Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-04
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP

WI e AGREE with morning con-
w temporary that public or muni-
" cipal ownership of the telephone
system is desirable.
There can be no doubt our contempo-
rary is right 1t is as plain as the
Rockies and as undeniable and indis-
putable, that public utilities should be
under pubic control if the public is
to get the utmost good out of them.
So far is our republic from being at
the head of the procession in this re-
gard that the government tolerates
! private ownership of that great ma
tional public utility, the telegraph, well
nigh half century after the United
Kingdom has demonstrated the super
iority and the greater popular useful
ness of a system owned, controlled and
administered by the government for the
public welfare.
From time to time our people are
reminded sharply by some emergency,
some untoward event, some hindrance
to business, some humbugging and
hampering nuisance interjected unnec-
essarily into the days work, that the
people of this republic ARE NOT
GETTING THE FULL ADVANTAGE
OF THE LIBERAL AND PROGRESS
|SIVE INSTITUTIONS U N D E r
WHICH THEY LIVE.
| No parcels post! In Russia, where
all the privileges are "farmed" for the
central grafters, this would not be sur
prising But in free America the be-
lated lack is absurd.
In the United Kingdom the parcels
post is an old established institution.
To be sure it has put the millionaire
special delivery and carrier and eX-
press companies out of business. But
they are not missed.
No6 government telegraph! In the
back countries, where people still think
the moon is fiat disk, the lack of a
popular telegraph, accessible to every
body at popular rates, is not surprising.
But in progressive America, the land
where the Fourth of July orators tell
us the aim of our institutions is to
provide the greatest good for the
greatest number, the persistence of an
oppressive telegraph monopoly, which
greatly adds to the burden and ex-
pense of the postoffice by compelling
people to use postal cards and send
letters. when with a popular telegraph
system, messages would be flashed
over the wires, is an archaic and tyr
annical relic of primitive and long past
national history and development.
No government telephone! And it is
not to be expected until the municipal
tiles take up the subject and solve the
local problem of telephoning. The ques-
ton of municipal ownership and popu-
lar control of a telephone system is
hardly debatable. 1t is obviously the
duty of a municipality to bring this
important public utility within the in
huence and control of it's patrons.
When the means of communication
have been patriotcally popularized it
will be time to consider seriously the
ownership of urban rapid transit.
There can be no exception to the die
tum private ownership of public util-
tiles puts the public at a disadvan-
tage. But we cannot say water and
telephones should be publicly owned,
but nothing else" What is sauce for
the entire flock of utilities geese is
sauce for the entire flock of utilities
ganders (and we use the anserine SIM
lie in a purely Pickwicltian sense, with
out the slightest reflection on the util-
tiles or those associated with them).
Since our contemporary acknowledges
| the worth merit and validity of tWee-
dledum we are prepared for a similar
LII. Ar..anllnlEn