The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-07-20


turned nearly 100000 into the city
treasury. The anti-munieipal report
demonstrates, however, that while
the price is nominally cheap (75c
per 1000 Gu. it,, when the poor
quality of the service, the charges
for piping and meter setting and
the absence of any care of the con
smers' burners and appliances are
allowed for, the Wheeling price,
measured in net result of service
IS high and the SOCIAL good derived
from the operation of the plant a
negative quantity. The anti-munic-
ipal report shows that for the year
under investigation, when all proper
charges are included. the gas plant
showed deficit of $4,000 and the
service was poor.
In dealing with the gas questions
in Philadelphia, the pro-municipal
report is particularly unhappy. 1t
strives to create the impression
that conditions under the gas bu.
rean were, after all not so bad, and
that the undertaking was financial
ly successful. 1t closes with a quo
tation from Professor Rowe of the
University of Pennsylvania and n
member Of the commission, regard
ing the distlustful and suspicious
state of the public mind toward the
leasing company, as created by t.
agitation of 1905. The anti-munic-
ipal report, quoting all its state
ments from Professor Rowe's re-
port, shows that the bad conditions
of, service and politics under munic-
ipal operation have not been eXag-
gerated It also points out that
DINING the last -four years of mu-
nicipal management, when the price
was reduced to 81 per 1000 Gu. IT,,
the undertaking sustained a large
annual loss. That the attitude of
the public toward the leasing com
pany is not as alleged, is abund-
antly proven by the results Cd the
recent agitation, when the most act
i've and persistent attempts to in
flame the public mind against the
company were unsuccessful. The
service rendered under private man
agement was so superior to that
given by the city bureau that the
inhabitants said in effect "We are
satisfied +"
Water supply, in its monopolishc
character. lis intimate relation TO
the public health, and its compara-
tive absence of the trading element,
seems to lend Itself particularly 10
the method Of municipal operation
1t is not surprising that there are
so few private water companies III
the country 1t is surprising 10
learn from these reports how favor
ably, in all essential particulars
the water companies examiner by
this commission compared with lhe
eity water department. In the TWO
important points of quality ana
quantity (or pressure maintained IN
the distributing mains) the two
companies at indianapolis and New
Haven have evidently cause Tor
pride. In the means adopted to pro
tect the source of supply, such as
the purchase and patrol OF water
sheds. and the adoption of filtera-
ton. the companies are in the lead
A table in the pro-municipal report
shows that the typhoid death nate
in Indianapolis and New Haven IS
relatively high. The anti-municipal
report. however, contains the ex-
planation endorsed by the heo't'
authorities that the trouble in mdi-
annapolis arises from the wide use
of water from private wells fcr
drinking purposes. The engineering
expert quotes the health authorities
of New Haven to the effect that
the high typhoid death rate Of the
city is not due to the quality of
the water smoplied by the company.
The question of water rates is
discussed in each of these reports