The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-01

gation Committee of the National Civic Federation will publish a majority report and a minority report. The majority report is signed by each at 's. the meeting % ing at sedte Whieh it t'es was adopted except Walton Clark. pres ident of Franklin Institute. of Penn sylvania and vice president of the who presented as minority report. In statement and suggestion the ma jority report consists mainly of recom- mendations of various details of a sys- porations. and of warnings against the difficulties and dangers attending mum icipal ownership which 1t does not in set terms condemn or commend.
 product of an effort to properly an- alyze the majority report:
 The opening paragraphs of the re- port contain statement of the pro- the people in charge of the public util- ities investigated, and reasons for the failure to give positive answer to the question at issue.
 The first statement having a direct bearing on the main question is to the effect that municipal plants have had struggle to exist in the face of un- sympathetic public opinion: This state ment, that these municipal plants have had struggle for ontinued existence because of an unsympathetic public opinion. appears to condemn municipal ownership-if condemnation may come from those most immediately affected by municipalizatio -she citizens or t:le towns in which 1t has been tried The report next suggests that people must not judge between the effects Of municipal and company operation In Great Britain without taking into con sideration the fact that the companies are unnecessarily handicapped by the short terms of the fra chises granted them, the municipalities having neces- sarily the advantage of perpetual rights.
 The majority report also sa 's allo-.- ance must be made for difference In social and political conditions, when arguing in Great Britain to what might be expected in this country. The ex- act Language of the report is as fol- lows:
 Tn other words. a measure of sue. cess in the municipal management or be regarded as necessarily indicatihg that the municipal ...Lnagement of the same utilities in this country would be followed by like measure of success. petition in the supply of public ser vice, and states that the question IS whether it is better for the public 10 operate or to regulate lblic service industries as monopolies
 The report records the opinion of the majority, that undertakings in which the sanitary motive largely enters- meaning water works ana sewers should. as concerning the heaitn or 'he careful reading of what of its lnvesti- gations into the water works m the United States has been printed by the committed. leads Inevitably to the con clusion that this opinion of the major. ity is the expression of its belief that water supply has to do with the police powers of the municipality. and there fore should not be left to prlVate en- terprise, or regarded as legitimate field for money making ventures.
 The majority report next states There are no particular reasons why the financial results from private or public operations should be different. if the conditions are the same" As conditions are fundamentally different, this statement of the majority appears innocuous whether viewed from the standpoint of the municipa!izer or rom that of the anti i-municipalizer.
 The report, which, up to this point; ownership of any industry, except wa ter supply, next classifies certain ser vices that should not. in any event. be undertaken by city,, and states that no municipal ownership should be un- dertaken solely for profit.
 The report next recommends that municipalities be given the right to enter into municipal ownership upon popular vote under reasonable reguia- tion." It recommends that municipahtles be given this right in order that the public may be put in a position to trade with companies seeking frapchises, ana contains the further statement that the provision 1t thus recommends Will teho to prevent municipal ownership.
 The report then, after recommendlng regulation and profit sharing, takes up the difficulties of municipal owner ship. stating certain conditions 10 De essentials to success-condlt1ons recog-
 tctn l. ly exsiting and as difficult to secure
 The remainder of the report IS large ly eulogy of the governments or British municipalities, comparing them with the municipal government, III ,tt tte United States. unfavorably to the lat ter and summing up that relterates the points previously made, warns against the danger of municipal owner ship under such governments. Conui tions as the majority says exist In the United States, and against the danger of creating a larger body or munlcl- pal employees, and, at the last. says; We take no position on the ausstluih rrih of general expedlency or pupiic oA Pii vate ownership"
 The report contains no endorsement of municipal ownership, even uhoer the conditions claimed to exist Tn Glasgow. Manchester and Birmingham, whose local governmental condltlons afe particularly commended, and stated to be "distinctlv favorable num- cipal oWnerSh1p, no statement @Hat i' is wise. under such favorable govern mental conditions: no claim that II mas resulted in good to the citizens Of these well administered towns or elseWncie.
 Munlcipalizers in their arguments have not generally included better ser vice as a result of municipal owner ship They have based their hopes on convincing their readers ana hearers that profits may be made and local government purified by the municipal ization of industries The report speaks definitely on these points. ana Tn llat contradiction of the munlclpallleT cherished arguments. for 1t says; we have come to the conclusion that munl- cipal ownership should not be under taken solely for profit" ana we are unable to recommend municipal owner ship as political panacea
 The report as whole bears eVloehce of an effort to warn the Amerlcah Peo- ple against municipal oWenrshlp, Wltn out using such terms as would prevent the pre- committed, but now donotlnS, municipalizers from signing 1t. IL oeais with compliments to British municlpai. tiles; reasons why ;uch measure Q, success has been elsewhere claimed to have been attained in Great Britain may not be expected in the ohl'e9 States. warnings of difficulties ana dangers accompanying municipal own ership. and with the importance or tne regulation of public service companies; It asserts that governmental soclal anu political conditions in Great Britain are favorable to success of munlclpal o~n ership: 1t makes no record or ciaiiu such success and no statement tha. similar favorable condition, when states do not here list. would rnaAe | -,,af fAI