The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-04-04
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
SOME FAILURES RECORDED IN
 AMERICAN CITIES.


 Other Cities.
 Municipal ownership of public utili- ties sounds well, but experience is the best test. Here are some American experiences of the past two or three years, some of them quite recent:
 Logansport, Ind.,. electric plant es- tablished in 1894, has cost the city (not a large city nor a large planD $2O4,- 900. The people pay one-third more that neighboring cities for far inferior service.
 Logansport, N. J., public library cost twice as much as a far better church building next door.
 Easton, Pa, last November tlle mayor directed the city council to ob- tain good service, or hand over the street lighting to private corpora tion. Did turn it over at a cost of $5 light less. Dangerous from the police point of view and dangerous and un- bearabe from the point of view of the citizen, said the mayor.
 Frankfort, N. Y, abandons its mu- nicipal plant and purchases its electric curren from lighting company.
 Toledo. O., municipal gas plant dlsgraceful corruption. Municipal na- tural gas pipe line a bad failure. Cost | S1, 800 900, and then leased to a private company at $6000 a year, only little over one-third of 1 per cent. of the cost.
 New York city, on october 27 last the New York Sun, referring to a building owned by the city, said. No evidence of corruption appears in this record of municipal business opera tions The documents disclose nothing worse than complete ineflcieney, lack of foresight and reckless disregard of the interests of the city and people {who pay the bills)
 Kirkwood, fashionable suburb of St. Lonls-Plant costing city $25,OOO, a failure. Closed down wiba $2S0O0 bonds out which city has to pay, Made flight contract with private company for one-third what it cost to run the city plant.
 Hamilton, O., always a year behind in paying its bills for electric light supplies. Prominent politicians got their light for years without paying a cent for it. The by-products of the gas plant sold and not accounted for, Fuel enought to run two such plants am nually consumed, or supposedly so, ac- cording to the bills. Expense of plants equal 80 on every $100 worth of prop erty in the city-Troy (N, Y.,- Times, | October 2S 1906
 Springfield, Ill., electric light plant, Municipal plant gave such poor re- suits and cost so much that city leased it to company. Lessees put in inl- provements and now city Is most ex- pensively litigating to get 1t back. Blomoington, Ill.-City's own electric light plant so run down as to be all most beyond repair. Trying to get a corporation to light the city.
 Peru, Ind.-Five years ago paid s60, 900 for an electric light plant built fif- teen years before, and entirely out of date. Has cost thousands of dollars a year to repair, and people paying much in excess of the proper rate for street lighting.
 Muncie, September i last, aban- doned own plant by turning 1t over to company, which lights the streets at much less cost.
 Marion Contracted with pri- vate company for street lights at $75o year each less than they cost from the municipal owned plant.
 Richmond, Ind--Built electric plant five years ago at cost of $14O,0OO Now needs $30,O0O for repairs.-Troy, N r., Times, october 23, 19O6 Mayor wants plant sold for what it may bring, and contract made with lighting company
 In each of the Indiana towns named the original debt for plant remains and the cities are paying interest on the bonds, and must go on paying in- terest till the bonds are due, and then will have to face payment of tine bonds themselves.
 Atlantic, Iowa-After fifteen years of experiment the electric light and pow CT plant under municipal ownership has proved a failure and been sold out at heavy loss,
 Chicago, September 23, 1906 Today the LeagAs of American Munieipali- ties officially refused to endorse nun , licipaI ownership of public utilities. President Roberts of Denver. after tourin English cities on investigation, declared his belief in the inability of cities to operate public utilities suc- cessfully., Seven hundred delegates participated In this connection. Will liam Moffat capitlist and street rail- way manager of Aberdeen Scotland stated for publication at the Chicago Auditorium Annex; Municipal owner ship can never prosper in any city until it is divorced from politics (which 1t never will be). Even then, private ) corporations give the people the best service MT Moffat ought to know. Columbis, O.,-A fortune has been swallowed up in the Columbus munich 5 pal lighting plant, and now (Septem- ber 27, 19O6) the board of managers asks for $140,O00 to carry on the losing ; work. The plant has proved a disma ; failure So far it has cost $500000 l starting from $6S,OOO a few years ago The city is paying private companies ! $2OO a night for street lighting besides l running its own plant at heavy loss. North Dakota.-The state leases Its : leectric trolley at nominal rental , Has been a heavy loser The state l saves a loss of $4,O00 a year by the leasing May also quit lighting tht capitol building and contract for it al } much cheaper cost.-New York Sun