The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-15
RICHMOND PLANT
FREE FROM SPO|LS
Civic Federation Investi-
gates Municipal Own
ership Of Gas.
BEMIs SHOWS
WHAT HE FOUND
Experts Express Opinions for.
and Against Public Control.
The Inquiry Covered Wide
Range Good and
Worthless Work
in Places.
-BEMIS SHOWS
WHAT HE FOUND
5IBy Associated Press.l


NEW YORK, July 14.--The experts
acting for the National Civic Federa.
tion Municipal Ownership Commission
have completed their reports, and
critical review of the results Of their
examinations in the United states was
made public to-day BY the commis-
sion. This review is by a committee
of four appointed by the commission.
Two OF the write<s, Walton Clark.
president Of the United Gas I'M
provement Company, of Philadelphia.
and Charles L. Edgar. president Of the
Edison Electric and Illuminating Com
pany, Of Eoston. criticize severely the q
municipal plants examined. while two
other writer's Professor Frank Par
sons, Of Boston, president of the Ma
5tional Public Ownership League, and
Edward w. lBemis. superintendent OF
the Cleveland (Ohio) Water Works.
find much to favor in municipal plants
which were Investigated. Separate res
views of British municipalization VIII
be made public later.
Messrs. Clark and Edgar concur IN
the statement that the inquiry of the
committee both from the standpoint
cf British and American experience.
more especially the latter, has shown
that where municipal ownership has 8
been removed from the realm of phi
of actual experience 1t has failed In -
gloriously' The belief is expressed
5y these gentlemen that the few en- s.
thusiasts'' who still advocate munlci-
pal own ership will soon be esconNinceda
by the logic Of events. and turnlnE
their energies to other things Will
through them realize their ambllons
Of usefulness to their fellows.
Professor Parsons and Mr.. Bemis, on
no nt q
view as to municipalization.s declaring:
thatthe failures of municipal ownership
are insignificant compared to the fall
ures of private awnershin. teithers6tn
number or Importance. 1T is n OF un.g
| lie ownership but private own ershfp.....
| Professor Parsons says that 10 re-5
sponsible for our periodic crises and
| the ruin of our industries" AS to
1 the fitness of American cities to man-i
| age business affairs. many of them.s
| he says, have clearly proved their it.
| ness. and the rest can be made fit.
| .It is not impossible" he adds, that
| the elimination of the public service
corporations through public ownership
| is one Of the things that would do
more to help along the process Of Of
| making our cities fit Mr.. 4Bemis be-
| lieves that the greatest reason for
/ the strength of the municipal owner
ship movement lies in the relations
Of the public service corporations with
the State and local governments
/ which relations he declares are de-
structlve of political purity, democracy
and free institutions. In this same
connection Mr.. Edgar and Mr.. Clark
/ take the view that the evil of build
ling up political machines with city.
employees as a basis exists now to a
degree in American &municipal!tles@a and
1 that this disastrous effects would be
much greater If the many gas electri-
cal and street railway employees We're
added to the present number Of city
otflceholders. Professor Parsons ex-
/ presses the conviction that municipal
i ownership would develop a higher class
of municipal administrators. He denies
that public ownership would destroy
i individual initiative. and says thatS"a
4 Gladstone or a Roosevelt can find as
\ much room for individual Initiative
i In the service of the people as tho
i president of a street railway or light
4 ing system can find in the service OF
| his conpany.Y
American and Foreign Plants Examined
I The following American plants were
visited and examined:
Gas. Public--Whee ceiling, w. va;
Richmond, Va; Holyoke Mass Wes t.
4 field. Mass.
Private-Atlanta Gas Light Company,
Atlanta. Ga. City Gas Company, Nor
folk. Va; United Gas Improvement
, Company, Philadelphia, Pa. Fitch
, burg Gas and Electric Company Fitch
, burg. Mass; Beverly Gas and Electric
! Company, Beverly, Mass.
Water, Public--Cleveland Ohio Chi
) cago, ILL.,; Syracuse, N. Y.
| Private-New Haven Water Com
pany, New Haven, Conn: Indianapolis
Water Company, indianapolis Ind
Electric Lighting and Power. Pub
lic--Chicago. ILL.,. Allegheny. Pa; soutt
Norwalk, Conn: Detroit, Mich; Dan
J lvers, Mass; Holyoke. Mass; Westfield
! Mass. Marblehead, Mass, Peabody
, Mass, Taunton. Mass, Chicopee. Mass.
, North Attleboro Mass.
> The Review by MIR. Edgar ana Mr
Clark.
t Mr., Edgar and Mr.. Clark agree II
: setting forth numerous objections (
Q municipalization, a very important on,
: being that In several British cite
9 which have tried public ownership. 1
I has been found that the organizat!u,
> of municipal workmen constitutes |
serious threat against the muniripAiit,
q itself, and as a result the disfranchise
9 ment Of city employees Is being sert
9 etously considered in England Wer,
municipal employees In this country y
organize. under extended city contro
OF public utilities. the writer's deciar
the remaining voters would find them
/, selves beneath IA tyranny of democ
: racy which .s no less CALLING to tn
indiyidual oppressed and no less detrt
mental to the welfare of the State thal
!, IS the tyranny of hespots The rem
= edy proposed in England, disfranchise
ment, Is declared to be e"unth!nkabie
4 In the United states, Under publi
n ownership OF public utilities, II 2
declared that In control of IN
government are submitted to con
2 tinuous temptations; flrl, through
= the opportunity TO build up
e political Machines with the city en1
= ploye as basis, and second. throngl
the opportunitS. TO 2pRduly favor con