The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-10-16
TO Be IN SOCIETY A BORE OR A JOKE
What Ais People When They Go to Parties? Jekyll
but 1t Does Not Always Work Out
If he hadn't he might have said
Its joke to be in society. Because
YOU can't be out

There are many admirable sOcialis-
tic theories and one of them is the
government ownership of public utili-
ties.
In theory it is perfect. And under a
socialistic regime its practice might be
also, but under existing conditions it
has not so proved.
! In instance, a German, now in this
country inspecting the automatic tele.
phone system. states that he has been
surprised to find that telephone rem.
tails in the United States are much
cheaper than they are in Germany
where the telephone system is under
government control.
/ According to this man it costs $50
year to have a telephone in either a
private or business house.
THE subscriber has a choice of
paying flat rate of $50 a year for the
service, where there is no extra charge
for calls, or $50 year and an add
tional cost of one cent for each time
the TELEPHONE is used" stated the ma
tive of Germany,
Zone would think" he continued
that where the telephone lines are all
owned by the government the cost
would be less than when owned by a
private corporation. I am surprised to
! when the lines all are owned by pri-
vate corporations"
On the other hand James l.. Rich
ards. of Boston, who controls the Bos-
ton Gas company has reduced the
| price from 100 to 80 cents, by fair and
| legitimate methods since he took over
the entire holdings which were pre-
viously divided among several com.
panies. The price of gas has gone
down, the profits of the company have
| increased and more gas is being burn.
ed than ever before. BY an agreement
with the city dividends cannot in
crease unless the price of gas is reduc.
ed
The government telegraph system
in Great Britain is operated at a loss
of $2,5O0,OOO each year although the
government is now going to take over
competing telephone lines aid operate
the entire system on a different basis
! II government officials were Jealous
in putting such public utilities as come
under their management on business
basis, the ideal of the socialists would
be realized.
But they are not And for the reason
that it makes no difference to them
Their salaries are paid anyway and
are fixed. They have not the incentive
that has an individual or set of indi
viduals. A private corporation must
make things come out even in any
event. They can't afford to run at a
! loss. The government can. 1t shouldn't
but it does.
Our Post Office systems deficit is
accepted. This is our only public utili
ty The sun rises and sets and the
post Office deficit is still with us. Post
master General Hitchcock has cut this
down but has not wiped it out.
If, incidentally, Hitchcock would be
gin at the other end and cut out the
tons of reading matter sent under the
ranking privilege, that nobody evel
reads and seeds that nobody ever
plants, he might do much more effec
tive service toward the elimination Of
the famed deficit than to take it out
on the magazines that people do reaC
and in the salaries of underpaid and
hard worked employees.
Hitchcock seems more bent on max
ing a record than in being consistent