Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-03

you. The statue of the Duke of Buc-
| cleuch is at one end. and at the other is
| a fat and ungainly figure of Charles i'm
bronze on horseback. On one side are
the law courts 1 have described and on
the other the city hall. which was for
merly royal palace. Twenty years ago
or more distiller named Andrew Usher
left a legacy of S5O0.000 to his native
town for the erection of a new city hall,
but the common council has never been
able to agree upon a site. Various loca-
lions have been suggested and discussed.
but 1t seems to be impossible to find one
that will please everybody. Edinburgh.
wrote you a few days ago, is divided
into two parasitic old town and the new
town-and they are about evenly bal
anced in population. The old city has
cept the post office. the art gallery, the
portrait gallery. the historical museum
and the public records office. At present
there is q good deal of talk about Mr..
Usher's legacy. Some people complain
that it has fallen off in value because tt
has not been properly invested.
Relics of Bobby Burns.
Attached to the city hall is a very In
| teresting municipal museum. which is
visited by comparatively few strangers
because they do not know anything about
it. Its greatest treasure is the original
copy of the Covenant signed by some
ZOO clergymen and others who refused
to accept the dictation of the king in
| religious matters and started the civil
war that lasted so long. There are many
manuscripts and relics Of Robert Burns.
Sir Walter Scott and other famous Scotch
men. The custodian insists that they
have more of Burns manuscripts than
can be found in any ether place, and
among them is the original of The
Kinks Alarm which begins.
Orthodox. orthodox! who believe in John Knoxi
lat nrlh oil
There is a good deal of municipal own
ership in Edinburgh. The city owns the
street car lines. but has leased them to "A
private corporation to operate upon a
valuation of S6J00.O00 at per cent, and
receives a large revenue therefrom. The
tram system is well managed and highly
satisfactory, l am told, and the lessees
appear to be satisfied with very low
fares-two cents a mile-but, wherever
there is a low rate OF fare in this kingdom
or on the continent there Is always a,
wage scale to correspond and 1t is a ques-
ton that requires no discussion whether it
isn't better to pay the employees living
wages and charge the patrons a little
more fare. l am sure that there would
be no hesitation in answering such an in
quiry in the United States.
The electric light, the gas works and
the water works belong to the city OF
Edinburgh and the city of Leith which
is really one and the same thing in part
nership. and they are managed by a
joint board. All three of these utilities
pay large surplus every year, which
goes into the general fund and reduces
taxation A minority of the council.
backed by a very considerable majority
of the large property owners, consider
1t wiser to put these profits into the sink
ing fund SO as to redeem sooner the
bonds that were sold to pay for the plant.
There already is a sinking fund accumu-
lating that will pay off the bonds in
twenty-five years: also a reserve fund OF
10 per cent of the total original cost TO
pay for renewals repairs and improve
ments. But the heavy taxpayers want
to stop the interest charges as soon as
possible. The small taxpayers oppose
that policy and think only of reducing
current rates. That is the local political
issue in Edinburgh today.
The municipality has recently purchased
several blocks of the worst slums In the
city. and is clearing off the rotten oid
buildings and erecting model tenements
in place of them. 1t does not attempt 10
compete with private owners except py
furnishing the working classes better &C.
Communications for similar rents.