was turned over to the
/ city, and in 1873 on account of the finan-
cial condition of the city 1t was sold back
to private water company, under an ex-
elusive fifty-year franchise, and recently
condemnation proceedings were entered
by the city to acquire the private plant
and it's franchise. Important reasons
were alleged for this step. In this city OF
800, 900 people, 1t was said that there were
only 5000 connections with the water
plant, the rates were exorbitant, tho
water brought from the Mississippi river
without altering, so that until inferred oy
consumers It was unfit even for bathing
and laundrying. In consequence, most OIL
the people used rain water collected from
their roofs and stored in cisterns. This
is perhaps the most fragrant instance to
be found in this country of the made
ouate service provided by private water
company. But the experience Of nearly
all American cities dependent upon private
water supply differs from that Of New
Orleans only in degree, and the majority
of them today, are either enjoying, or
seeking relief by public ownership.
The well recognized power Of the NUM-
cipality to abate nuisance may also be
expanded. In many of the older Euro
pean cities the municipality has con-
demned large tracts of densely populated
territority. filed with over crowded and
rotten tenements. In order to relieve the
city of these slums, it has been found
necessary to gain possession OF the
ground The tenements have been torn
down, the plague spots have been trans
! formed into healthful residence districts
and narrow and offensive streets reeking
with the accumulated filth of centuries
have been changed into broad and beau
tiful avenues. The city of Glasgow has
thus swept away about eight blocks OF
slums, which have been replaced with
comfortable and healthful tenements. All
this and more has been accomplished for
the purpose of securing better sanitary
conditions for it's people. In order to
RENE iy the evils of over crowding, it
was necessary to provide cheap rapid
transit facilities for the distribution of
the population. If a city may remedy
an existing evil, it can certainly pre-
vent such an evil coming into existence,
by providing cheap Transportation. Street
railways with low rate of fare, serve
to distribute congested populations, and
to enable working men to live at great
distances from their work, while their
families enjoy fresh air and wholesome
surroundings. Since a municipality is
charged with the duty of promoting good
sanitation, the question of providing rapid
transit facilities by public proprietorship
or private contract, is purely practical
one. The same argument applies, only
with less drectness, to the provision of
light, heat and other domestic necessities
and convenences whose production is
limited by exclusive municipal franchises
The protective power of the municipality
may be extended to the provision of COM
mon needs at cost of production, or
at least at competitive prices.
Upon the same principle thlrd-class OF
| municipal functions may be extended
without the introduction of any new
powers There is a class of public needs
above the primary wants Of life. fof