The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-01-24
RR|TA|N'S AWAKENING
Opinions of Eminent EngIishmen
on Municipal Ownership.

on Municipal Ownership.
Increasing Debt and Taxes, Failure TO
Provide For the Future, Reckless Ex-
penditure and Difficulty In Keeping
Good Men as Officials Are Some Of
the Results They Note-The Open
Door For Socialism.
The Yorkshire Observer quotes the
mayor OF Bradford as saying In a pub
lie meeting that on account Of the great
demands upon the time Of members OF
the council 1t was difficult to get good
men TO enter or remain In that body.
Yet the corporation had FL 100000 in
vested in its undertakings, which must
"be managed In some way or other,
good, bad or Indifferent"
According TO DR.. Ingram, chairman
that borough reached the verge OF
bankruptcy under the management Of
the NJ o. party, which tried to show
that the electric plant was profitable
by the simple eXpedient Of not paying
bills. The new administration was
faced with n floating Indebtedness OF
$4,000, which has to be provided for
by taxation.
The Yorkshire Observer states that
Lar
ough council Alderman GUNNER OBJ
jected TO the amount which the gas
undertaking contributed to the rates
on the ground that II had been made
possible only by raising the price OF
gas and thus making its consumers
bear an unfair proportion OF the rates.
This bore especially upon the poor,
who use gas instead OF electricity.
If city is well governed munici-
pal ownership Is the most dangerous
thing imaginable and should be care
fully avoided. There is always the
danger that the public utilities the city
Is supposed TO own Will become moth
Ing more or less than the private prop
erty OF the people at the head Of the
government, who Will work to their
own advantage and the enhancement
of their private wealth.-William L.
Stead, Editor Review OF Reviews.
At the fifth annual conference OF the
Municipal Tramways association g.
w. Holford, general manager OF the
Stafford corporation tramways, stated
that the probable average life OF rails
was twelve years. Commenting upon
the fact that I'm many cities no depre-
citation or renewals fund was being
set aside, he earnestly warned the
gentlemen responsible that serious re-
suits would follow In ten or twelve
years time, when heavy calls would
have To be made upon the ratepayers
for the purpose of renewals"
Four years ago London took over Its
waterworks, with the result that wa
ter rates have increased rather than
diminished Referring to the operat-
ing expenses, Sir Melvlll Beachcroft,
chairman of the water board, recently
said:
80 far II must be admitted that no
saving has been effected, l do not
think that ii was ever anticipated that
there would be any saving In the ex-
pcnses OF administration, as the man
ngement of trading concern by n
municipal body must always Involve
expenditure quite outside that which
falls on a private company"
In my opinion, the root of the evil Is
to he found In the too great facilities
afforded by parliament for crazy mu-
nicipal traders to borrow money upon
periods of repayment out of all pro
portion TO the lifetime of the work
upon which the money is expended.
In uuddcrsfeli we are wearing out
our third set OF tram rails, and yet
payment for the first set Will not he
completed until 1857. In our capital of
E4l40O0 for some thirty miles of tram
ways there Is at least 100000 for
which we cannot produce any asset
whatever II. III. Moore, Esq, Alder
man and Chairman. Huddersleld Cor
poratlon Tramways.
An English correspondent writes:
"Thc tram cars in Liverpool until
late years were owned 10y private
company, whereas now they are own
ed 10y the corporation. In the time Of
private ownership overcrowding was
unknown; now 1t Is the rule. On In
Quiring the reason OF the change |
was told that IL was this: The regula-