Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-06-26
CITY TROLLEYS PAY.
EngIand's Great Success With
Municipal Ownership.
MANY CITIES MAKE PROFITS.

Enterprises Owned and Operated by
British Municipalities.
The people that OF all the world OF
men are the shrewdest. the most skill
full and the most successful in the man
agement of their private businesses are
most careless as to ordinary business
principles In the conduct OF their pub
lie affairs.
That means us-the Americans Of
North America.
In our private business we do not
let other men take our profits away
from us If we can help It. In our
public affairs we are perfectly willing
that individuals should reap the good
things and the fat profits that properly
belong to us as the community, says
the New York American. In our pri-
vate business we should think our.
selves crazy If we threw away a dol
lar. In our public affairs we throw
away millions upon millions every year
and seem rather glad to do It, even
when II means boundless discomfort
and annoyance and even physical suf-
fering
We hang upon straps and suffer the
vilest crowding in frightful convey
ances that we may have the pleasure
Of contributing to the swollen fortunes
Of few individuals when we might
as well be comfortable and at the same
time put the profits into the public
treasury.
In this singular preference we arc
alone In the world. All other people
prefer comfort and the prosperity of
the public money chest-the British,
for instance.
In Great Britain the principle OF
public ownership as opposed TO private
profits continues to spread year after
year with very remarkable results.
Every year more British communi-
ties take over their public utilities and
operate them for the public benefit
Gas, water and electric lighting
plants are now publicly owned almost
everywhere. The last two years have
seen notable additions to the towns
that own their street railroad sys-
TENS. Many places have gone into
other trading ventures.
Eastbourne has established a system
OF municipal motor omnibuses. fur
nlshing service that has been ex-
tremely satisfactory 10 the people and
has at the same time returned an an
nual profit TO the town funds. although
the investment required was large for
30 small a town. Gloucester owns cat
tie and poultry markets and public
baths as well as steel railroads. cleo
tric light and water supply. Great Var
mouth operates a fish wharf and many
public amusements. Coventry has a
sewage farm. public baths and a mar
ket hall. Burnley owns It's gas works.
waterworks, electric works. has lately
taken over its street railroad system
and now has gone into cold storage
warehousing and selling sterilized
milk. From all its enterprises except
milk II makes money. so that from
these sources II has reduced taxation
a shilling In the pound. Brighton has
taken over an aquarium as a business
enterprise and has gone heavily into
house building. IL owns its steel rail-
roads. waterworks. electricity supply
and many other things. Birkenhead
sot- "a ala fwIa
plies, street railroads and ferries.
Blackburn reduces its taxation a shil-
ling In the pound every year by mu-
nicipal enterprises that were formerly
In private hands. 1t has a municipal
plant for furnishing sea water for
baths in hotels and private houses. IL
made last year close upon $l500OO OF
net profits on all it's undertakings.
Bournemouth has municipal golf links.
municipal winter gardens. municipal
pleasure piers and a municipal motor
and bus line. The golf links made last
year a profit OF more than $4,000.
Liverpool conducts a municipal hu-
manized sterilized milk enterprise.
Hull installed a municipal telephone
exchange and reduced the rates for
an unlimited service from $50 a year.
the price charged by the trust. 20
$37.bO a year. Ramsgate has built
municipal amusement pavilion and
theater Reading has bought It's cattle
market and its street car system.
Portsmouth has municipalized its street
railroads. electric light, telephones and
docks. It's street car system turned
over $1T.5O to the relief OF taxation In
1905. Leicester owns Its gas. water.
electric light, street railroads and
wholesale and retail markets. Shelf
neld, besides enormous and profitable
investments in all the usual lines OF
municipal trading. has gone heavily
into house building. Matiock Bath op-
crates municipal pleasure boats. amuse-
nents. amusement programmes. as well
as gas works. Norwich has a munich
pal dairy farm. sells milk and poultry