Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-03
COST OF PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
Figures that Alarm Taxpayers in England
Just Now.
HIGHER MUNICIPAL TAXES ONE RESULT
Public Management of Gas works
Proves 20 he Less Economical
Than Private Owner
ship.

LONDON, Feb. 2--Cspecial Correspond
ence.) "A local campaign OF worldwide In
terest and Importance will eliminate in the
London county council election on March
2 Great Britain has been for fifteen years
or more the pioneer in experiments IN
municipal trading and the time is at hand
when the country will take stock Of and
pass judgment upon the record which has
been made.
The believers in the principle OF mu-
niclpal management of certain forms OF
trade and industry have had remarkably
free hand in London and the principal large
cities of England and Scotland. The public
purse has been open to them almost with
out restriction; their control of the large
enterprises in which they have embarked
has been absolute and their reports of the
results Of their stewardship have been such
rs they chose to make.
The effect OF all this has been that until
very recently the popular impression has
been that municipal trading Is. as a whole,
successful from the points Of view Of econ
Dmy and efficiency. A marked change has
taken place within the last year in the
attitude Of the general public toward these
Enterprises and the reasons for 1t are a
matter Of direct concern to all jewellers In
large municipalities.
Patience il Exhausted.
The English people are among the most
patient in the world in bearing their public
burdens. They have endured with little
Krumbling the heavy increases in national
taxation made necessary by the Boer war.
Like the American people, they pay greater
attention to the management of national
than of local affairs, and this tendency has
been emphasized during the crisis Of the
last six years
But the situation has been suddenly
reversed. The fact has been forced upon
their attention that local taxation has beer
increasing In even larger proportion thar
national, and II has come upon them with
the force of a sudden revelation that NUM-
cipal Indebtedness In Great Britain is grow
ing at an appalling rate.
The debt of the municipalities of Great
Britain has increased from $965,OOOOOO ii
1884 to $685. 900 in 1904. The amount OF
local government expenditure in Grea'
Britain in 1892 was $3.50 100000 in 1902. tho
last complete year available, It had In
creased to $72O,OO0,0OO The explanation al
ways given of the vast growth OF NUM-
cipai Indebtedness has been that it wal
incurred for remunerative purposes.
But Englishmen have found that the rat'
has increased no less that 90 per cent. This
of course. is entirely inconsistent with thu
explanation offered, and the public is nov
demanding that the explanation be ex
planned The results of some careful in
vestigations by highly competent authori
ties are now being placed before the public
and they are of a very disconcerting, ever
amazing, character.
The most thorough and fair minded ex
position OF the situation IL that which ha
just been made by Lord Avehury (sir Johl
Lubbock) No public man in England 4
better qualified to speak on this subJec
than he.
He has done more both in and out o
Parliament for the working classes of tn
community than any other man. He wa
for a considerable time the chairman o
the London County council and he devote
himself for some years almost exclusivel
TO the arduous duties which fell upon hin
But he now feels himself compelled to Civ
grave warning of the dangers of the polio
OF municipal trading upon which the cour
ell has embarked.
He analyses briefly but thoroughly tn
whole British record OF municipal tradin
in a small volume published a few day
ago, and he reached these conclusions:
The undertaking by municipalities
commercial undertakings is undesirable
mainly on fve grounds:
Firstly, the legitimate functions and d.
ties Of our municipalities are alrend
enough, II not indeed, more than enougl
TO tax all their energies and I'LL up all the
time.
Secondly, It has involved and will fl
Yolve an immense increase in municip
debt.
Thirdly. It will involve municipalities
labor disputes.
Fourthiy, as there viii not be the san
stimulus to economy and attention, the
will be a great probability, not to say ce
tainty, that one of two things will hal
pen--either there will be loss or the ce
vice will cost more. The working class
will, of course. be the greatest sufferer
Fifthly, II Is a serious check to progre
and discovery.
It is hardly possible in the limits of
single article to discuss all the poin
made by Lord Avebury in his remarkab
book and the article is therefore confnt