The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-14
ENGLAND'S HUGE
DOODLE MACHINE.
Municipal Conditions Worse Than In Amer
lean Cities.
Grating Machine Built Up by the Socialists and the
Trades Unionists-Labor BossesGet Rich Rake
Offs and Enormous Sums of Money Are Wasted
Municipal Trading Has Brought Evils.
BY S. FRED. H0dUE

complication has arisen. 1t appears TINT
under the English law the Council must
get the consent OF Parliament to make
the extra payment. The Brown episode
is proving u blunder OF the kind that
/ the agltators do not relish.
| Two weeks ago they stiied an attempt
| on the part OF the Conservatives TO secure
an official investigation for the purpose
| of entertaining some facts about that re-
| newal clause.
In western community this would be
/ sufficient provocntion for organizing a
vigilance committee. The lethargic Lon
| don press comments mildly that 1t is a
| costly blunder on the part of the city
! authorities.
\ a 100000 clause In contract Of a like
| nature to which an American municipal
| ity was part would hardly DO classed
'blunder." London has already for
| gotten 1t.
| Last year the Council purchased land
in the borough OF Fulham to be used as
! a site for model municipal tenements
/, That land was paid for at the rate OF
! $4,000 an acre.
I When the bill CAME before tho Council
some members bluntly charged that 1t
was an open theft OF hundreds of thou
| sands of pounds of the rate-payers'
1
bring In the open market one-fourth the
| price the city proposed to pay.
number OF Councilmen who had been
voting with the Progressive" majority.
baked at this purchase. The scene In
| the Council room the day the deal was
concluded was one that elsewhere would
| have Occasioned widespread comment.
l>ondoners left their Offices and their
counters to go and protest. But they
lacked organization, and the Crooks ring
| coolly voted to close the contract In
| spite Of the opposition.
That left few sore spots and will
probably cost several councillors their
/, seats: but the money has been paid.
| I have talked. over this purchase with
| a number OF London real estate men.
They declined to permit their names to
be used for publication at the present
time. as 1t would mean to secure the
enrlity OF the labor union bosses, and
probable boycott But each OF them as
sured me privately that the price Is
more than twice that for which land adj
joining could be secured.
Union Plumber.
One Of the Cylinders" In connection
with the Strand Improvement came to
light n few days ago. The Council pur-
laundryman, who was one of the pillars
OF the laundrymen's union. The usual
high premium was paid and the building
was RACED. The public has just learned
that the land Is not needed by the city,
that 1t Is not In the line of any pro-
posed Improvement and that tse payment
to the laundryman was gift OF rate
payers money. He had admitted that
he was losing money on the lease when
the city stepped In and paid $4,000
bonus.
A big contract was let by the borough
OF Westminster for the paving OF
number OF streets near the Parliament
buildings. While the work was in pro-
gress citizens complained that the mate
rial used was OF an inferior quality and
that the workmanship was even worse.
Finally absolute evidence was secured
that the contractor was paying money
to certain city officials. This led to an
investigation which the Council could
not escape. When the hearing was held
the contractor admitted tho payment OF
the money, but asserted that 1t was
personal loan.
And tho verdict rendered was that the
evidence was not sufficient to convict
This personal loan plea is ono that is
frequently advanced in political nvesti-
excuse to justify contractors making
direct payment to those who give him
the contract or who are appointed to
inspect the work.
The charge is freely made here that
Councilman make 1t a practice to receive
a profit out of being In the know" when
land is to be purchased by the city. This
"being in the know Is the English equiv
aent for securing options on land which
the city lsa going to buy. Through its
many municipal trading schemes the
Council has n great deal OF buying to
do, both of land and material. The
County Council handles enormous sums
of money yearly.
find that many business men are
willing that the Council shall graft so
long as the business man gets share
of the pickings. In this some London
bankers are involved.
One banker Just off Threadneed!e Street
told me that he could recall score
of instances In which men who went
into the Council with practically nothing
are now among the best customers of
the bank. This refers to members OF
the County Council and to borough coun-
ellis as we'll.
But when pressed him for names
and figures he shut up like a clam. "They
1I6 VI oai > VI 'lhNc oSCii, Sou
know" he said. land you couldn't ex-
pect me to help get them into trouble" 4
He appeared to treat the Use OF the
county and borough councils for step
ping-stone to affluence as q matter of
no real import. In fact. one of tho most
inexplicable things about English poll
tics is the dulled moral sense Of tho COM
munities. They seem to take petty graft
Ing on the part of the officials as mat
ter of course. Their only complaint comes
when called upon to pay higher rates.
have recited but few instances of
municipal transactions In which the hand
of the professional political CRATER is
revealed. There are hundreds of such
to be had for the searching In the So
cialist boroughs Of London. and In prac-
tically every large city in England