Show MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP IN N TOLEDO M I 1 If A GOLDEN G RULE JONES JOWLS of 01 Toledo T 1 ledo 1 I M 1 MAYOR VI V 1 0 o is i out with an All article uncle in the lUe Lu al alJournal Journal J and aDd Engineer in iii which he lie dellios s that I the leasing Je g by that city of its gas plant Pla nt to a private privat 1 I corporation upsets the Ole theory that municipal D owner ownership ownership ship hip of public utilities H s a blessing The TIle transfer in inthe inthe the opinion n of Mayor a OI Jones do doS does s not prove the failure L of municipal ownership but of municipal govern governa IL a tile the of his argument Mr Jones Jonas says saya 15 some things One of them is s that th ike laws are framed L the benefit of individuals rather than th orue whole By B individuals ind duals he means aggregations a of cap capital capit capital ital it l as well as single lIngle business men Under noor the th laws it was WM impossible for Toledo to tap tal the southern IOU wyn Ohio gas gsa fields after the supply in the north to which the pipes ran rau had been exhausted Therefore T the only od reasonable thing thi to do was to turn ov over r the worthless or hl Ss plant tu to a private printe corporation which could and did secure secure the southern supply sup b Only a few years before the municipal pal plant was bull buil the tilt city granted grante franchises franchisee for lor the same purpose to two private pr companies Jones very Tery justly points out that it was unfair for lor the municipality ti tu engage in competition w WiLi t those companies in ill the c pla When their franchises franchis s were them they had bad a right to projection pro and they y had bad a i right to charge char lsd had faith when they get got it The proper way have been for ur the city to buy the plants This hi wa not done lout and add of course the th competition was ruinous rumour even cell while the city s had an abundant supply of M gas p pIn m i In upp rt of his municipal l ownership theory the them mayor myor m ints to the waterworks The figures show that Toledo i is getting its water watH more cheaply under muni municipal municipal cipal cipa o u II r bip than thau it could in any other oth r wy Y The 4 aine q i js is true of other cities that own their th ir water waterworks I works W rh A like state of facts would be found if cities w Wt A d their heir t lighting plants provided no private corn com existed g Opponents of municipal m ownership can an find had no com coin comfort 1 fort fert f rt iii iu t 1 lair fair ir study atud ot of f 11 th Toledo Toldo situation The gas gast 1 test tet t is i in an obviously unfair one and should not be u ua used ed edas as a an i n I r t Jones ones and other eminent think thinkers ers belu beli e the rhe time i is coming when wh n great cities will own ear ei public utility within their borders At t pres present preset ent et the th jaws ne ire re such that municipal ownership is i impracticable but the h laws ws will be amended Sonic Some lay day when our ideal al shall have bave enlarged I Mayor t f concludes and instead of thinking of buc as something that means me Ds a rich man we shall shan think u r f a city it full of healthy fathers and 1 mother and ud happy joyous children Then Theu we hall lall lalli i work for the good of all an alit rather uther than to pursue ii a mistaken mist policy of seeking the good of one individual k through h the exploitation e or plunder of the rest Then every very i I ies of If property that is socially produced will willbe 1 1 be he sex i ill owned ow Thea the good of tf he ho h whole com corn community 1 will be our chief concern con rn and ga g water street streett Jr t light telephone te phone telegraph and ansi every species r f of public necessity will be administered red in the interest of th the people l and aDd the t service rendered re red at actual co COt cost t d lot 0 wc t hall hail realize reali that the h of oj life is the build i in log of oi i t nation rather than the Making k of a few indi individual I vidual rich |