The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-11-30

MUNICIPAL ownership
FNHE MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP of electric gas and street
railway utilities fine subject to dscussand matter of
- little practical financial concern to the average family
COMPARED WITH THE EXPENDITURES OF
THE AVERAGE FAMILY for food clothing rent and the
other necessities of m the expenditures for electricity gas and
street railway service very small
CAREFUL INVESTIGATIONS SHOW THAT about
TO of the family income in cities paid out for eecr
city gas railway transportation Rates and
be cut In TWO without meaning nuch 10 doas ana Genus 10
citizen at the end OF the year, compared with what ne pays out
for other necessities
ALL DISCUSSIONS abou municipal ownership are
just much waste of time and effort unless they relate directly
the economy the does it
service and douars?"
IF, N ANY Event it cannot possibly mean more
cpa ownership merely abstracts his mind from important
questions affecting his welfare.
THERE Is ONE VERY CONSPICUOUS THING
municipal ownershp has favorte tool of
auocracy The service organizations of Germany
thoroughly and uniformly municpazed to ownership than
other country in the world
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP gives the Office holder
both honest and otherwise control of and votes 1t
enables exploitation of public debt and taxes 1t substitutes the
ousy inefficient standards of political operaondrecty by
set of usually wemeanng days by another set of
inexperienced men when office holders elected
DISTINCTLY AN OLD WORLD IDEA, fitting in
nicely with autocrac and bureaucratic and class forms of
ernnents municipal ownership has found comparatively little
small municipal plants where private capital cannot be interested
and few The bureau shows that 1910 all the
electricity and used IN cities of this country supplied by
organizations depending solely efficiency their
financial The municipality owned street railways be
counted on the fingers of one hand
THE PROVISION OF WATER SUPPLY is much
different from electricity and street railways The furnish
of ample quantity of pure and wholesome water trans
cends all questions of consideration It is
question of public health and sanitation No intricate
featuring operations required employees necessary
Economy Of operation not nearly important efficiency at
cost city may lose the operation of it's water
works and still gain substantially by the Improvement of health
betterment Of living conditions, fire protection etc.
SERVICE. COMPANIES do not seek to sustain their
position the small proportion of the average family expend
paid them for political considerations
They expect their right exist the economy and e
ency ofthe service rendered to the consumer.
THE SINGLE POINT in which municipal ownership
claims excel corporate ownership reducing the profit
turn the investment This declared enables equal
facts in actual operation all the charges properly borne by p
vay owned organizations borne by municipal ownership
l. THE SERVICE COMPANY says it should earn u per
cent the capital employed to pay depreciation the up
keep OF the property not provided for ordinary repairs and
aretun This rate of return it is asserted will the
efficient and the free flow of capital for extensions
and improvements.
THE MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP ADVOCATE says
he will public credit to finance the property and this
obtain at 45 so compared with the go return
sisted upon the Company He admits that the depreciation
will be the under either form of ownership and he thinks
that OPERATING EXPENSES should be the likewise.
- - - APPARENTLY this would saving of go to
the capital employed In actual practice means moth
ing of the kind because operating cannot be held down
to the standards Of efficiency common in private enterprise
UNDER THE GROUP PLAN OF OPERATION,
such that followed by the Northern States Power Company
materials
separate properties By combining the requirements of all these
properties marked effected only supplies
and materials but expert services OF essential kinds No such
would be possible under individual municipal
ship
IN OTHER WORDS the APPARENT saving by obtain