The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-17
Best Interests Served by
Uniting Street Rail
way Lines.
LEAGUE TO MEET
IN LOS ANGELES
National Body Concludes Its
Convention With General Own
ership Discussion and Re-
port on Prohibition Move
ment in South, Which Is
Regarded as Wise.

Closing its seventeenth annual con-
|ention with q round table luz cheon
at the Jefferson Hotel yesterday after
noon. the National Municipal League
adjourned to meet again in the sum
mer of 1912 in Los Angeles Cal. Ire
convention, In the words of President
Foulke, was entirely satisfactory and
brought out large number OF strong
addresses
Street railway franchises, civic edu-
cation and liquor problems ali came
In for discussion at the final session
The morning program was opened at
$3.50 o'clock By Robert Treat Paine, of
Boston. who presented the report OF
the committee on franchises. A printed
report of the committee entitled The
Outline of a Model Street Railway
Franchise" was next presented by the
chairman, Mr.. Paine. who had prepared
1t In collaboration with DR.. Delos f.
Utilities Commission of New York. and
James w. $. Peters, president of the
City Club. Kansas City.
The report went infinitely into the
problem and made number of recon-
mendations as to the points which, in
its opinion, should go into the making
of the model street railway franchise
while We do not favor the granting
OF street railway franchise dhat is
exclusive in legal form" stated the
committee, we do believe it to he for
the best interest of all concerned that
the entire street railway systers of a
given community should be operated as
unit under one comprehensive fran
chise. In other words, we favor
practical, though not strictly con-
tractual, monopoly"
Consolidation Urged.
Among the other recommendations
made by the report was the practical
consolidation of the street railway,
electric light. heat and power systems,
beSause of the economies to be effected
by joint management; accurate descrip-
ton of the specitl. routes over which
the lines are TO be operated, with ade-
quate provision for extension or relo-
cation of original lines. thus avoiding
the necessity of negotiating a new
contract whenever a modifica ton or eX-
tension of routes is TO be made; obli-
cation on the part OF the franchise
holder to extend its lines from ii.
to time when required by the city sub
ject to review as to the reasonab!eness
of the requirement and retention by
the city of the right to build extern
sions either out OF n general fund or
by means of specie. assessments on
benefited property. and to require the
grantee of the franchise TO operate
such extensions as n part of Its street
railway system, upon fair terms as 10
rental.
The report was freely discussed by
q number of the delegates Most of
these Endorsed the recommends lions of
the committee, q few insisting that
the only satisfactory solution of the
traction problem is in public ownership.
Among those strongly favoring the
taking over of traction lines by the
municipalities was f. S. Spence, City
Controller of Toronto. who cited the
street car situation in the Canadian
city in support of his contention.
Teach Citizenship.
One of the mastery addresses of the
day was delivered by Arthur W. Dunn
of New York, on Civic Education"
The fact that schools have been teach
ing government instead of citizenship
in Mr.. Dunn's opinion, is responsible
for the apathy of the voting public on
election day. in arousinS the voter
and Nthc child who will later be the
voter. to an appreciation of the priv
ilege of the ballot and the good to be
accomplished through its intelligent en-
e.'cise, he said, lies the efficiency of
the future.
The failure to vote on election day."
said Mr.. Dunn. rs not the essential
civic sin; it is merely the index to
civic inefiiciency in the other 364 days
OF the year" The old conception that
civic education consists primarily in
drilling the pupils in the forms and
operations of government. the political
duties and rights of citizenship, and
in more or less socalled instruction
in patriotism, needs to be abandoned
boy Scouts Endorsed.
He advocated encoura cement of or
ganiZations of boys and girls outside
of school, and commended as examples
of the kind of organizations that make
for better citizenship the Warning
League. of New York, and the Boy
Scouts. Courses in municipal gov
eminent, lie urged. should be given
in all colleges, and, il rightly handled,
in private and high schools.
The morning session ended with tho
address on Civic Surveys" sy Thomas.
II. Mawson, of Liverpool. England. and
with the reading of a paper on "rhe
Prohibition Movement in the South"
by William II. Thomas. of Montgom-
cry, Ala. Mr.. Mawson. who is fellow
of the Royal Institute of British
Architects. urged, in his address, the
necessity for careful and accurate SUR
veys of local condition a 8 precedent
to effective city planning.
South's Liquor Problem.
Mr.. Thomas's address covered a
Continued on Third Page.)