The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-07-20
Review OF the Report the National Civic Commission
of Municipal Ownership and Operation

Schedules of water rates are usu-
ally complicated and difficult to
compare AS between cities That
this is the case here seems evident
from the wide discrepancies in the
figures given below. In each report,
an eight room house is assumed,
with its customary fixtures, and vet
the annual bills as shown by the
lnti-municpal report are, for
different cities from 90 per cent TO
100 per cent larger than those
shown by the pro-municipal report.
The financial results of the mu-
nicipal water departments exam
ined is too complicated question
to be here considered in any de-
! tail. Briefly, the anti-municipal re-
port, by charging taxes, insurance,
interest on 80 per cent of the ccst
of the drainage canal, etc, reduces
Chicago's alleged profit of nearly
So. 900, 900 in 1905 to n deficit Of
over 81 100000. In a similar man
ner by charging interest on bonds
and ON the cost OF intercepting
swers, Cleveland $ alleged profit
of nearly a quarter of a million
dollars is reduced TO a deficit. Had
the sewers been completed as
planned and needed, the additional
interest charges would have con-
verted Tins into Il very heavy de-
felt.
At Syracuse, with a gravity sys-
tenn and relatively high charges, the
profits for 1905 are $3l ,3l5. The
financial figures in the pro-munic-
pal report are not 50 cOncisely
or clearly stated; they do not adj
NIT of a straight comparison with
those given below, and it would re-
qulre AN extensive analysis to re-
concile the apparent differences.
The charging Of interest ON the
drainage canal of Chicago and on
the intercepting sewers in Cleve-
land against the operations of the
water departments is condemned.
This report also finds fault with the
commissioner experts in the
amount charged as depreciation on
the distributing system, and in the
charge for paving over the street
mains. These questions are mat
ter of judgment which the official
engineers and accountants would
seem best qualified TO determine.
On the whole, il seems evident that
municipal operation of water sup
ply cannot he justified solely on the
grounds of financial gain.
In the field of electrical supply
the comparative method had to be
abandoned because the municipal
plants had no commercial business,
coniining their activities to street
lighting, The four plants examined
are those Of Chicago. Detroit. South
Norwalk and Allegheny. An at
tempt to reach an accurate cost of
the unit of service revealed a re-
narkable lack of method in account
ing IN these municipal departments.
llhere was a general failure to in
clude in the operating costs certain
items of expense which should be
charged.
The anti-municipal report shows
that the inclusion Of the omitted
items and proper interest charges
Twill increase Alleghenv', published
oneratin" cost in 1905 from SlO4.-
93l to $l59,0S2; that the same pro-
cess will increase South Norwall 3
cost nearlv 80 ror cent. and De-
troit's cost over 80 per cent. Tn
no coSe can the cost per arc lamn
municioal departments measures the
incandeScent current smrnlied TO
public buildings. Both these reports
dNHl at some lenqth with the finan-
"ile the apparant discrepancies in
a"kin~ here to attemnt 10 recon
cile the anrarena discrepancies in
fiqmos. Rrieflv the Anti Munic;naI
report alleges that when al proper