The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-07-29
THE PROFITS OF
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
Columbia, S. c., State.

1t is obvious to the least observant
that American city populations are
awakening to the exigencies imposed
by modern conditions and civilization
and. under the guidance Of strong and
able men, are improving their health
fulness, their business and indus
trial opportunities, and making deter
mined efforts to beautify their towns
and render urban inhabitancy more
attractive and wholesome for the
masses, with an uplift towards great
er happiness and morality.
All great authorities are now agreed
that well ordered cities must own and
operate their public utilities, If they
would come up to a proper standard
of efficiency and progress, a standard
now striven for by all the enlightened
centres of the world.
Municipal ownership, as against
private monopoly of public utilities,
has become the struggle of the hour
in towns and communities just so soon
as an enlightened public sentiment
has focused attention upon the ad-
Vantages to be reaped by public own
ership Of public works.
Prof. Parsons says: THE steadily
increasing demand in American cities
for public ownership is the result
OF the evils experienced from private
monopoly. A monopoly is an advant-
age tending to shut out competition.
Some Of the evils that often attend
monopoly Of public utilities in private
hands are: excessive charges, enor-
nous profits, watered stock, doctored
reports, poor service, disregard of
safety, discrimination, defiance of law,
congestion of wealth and power, lack
of progressiveness, i'll treatment of
employees, debasement of human ma
ture by oppression"
The arraignment is severe, but care
full investigation by representative
bodies and men of the highest integ-
rtty and reliability substantiates the
claim that monopolistic ownership of
public utilities, in every locality, has
produced the evils described by Prof
Parsons.
AS S. M. Jones, mayor of Toledo.
pertinently said, Men desire monop-
oily because of the power it gives to
charge more than a fair quivalent
for the service rendered. The owner
of some great public utility can make
the people pay several times as much
as the same labor and, capital would
bring in the open market. A street
railway or gas company or telephone
company possesses more power to tax
the people than the city govern
ment."
The examples to be quoted in favor
of-the benefits to a city of municipal
| ownership of public works are so
| overwhelmingly numerous that their
very volume precludes mention of
them.
One example, however, will be of
interest as covering the whole range
| Of utilities. Glasgow is the second
| city of Great Britain. It's population
with suburbs, is one million. In the
NATURALIZATION of industry, it is one
| of the leading cities of the world. 1t
owns and operates public slaughter
| houses, a consolidated market system,
| public swimming baths, laundries.
! model tenements, municipal lodging
| houses, a municipal art gallery, pub
| lie water works, gas and electric
! works, a street railway system, a
| city sewage farm. the city water front
and everything pertaining to it, har-
| Dor tramways, ferries and steamers,
| electric cranes. yards, offices and
buildings and the supply of water for
| ships-all these utilities belong to the
| city, give a fine and cheap service to
the public and bring in large reve-
| nues In return. The results of this
extensive ownership by the city have
given development to an active local
| patriotism, the publication of poll
! tics, improved conditions of labor bet
! ter homes, better health, cheaper and
! better service, a most remarkable in
| crease of business diffusion of wealth,
| power and benefits and a new i'm
pulse towards the ideal of public SER
| vice instead of that of personal ag-
grandizement.
Perhaps the most important of
municipal utilities is the wharfage and
| water front of a city, bearing most
directly on the incoming and outgoing
| trade. The increase Of the trade and
| commerce of Glasgow proved to be
phenomenal after the city took over
! the ownership and control of its har-
| Dor, docks and quays. Cheap rates
| and good service brought about this
| beneficent result by which the entire
| population now profits.
1t is of keen interest to note the
| struggle now on between the city ad-
| ministration at the seaport of Char
| lesion and a terminal railway COM
pany over a certain extension of water
| front and Wharves, which that COM
pany refuses to surrender to the city
| for the use and convenience of the
| line of steamships now entering that
port from Philadelphia and New Or
| leans. The city administration is
! thoroughly aroused as to the import
| ance to the city of owning these
wharves and furnishing suitable IA