Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-05-22

I i6le t6 Tie mffG ct Glasgow @ftAzeeE \
Scotchmen are known to be thrifty,
but they do not want something for
nothing. They are willing to pay for
what theyAget, but they want it cheap
an altogether reasonable attitude |
And in Glasgow they have their. way. I
A citizen of Glasgow can live well for
one-third of what it costs New York |
er to live badly.
The moderate cost of living in Glas |
gov is due to, the fact | have mention |
ed that the Movement looks after !
the larger as yell as the minor inter
ests of the public. For example, the
National Telephone Company had a
monopoly of the telephone system in
Glasgow: 1t charged 3 cents for a city
call and $50 year to subscribers.
These rates were prohibitive to the
large middle class The Corporation
of Glasgow, considering the interests
of it's citizens, resolved in 1898 to APP
ply to the Postmaster General for a
license to construct and work a tele-
phone exchange within the city limits.
In adopting this policy the corpora
ton was influenced by the notorious in
efficiency and the excessive cost of the
existing telephone service and the
need of providing something better
and cheaper. 1t was also deemed i'm
peratiVe' that the exclusive use of the
streets should be preserved to the cor
poration and not given over to use by
private enterprise
The corporation had no sooner Ia
ken over the system than it reduced
the call rate to one penny and the
subscribers annual rate to $25. This
resulted in the installation of so many
additional teleph -es that the price
was later still further reduced. At
the present time all city calls cost but
half a. penny, and workingman can
have a telephone in his house for the
astonishingly low price of $3.50 year.
In spite of all these concessions we
are able to realize a substantial profit.
You can imagine from this what enor-
nous profits the telephone company in
this city must be making, since it
charges and 10 cents for city calls.
Why does not New York emulate the
worthy example Of Glasgow in this
respect?
have mentioned that the operation
of the telephone system brings the cor
poration substantial profit. What is
done with this proft?" you may ask.
All the money earned by our munich
pal undertakings go to make up what
is known as the Common Good Fund,
fund devoted to city improvements and
to the betterment of social and indus
trial conditions. Thus the wealth ac-
quired through the people comes back
| to the people.
This Common Good Fund is one of
the most active factors in making
Glasgow one of the most democratic
and congenial communities in the
world When a distinguished visitor
comes to your city from foreign parts
the mayor calls upon the Wealthiest
men of the city to entertain him. He
may be a man of international impor-
lance and may appeal strongly to the
public at large, but he becomes thR
guest of the wealthy few and the poor
man cannot get near him.
In Glasgow it is different. When we
entertain distinguished guest we en-
atertain him from the Common Good
Fund. The people themselves thus
become his hosts and the very hum
blest 1aborer can say with truth: 81
entertained so-and-so when he was
: here" In this way Glasgow has be-
;. come large family. closely united to-
gether in harmony toward a single
end: The happiness and comfort OF
the mass and not the class.
The equality and democracy which
you boast here is merely an empty
show / remember when l first came
to this city, l had deeply impressed
: upon me that all men were equal here
d and that the laborer is as important as
0 the millionaire. I confess that at first
S l was quite relieved to find that
| oNf' ~ off III o.
e discard my silk hat and walk abou
t with all classes of men as one of them
: l felt like a schoolboy on a holiday.
i Imagine my surprise when one day
: a venerable member of the bench drew
] me aside and whispered into my ear:
: BE careful with whom you are seer
t on the street. You must maintain the
: dignity of your position!i He referred
to the fact that he had seen me walk
ing in company with humble laborer.
: There is an example of your demo.
D Ecracy!
, One rainy day l boarded one of your
: street cars and rode about eight blocks
5 The condcutor charged me five cents.
asked him how much he would charge
2 if Travelled to the end of the road
| He said that that made no difference.
What a strange situation!
FL In Glasgow the same situation pre-
2 vailed twenty years ago, when the car
system was owned by private interests
In 1894 the tramways were taken over
t by the corporation despite the oppo-
i sition of the wealthy people and the
, shareholders of the company Fares
/ have been reduced, service improved
! and large annual profit realized 'for
) a. that"
The regular charge now is half a
i penny for two miles, one penny for
four miles and SO on, thes maximum
: being two and half pence. Special
reductions are made to workingmen
: during lunch time SO that they may eat
at home they wish to. Special bene-
i hts are extended to women and chill
t dren during holidays. Wages of en-
ployees have been raised. In spite Of
!,