The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-29

cent fare was passed the reason for the increase be- ing deficit of S14 000 in operating the cars.
 In Wisconsin the railroad commission has Jurls- diction not only privately owned public utilities but municipal plants we'll The commission has, therefore had opportunity to gather valuable ln formation relative the rates and service furnished by munclpay owned plants. One of the commis soners, in recent address, said: ''While the rates charged by munlcpally operated plants often rel ativey low this is not often due to low cost produc ton of the service, but largely because, in way another, upkeep and other costs shifted from the consumer such, tc the taxpayer such.' It also found that under municipal ownership there discrimination in the rates and service. favor ite practice among municipal plants is to charge the city excessively high rate for electric lighting n order to offset lower rate to private consumers. The taxpayers of course make up the deficit. Rates only low when considered in connection with the service which is rendered for the price paid.
 This brings us to the question of service. The eff ficiency with which any business is conducted goes a long way in determining the quality of service which it renders One of the seriously objectionable features of municipal ownership is the inefficient manner in which municipal business is carried on There number of causes contributing to this condition, of which is the difficulty of obtaining high class men capable of taking up the executive and administrative work of city. Another is the important part whiMh politics plays all through city government, because very often efficient em plOyeS are discharged tor political reasons, and the service suffers result Another element tending to produce ineffciency in the carrying on of the city business is the fact that the municipal govern ment does not have to get immediate results with the least possible expenditure of money, while private corporation does. As rule, all that is necessary municipality is that tax be levied sufficient to meet the city $ requirements The municipal govern ment is intricate enough with the functions which it is required to perform, and which is too often nefficiently performed, without additional duties, incident to the ownership and operation of public utilities
 The modern public utility manager realizes that he is performing the best service for the stockholders of the corporation when he renders the most efficient service to the community in which his company op- crates The city of St. Louis has had very prom inent example of ineffciency in performing public work. Several years ago the city undertook the struction of free bridge over the Mississippi river with the understanding the part of the pub lie that 1t to cost certain amount Since that time additional bond issue has been voted in order to complete the bridge. Tn the meantime a private corporation namely the Illinois Traction Company undertook the building of another bridge the river at another point, has completed it and had it in operation for several years. The delay in building the Los Angeles aqueduct and the excessive expense incident thereto not to say anything of the lack of efficiency with which the work has been Tied on is another monument to the inefficency of municipal ownership.