St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1914-10-23

has been favorably reported TO the
house ana will be voted on this win
ter.
The city OF Cleveland has a sort OF
halfway city Ownership OF her street
railways now, and the plan has proved
an Immense success. IL proves that
complete city ownership, the acuuisi-
tion OF title being made at actual phys
ical value OF the property, would be
even more profitable than the Cisvs-
land experiment has been. for the city
OF Cleveland has undertaken to run the
strectcar system upon the basis of the
full value claimed by the strsetcar
company.
When the franchise OF the Cleveland
Railway company expired In lpOg--fivs
years ago--the city council granted =
upon the condition that ali profits
above expenses, taxes, interest on
bonded indebtedness, and Q per cent
profit to the stockholders, should no
TO the reduction OF fares and the bet
terment OF the service. That plan has
been In operation five years. The city
had the right to prescribe the fares
and the service. and 60 Keep an auditor
In the office of the company, with Z
corps OF assistants, TO check receipts
aud expenditures.
The result has been as follows; First
fare OF cents was required. and
cent for transfer TO see ~ II would
produce the required revenue IL not
only produced all the money required,
treasury OF 100000. Then the fare
was reduced to cents ana 1 cent for
transfer TO be rebated when transfer
was taken up. And now two tickots
are furnished for cents Let amy one
doubling this statement cut out this
article and send u 60 the mayor of
Cleveland for vcrification.
The Portland Railway Light a Pow
~ company last year took In t6.723 ,7la.
ltA total expenses and taxes were only
Ss.2gs.aig, 80 that over so per cent Yf
would take this utility over al its
physical value. as N ought to do, fares
would not be over cents In Portland
The Pacific Power y Light company
OF Portland and the Portland uas n
COX" company are both owned by the
American Power Light COMPANY. OF
Maine. These two Portland utilities
last year took In over ti.26O.O00 each,
while their operating expenses and
taxes were less than half that amount
each. Telephone service. under city
own.rahip would be less than half
Government aud municipal owner.
ship nf public utilities would reduce
the cost of living to each person al
east 700 ana To each fnmily or five at
uovernmont ownership and opera
tiun nf ocean ships, such aH have pro-
posed. would Keep In the United States
nunlly Co the ocean steamship trust,
would further reduce the cost OF living
NJ least 81 per capita per year. would
and greatest force OF trained sailors
In tho world. and would enable Amer
leans TO travel around the world In
safety and comfort under their own
flag. ana az less than one half the
present cost Senator Lewis OF Iiii-
noia has introduced bill providing
for 100 government owned and oper-
atcd ships since I first advocated the
Idea IN tho house n year ago
Government ownership and aRricui-
tural asset currency combined would
eliminate the dishonest profits OF tho
money power and give 90 every citizen
AN equal opportunity. That, and moth
Ing short OF that. IN what the people
OF this country are entitled 20. Such
will they receive III they stand by their
guns when the forthcoming battle
RACES Respectfully,
A. W, LAFFERTY,
laa-ag Pittock Block.
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