Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1907-02-21
4 BUSINESS MATTER
Veteran City Official Writes About
Public Utilities.

IN his opinion Private Corporations
Can Conduct Most Of Them Better
Than the Cities can-Faets and Ar
suments to Support His Views by
John w. Hill, Chief Engineer Of the
Cincinnati Waterworl<s.
In venturlng to speak on the subject
Of municipal ownership of public utili-
ties my opinion is based upon long as
| ISOLATION with works OF public water
supply, with which | have been con-
nected as designer, builder and opera
tor during nearly my whole profess
sional career. Recognizing the analogy
In many respects of waterworks, gas
works, electric light works, street rail-
ways and other public utilities, such
| opinion as may be expressed upon mu-
nicipal ownership OF works OF public
water supply win have an application
to other public utilities.
| Ny experience teaches me that pri-
vate corporations engaged in building
and operating waterworks systems al
most invariably secure better results
In construction and operation than are
obtained by municipal corporations
subject 20 rapidly changing political in
Huences and whose public utilities are
used, as they are bound to be used, as
nesting places for active politicians
whose chief claim for favor rests upon
political services rather than upon mer-
1t and experience in the conduct of any
branch of public water supply.
That there are exceptions to this rule
Is not surprising. There is one city in
the United States which enjoys a met
ropolitan water supply under the con
! troll of the state. The governor APP
points the commissioners, and the com
missioners and all their employees can
| expect to hold Office for life or during
good behavior. In this instance polit-
Ical influence is removed from the de-
| sign, construction and operation of the
works Of public water supply. The
commissioners and all their employees
deal with the waterworks as a matter
Of business, and am informed that no
political test is ever applied to any
man appointed to position under this
board This is the only city In this
country which I now recall whore such
condition exists.
The relations between re officers
and capitalists of priv..te water COM
pany are precisely the same as those
between any set of responsible men in
commercial or manufacturing busi-
ness. Plans are mutually studied to
| 20 %
In securing bids for work the lowest
prices are usually obtained by private
parties, because none Of the usual legal
restrictions and red tape which per-
wade all transactions in municipal gov
srnments is permitted to enter into the
operation of a private company, and
better prices and better terms can be
made In behalf Of responsible pri-
Vate corporation than in behalf of a
municipal corporation. / speak Of this
matter from actual experience and
| have had occasion to state to the Off
GERS of municipal corporations that
money and time could be saved the
taxpayers or water takers if the par
tlcular works under consideration
could be constructed as a private en-
terprise.
In the operation of a municipal wa
! .erworks there can be no doubt that
A company can secure better results
than a municipal corporation if l ex-
sept the single city in this country re-
Ierred to above. A private corporation
s bound to supply water in quantity
and quality up to the terms of its con
.ract and to the satisfaction Of its pa
IRONS. In a measure 1t is required to
10 business with the citizens very
much as any local manufacturing or
commercial company would be required
% conduct its business If it depended
entirely upon local patronage. 1t must
satisfy It's customers. How few of
the larger cities of the country satisfy
he requirements of the water con-
sumers!
A private water company is constant
" seeking business. IT is bound to
conduct its service and adjust its
water rates to secure this and, while
the matter of profit Is necessarily al
ways in view and properly kept in
view by the private water company,
nevertheless no company can be so in
different to its own interests as to re-
fuse to listen to the just demands Of
he community which 1t Is serving,
l believe the trend of sentiment to-
lay Is distinctly against municipal
ownership of works of public water
supply and of some other public util-
ties and more emphatically against
The operation of such works by munich
pal corporations In fact, / believe
that the less a municipal corporation
dabbles in lines Of business which ex-
perlence has demonstrated private
parties are able to conduct successful
y the greater will be the advantage to
the people.
While ] believe that the ownership,
construction and operation OF works OF
public water supply and other public
utilities should be in the hands of pri-