Show CHEAPER AND SERVICE Cities i in hi Europe Have the Power ower to Operate Public Utilities and This MaKes Corporations Decent NEW EW YORK July uly IS Municipal Municipal operation operation operation ope ope- ration of public utilities In Great Britain a all as Observed by a committee of experts sent abroad last year by th the National Civic fed federation ration is treated at length In a a. series of ot reviews by members of ot the the come comI committee com com- e which were made mace a public today 6 reth i These I r reviews s of the Experts Experts' p reports written by Milo 1110 R R. Maltbie Walton Clark vice president vice president of or the United Gas Improvement Improvement Improvement Improve Improve- ment company of ot Philadelphia and Charles L L. Edgar president of ot the Edison n Electric and Illuminating company of ot Boston Bos Bos- ton tort are divided in opinion as to the success success suc sue cess of ot the undertakings as a whole Mr Maltbie Is one of ot the members of the newly y created e Public Service commission commission commis commis- m sion sion- oen i for Jit Greater New r i York Tork This i ihas body has the widest powers and the greatest responsibilities s of ot arty art commission to toe which the regulation of corporations O has t-I t tIg been e entrusted e up to t this time In the United States Mr Maltbie a spent six g months s in Great at Britain supervising the work of ot the expert accountants and engl- engl He says that municipal I operation of public publio utilities In Great Britain has bas I passed the experimental stage He declares that the gas and electric plants operated by municipalities generally generally gener gener- ally give a superior service at a relatively lower ower cost t as compared with l h hc the privately private private- a ly y wg owned c companies fe This c condition he finds to be due principally to the higher rate of ot Interest and profit and the greater greatel amount of or liabilities of ot the private com panics By Bv far tar the most Interesting part of ot Mr Maltbie's conclusion h however wever is that actual ownership and operation is not necessary for the success of ot the municipal municipal municipal mu mu- ownership Idea He Ic says that the power to operate u It necessary or desirable in many instances has ia been as effective as actual operation that that the mere fact tact that a city has the power to step in and operate an under unar- undertaking taking itself oft often n makes the exercise of ot thIs his power unnecessary It has lias been found In Great Britain that no system of ot control or regulation regulations is s complete without the power in the hands lands of ot the municipalities to purchase Mr air Maltbie and operate sa says s 's If one company may be succeeded only by another or only hedged about by re- re there come times when action not repression is wanted and then no remedy is adequate unless It be the power of ot the city to step in and operate the undertaking undertaking undertaking un un- un- un itself But the mere fact that it has the p power pow w- w er often makes Its exercise unnecessary and what the desires Is not the not the universal adoption of or some method of or producing pro pro- during results but the results themselves them them- selves |