Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-27
HIGH COST OF KAISERISM

our two reisnins contractors visited
~ Little Rollo" last week and arranged
with him for the election in November
Of the tools they had agreed on. They
also secured his cooperation in the set
Ting of some minor ward disputes, and
evidently impressed on him the fact that
they had placed him in office TO play pol
itics, which he must do right heartily and
not concern himself too much with the
city's business. The dociity of Little
Roio' indicates that parents who are stern
in their discipline may hope even in this
day and generation to instill in their off.
spring a proper respect for authority.
Though Little Rollo" may know nothing
of the higher mathematics his facility
with percentage tables is "A constant
source of satisfaction to his instructors,
and it is a subject in which none is better
versed than they.
Many years ago the same gang that
now controls the city decided TO hand the
municipal gas works over to private
company. so wantonly had this gang
mismanaged the aforesaid gas works and
so inefficient had the service become that
citizens were willing to sanction almost
any plan to get relief The private COM
pany calculated that it could produce gas
at far lower figure than the city and
still make handsome profit. 1t agreed
TO do so, the city retaining the privilege.
however, of compelling the company to
charge more for gas than il was worth,
this overcharge to be put into the City
Treasury. 1t was provided, nevertheless,
still further decrease its charge. The |
people assumed. as they had "A right TO |
be passed on to them and that the city
would not dare undertake to increase it's
loot. But the reductions came TO pass
and gas still remained at one dollar the
thousand feet for theconsumer.
The company now gets eighty cents.
After December 81, under the terms of
the lease, it will get but seventy-five
cents. There is to be five-cent reduc-
tion. What does the gang say? It has
diverted to other uses the one mill per-
sonal property tax which the State gave
to the city as a subsidy for the new tran
sit lines. 1t has gobbed up every penny
in sight anywhere. So now it has the
enrontery to proclaim that it will Keep
the gas nickel THE public he damned
We need the money"
1t is scarcely necessary to point out
that greater consumption under lower
rate would doubtless compensate for the
unit price reduction. The company is
extremely anxious, we believe. for lower
rates and greater use. So simple a law
OF economics is entirely too subtle for
comprehension by the statesmanship that
dominates the city government. Great
minds cannot concern themselves with
merely obvious things, and why expect
the Mayor to bother about reducing the
cost of living when it is apparent tn
everybody that such, important matters
as selecting officers for the people REQUIRE
ms entire attention? If people do not
want to pay the gas tax, let them use
eiectricity! A French Queen we believe
py the name of Marie Antonette, voiced
= similar philosophy when she proposed
hat If the people could not get bread thev
eat cake The guillotine got her.
How much does bad government cost
The now dead Senator
Aldrich declared that mere stunidItv
caused waste in national revenue of
sSoo,o0OO0O year, or almost half of tbe
lotai annual expenditures at that time
we cannot get, now, the exact figures
but we feel justified in estimating ,bot
ihoer good government in PhiladelpbIa
me entire tax on gas could be removed
my and all deficits from transit operation |,
% paid In full and the tax rate stil, not "
'e increased by single mill! A radicai1l
'tatement, perhaps. but it is amply horn.
nut by even casual study of the infa-
nous methods prevailing in the expendi-
ure of public funds. Local Kaiser;sr,
'omes high.