Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-06-07
FAILURE IN BOSTON,
Municipal Ownership Tried by the
Hub, but Found Wanting.

lioht Works Because the City Had
Already Shown It's Inability TO Carry
on Public utilities-History OF the
Unsueeessful Attempts.
In 1886 tire city council Of Boston
voted against attempting municipal gas
| and electric lighting ON the ground that
( the city had already proved It's inablI-
! ity in such matters 10y succession OF
/ failures ia various trading enterprises.
! In 1881. for Instance. Boston estab-
/ lished municipal printing plant Five
years later. In l.J2. Harvey Chase. all
expert accountant who was eXamln-
ing all the city departments for Mayor
/ Collins, and Thomas l.. Nichols. an ex-
pert printer. reported that the plant
had already lost over $4,000 and that
| "A greater loss was avoided only by
charging other departments more than
they would have had 10 pay outside
printers.
They also reported that at the time
Of the Investigation the stock room was
crowded with unnecessary paper. Inks.
etc. bought NJ great expense and la
bic 10 depreciation 10y handling or dam
aye by fire: that some valuable stock.
then very recently bought, could not be
found nor could there be found any
record of its use; that excessive rates
were paid for ruling and binding done
outside; that there was an entirely uh~
necessary number Of employees In all
divisions of the department who add
ed 10 the expense and subtracted from
the efficiency; that disposition 10 XIII
time was manifest. aud that III spite Oh
the fact that the hours of employees
were shorter than In private plants
less was accomplished per man per
hour worked.
The operation Of two ferry lines
from Boston To- East Boston. whlch
were bought 10y the city In 1883, loom
ed M a. another object lesson. tnul
1870 the ferries were leased at loss
and since then have been operated by
the city at an even greater loss. III
1877. 10 be sure. the city made the mag
nlfcent profit of S93.SS, but In each OF
the other forty-seven years up 10 Feb
ruary. 1906. there was a deficit vary
ing from $50 to SOP 600 and amount
ing In all to $3.743.54S, or an average
Of almost $7SW0 a year.
Roston's water supply. though far
famed for quantity and quality. fur
nlshed but another proof that the city
cannot do business as well as pri'
waite corporation. Boston receives pure
water from the metropolitan water
board. distributes II through the city,
collects the charges and each year pays
its assessed share of the total expense
This would seem II simple proposition,
but Harvey chase in 1902 in his report
on the water department said The
lack of proper methods for handling
transactions Of such magnitude and,
indeed. the general crudeness and
looseness OF the capital accounts in the
waterN olks' bookkeeping ever since
the foundation OF the plant are aston
fishing There has been excess
i've expenditure for work done through
the employment of unnecessary men,
by the employment OF aged and intlrm
men and by other means whereby the
costs " work have been heavily in
creased"
Four years have now gone by since
= the evils In these three departments
We're made public in free city docu-
ment. but nothing has been done to
remedy them. Even In those depart
mentS especially investigated and re-
ported upon in considerable detail"
said Harvey Chase in 1906. the an
nual expense today is as large AS be
fore and In some cases even relatively
larger" What surer proof Of ineffi-
cheney could be given?
But even had there been no printing,
no ferry, no water fiascos. the amounts
| paid recently for services of veterina-
rianS To care for the horses IN the
street and police departments OF Bos-
r ton would alone have been sufficient TO
=. indicate that II would be well TO limit
= rather than extend Boston's municipal
activities.
The police department in 1904 paid
. Sl9.34 FOR veterinary services and med.
icine for each of its sixty or more
horses, an outrageous price. and the
d department. where wasting the tax,
payers mOHey in excessive veterinary
payments had come to he Il habit, easily
topped its own high figures In 1905 by
paying $40 for each OF $50 horses.
These figures We're SO obviously ex.
$ cesslve that some change had to be
made Accordingly the police depart.
u | a
: mission reduced Its veterinary eX-
penseS in 1906 to about Sl3 per-, horse.
and the mayor instituted plan by
which the cost per horse in the street
department came down TO S14
That these reductions We're possible
y Is Itself sure proof that Boston Is
anything but efficient in business, and
r further proof, if any is needed can be
: found by comparing even these re-
t duced figures with. say. the average of
| $40 per horse paid under able manage
!, ment in the fire department. with the
= So.J paid by the police department In
, 1902 with the bona fide offer Of one
Of the best veterinarians In the city to
, do the street departments work for
! 81 per horse and finally with the 80 per
year for each of its 200 horses paid by
2 great private grocery and supply firm
i, in Boston.
! Compared with some cities. Boston
! is well governed. but these and a sue.
ceSsion of similar illustrations of waste
I fulneSs. failure and executive ability
: prove that 1t cannot do business I'm a
= way to give its citizens full value for
I the money they nav in tayas rou,.f