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Show PUBLIC CONTROL UP MUG Municipal Ownership of Street Railways Declared Dead Issue. WASHINGTON, July 17. Because public pub-lic utilities have outgrown municipal boundaries, municipal ownership of them practically Is a dead issue, the federal electric railway commission was told today by William J. Clark, one' of tho pioneer street railway builders of the country. Mr. Clark said tho in term-ban idea was growing rapidly and jealousy between towns and rural communities would not permit a big municipality to own a railway rail-way to serve them. The value of courtesy in i nproving relations re-lations between the public and street railway lines was emphasised by Mr. Clark, who said little acts of discourtesy by company employees caused passengers to have personal grieyances against the company. W. D. George, receiver of the Pittsburg Pitts-burg Traction properties, and M. D. Brush, former president of the Boston Elevated Lines, were witnesses at today's session of the commission. Hearings were begun here several days ago. Both witnesses wit-nesses testified that Increased fares had been resorted to in their cities in an effort ef-fort to relieve the companies' financial embarrassment, but without success. |