The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-01-04
UNDER SINGLE TAX
CITY is THRIVING
Edmonton, Alberta, Adj
vances from a Population
of $500 to $4,000 in
Eight Years.

The policy Of the city of Edmonton,
Alberta, in so far as the owning and
operating of public utilities is con-
cerned, demonstrates very conclusive
ly the splendid ADVANTAGES of such a
system. Towns and cities and their
inha bitantS must always be the poorer
by allowing chartered companies to
operate their utilities for them. for
the simple reason that no dividend
earning corporation works for halo
of glory.
But Edmonton has gone a step fur
Their than most cities, says Malcolm
Neville in the Detroit News-Tribune.
It has taken Henry Georges plan of
taxation, the single tax, to heart, a
plan that has excited the political
economists now for more than a quar-
ter of a century. SINGLE taxz@has
worked admirably in Edmonton, and
is now so working under the spner-
vision of City Assessor MACMILLAN,
who. by the way, is former Grand
Rapids man. Under the old system
Edmonton suffered all the CUSTOMARY
evils of arrested and unequal develop
ment such as are found wherever a
premium is placed on buildings and
spectators are encouraged to hold on
to their uninproved land until the
highest possible land values have been
reached through the improvement of
adjoining properties. All this is now
changed in Edmonton for the owner
OF un'mprcved land must pay tax
equal to that of his neighbor who
may have on his lot building worth
a very large sum of money. Under
this new regime development is pro-
ceeding apace. I firm ly believe in
many an American city that is COM
planning of building stagnat ton would
be absolutely forced to forge ahead if
this same plan e of taxation were
adopted.
Under its administration of single
tax and municipal ownership Edmon-
of $500. to $4,000 in eight yeas, and
when the suburb of Strathcona is
added the population will be in the
neighborhood of $4,000. The city now
has the most up to date telephone
system in the world, street railway
system second to none, and maeni-
ficent water works and electric light
ing system, all municipality owned.
There are. of course, individuals and
corporations that VIII neither improve
their property nor sell, and it, is upon
these that the single tax system falls
more heavily year by year, and sooner
or later they Will all be compelled to
sell or build in order to save their
property from being swallowed ND in
taxes. The Hudson Bay Company is
the deepest transgressor in this man
ner, holding as it does a large block
of land centrally located, vet being
willing neither to build nor sell. al
though assessed for water and sewers
and concrete walks, all of which are
now on the property.
This corporation saw fit to anpeaI
AGAINST the 1910 assessment of Mr..
Macmillan After trailing its case
through the various preliminary
stages it finally reached the Supreme
Court. where it was assessed more
than 1t had been originally taxed by
the city.
There were naturally some mistakes
made under the sinte7e tax plan. as
nothing can be absolutely perfect in
such matters. and it is impossible to
please everybody. Occasionally WON
derful schemes are brought to LIGHT
whereby property owners seek to
making such wonderful progress as
Edmonton. One such attempt caused
the assessor considerable trouble and
no end of amusen emit The delinouent
or rather defaulting taxpayeA was a
half breed who owned a tract of prop
ertv that was brought inside the city
limits.
When notice was sent OF taxes due
he assured the assessor that the land
as taxed belonged to a. full-blood who
was away north in the Mackenzie
River settlement. some thousand lr,:les
or more north of Edrnon on. BY this
ruse he was able to stave Off the fatal
6av Of settlement. But eventually
through a firm Of fur traders doing
business with the Mackenzie River
se-tlenent Assessor Macmillan was
able to procure sufficient proof that
t7,e original falf-breed was the true
owner Of the property and that the
NackAnzin River Indian uac ov1xY .,
with. But as 1t took the assessor
two years to find out all this the
half-hreed had time enough to sell his
property at a big price and thereby
discharge all his liabilities. THIS
same half-breed is today one Of the
wealthiest men In Edmonton. with an
income of at least $1n0 a year. Yet
he has an unouenci1ahle longing to GO
north. far north among the Indians.
there to end his DAYS trad ing and liy-