The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-11

Eighty Per Cent of Big
Towns in United States
Conduct Plants.

II the Missoula getty commission
works out Its purpose to purchase the
water supply system owned by the
Missoqla Light e Water company It
viii only be falling in with a move
ment toward municipal ownership Of
water utilities which is growing ran.
idly In the United States.
Municipal ownership in this country
- TAR more common in the water sup
ply field than in any other. Indeed.
IN 1915 only ~ of the 2O4 American
cities OF more than 10000 population
did not own their water plants. ~. s.
Bureau Of Census. General Statistics of
Cities, 1881
In 1900 there were but 16 water
works in the United States. Is of them
being privately owned. In 1899, how
ever. there wore 1926 water works, Of
which 1857 (63 per cent? were mu-
nicipally owned and operated. ~. s.
Commissioner of Labor. Fourteenth
Annual Report. 1897
The movement thus started IN the
nineteenth century has fast gained mo-
mentum during the early years Of the
present century. Especially popular
has the municipal ownership idea be-
come in large cities. In 1912 there were
Sc cities with populations of 100 1000
and over. OF these ~. 8. Bureau Of
Census. Financial Statistics OF Cities,
1870 IS owned and operated their wa
ter supply plants. The eight with wa
ter systems in private control were
close to the 100000 mark. They were
indianapolis. Oakland. New Haven,
Scranton. Paterson, Bridgeport and San
Antonio.
OF the 40 water plants privately
owned in 1916 (no figures since that
date are available) seven were in cities
of between 100000 and 100000 popula-
ton. l6 in cities OF $4,000 to 100. 900
and &c in cities Of 10000 to 10000.
In all the history Of municipal gov
eminent in this country no change
from public to private ownership Of the
water utility has been noted. Changes
in the opposite direction had become
more numerous. Between 1880 and
1889 there Were seven such transfers:
1890 to 1899. IA: 1900 to 1909. 16, and
in the five years between 1910 and
1915, II.
The report of the U. s. census bu-
reau for 1912 on the financial statistics
Of cities shows that the $50 publicly
owned water plants operated by cities
with populations of 10000 or more re-
turned q total profit of $39,476.96s for
that year. Comparison with privately
owned plants is. not possible, for the
report covers only municipal finances.
The Municipal Journal. however. in its
issue Of January %, 1914, reports that
of the 10 private plants and 11S public
plants 1t investigated, the average cost
Of construction per 100000 gallons
yearly consumption was $1.l07 for pri-
waite and 1904 for public plants. On
the same basis. the Journal found. the
cost Of maintenance was $1,000 for
private plants and SOAPS for public
plants.
The National Civic federation re-
port on municipal and private opera
ton of public utilities gives. among
others Of which these are fairly typi-
cal. the following concrete instances Of
the financial returns from municipal
water plants:
Syracuse, 1905 ......................$ 31.515.15
Cleveland. 1905 .......,.............. 61,1S5.62
Chicago, 1905 ...................... 1,6S1,512.14
As to rates, the first government
study OF the subject (Fourteenth An
nual Report. U. S. Commissioner Of
Labor. 1890 shows that the average
price for 1000 galnns At water sold
was $.1527 for private plants and $.1110
for municipal plantS.
Lower salaries and higher wages
prevail in publicly owned plants. ac-
cording to the same report. In 1899 the
average Of salaries (to superintend-
ents, managers. etc. per 100000 gal
Ions was $14.37 in 1875 private water
companies and $7.84 in $50 public
plants. On the same basis the wages
were s13.07 and $15.lS respectively.