The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 11, 1917, Page 5

NNy TEEBIEIIN NN —— 7 I’ : . o4 Y - X/ o\ I,’/;"/{/ 1724 2 = Y N4 : v, I///, b (I/' ’l,,* (77 7158 ! WOy iy UL AT 22 NI ] %) 3 2 e e A I ST " Here is a Baer cartoon, drawn expressly by the farmers’ congressman for the Nonpartisan Leader. And it is some cartoon. It is a picture of the United States senate. It ought to make the old moss-back senate wake up. Progress, is at the wheel of the truck carrying people’s legislation, but the legislation isn’t making much progress. Why not? Because there is more brake action on this wagon than forward action. You know how a wagon of that kind acts. Reaction is at the brake and he is putting on the brake hard. You know this gent, too. He is Big Biz. Altogether, Baer has expressed a big idea in mighty clear and convincing style—and Baer ought to know. He is on the ground at Washington, D. C., for the farmers. he “Disloyalty” of Thompson Here is What He Said at the St. Paul Conference That the Big Business Press B .‘Denounced as “Unpatriotic”’---Public Ownership His Subject---1s Tt Sedition? 8 Carl D. Thompson, secretary of the National Public Ownership league, delivered one of the most thoughtful speeches at the recent patriotic Producers’ and Consum- ers’ conference at St. Paul. This statement by Mr. Thompson, in briefer form, embodies all the im- portant points in regard to the benefits of public ownership and its spread throughout -the world, that were taken up in his St. Paul speech. THE EDITOR. BY CARL D. THOMPSON F YOU really want to reduce the high cost of living, dig in and fight for public owner- ship. Regulation and price fixing and every other form of " government interference ' in the pro- cesses of capitalistic enterprise have never met or solved the problem any- where on earth. The public ownership and democratic control of public utili- ties and natural resources improves the conditions of labor, reduces the cost of living and thereby meets the most serious and pressing problem of the common people everywhere. It is estimated that there are 18,858,- 600 people employed on the various public enterprises of the world; that the annual wages paid amount to $2,265,000,000; and the total capital in- vested is not less than $60,000,000,000. The postal systems of the world operate 282,782 offices, employ 1,300,000 people and pay annually in wages $325,000,000. On the building and main- tenance of roads, bridges and highways there are employed no less than 1,000,- 000 and the annual expenditure is at least $1,000,000,000. Annual expendi- tures on canals and waterways are not less than $1,500,000,000. Water sup- plies employ over 100,000 and have $5,000,000,000 invested. Public health gystems, including hospitals, sanitary systems, drainage, street cleaning, sewerage, etc., employ 1,600,000 and pay $340,000,000 in wages annually. Street car lines, now very largely publicly owned and operated, at least in Europe, employ no less than 1,600,000 persons and pay $250,000,000 in wages annually. WHAT CITIES HAVE DONE IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP In the municipal field the experience and extent of public ownership is even more significant. In England 171 cities own and operate their street car lines; 1,045 cities own and operate water Sys- tems; 300 cities own and operate gas plants; 334 cities own and operate elec- tric light and power plants. In Ger- many, 132 cities own and operate street car lines; 1,333 cities own and operate water systems; 758 cities own and operate gas plants; 434 cities own and operate electric light and power plants; 783 cities own and operate slaughter houses. In the Unit- ed States 3,045 cities own and operate water systems, 1,562 cities own and operate light and power plants; 30 cities own and operate gas plants; 8 cities own and operate street railways. Almost universally, with the usual rare exceptions here and there, the public ownership of public utilities the .world over has resulted in a notable reduction in the cost of service which means a corresponding reduction in ‘the cost of living. At the same time it has also resulted in an improvement in the conditions of labor in the matter of wages, hours and concessions which is, in reality, only another way of help- ing in the solution of the problem of the cost of living. And, finally, it has everywhere resulted in a diffusion of wealth and privilege among the people, the profit and advantage of the owner- ship going to the common funds under public ownership. PRICES OF EVERYTHING BUT POSTAGE STAMPS RISE The postal system is a splendid ex- ample of the workings of public owner- ship. With everything under the heavens going up the price of postage stamps remains the same. The private profit motive has been eliminated here, and the social service motive has re- placed it. Labor conditions, though they may not be all they ought to be, are, nevertheless, better than the aver- age in similar lines in private employ- ment. The parcel post affords us another example. We have doubled the efficiency of the service and reduced the cost from an average of 50 cents per package to'14 cents. In this case, public ownership has reduced the cost ‘of service to less than one-third of that charged by private enterprise. Practically all of the leading nations The Leader is bound to turn the great light of publicity on the “treasonable” and ‘““disloyal” St. Paul conference of the League held recent- ly. We are going to “show up”’ this meeting without fear or favor. So we publish here the “seditious” remarks of Mr. Thompson at the conference. Read these “unpatriotic” ideas about public ownership. You can not afford to miss learning what ‘“treason” consists of, in the eyes of the kept Big Business press. of the world except the United States, now own and-operate their telegraph and telephone systems. As a result, the cost of these .services is from two to- ten times-as high under private ownership here as in foreign countries under public ownership. More than 70 nations and states now own and oper- ate their railway systems all or in part. The vital importance of efficient trans- portation in military operations has been emphasized as never before in the present war and railroad nationaliza- tion has gone on rapidly since the war began. The industrial relations com- mission and more recently the federal trade commission, have pointed out the serious weakness and faults of the private ownership of the nation's trans- portation system ,and recommended public ownership of the railways and coal mines. Transportation charges are reflected in the high cost of sub- stantially everything. Public owner- ship will reduce and make staple these charges and therefore reduce the cost of llving. This is the experience of all foreign nations in the matter. AUSTRALIA POINTS WAY TO THE WORLD The net earnings of the railroads of the nation last year (ending June 30, 1916), were $1,029,241,804., the greatest income ever drawn by the railroads of this nation. This is over and above all operation costs. It represents no service rendered except the service of ownership. And that service may just as well be rendered by the people, and thus the $1,029,241,804 be saved to the people. And, besides, it is estimated by competent authorities that under public ownership of railroads there would be possible a number of econo- mies, such as a unification of service, elimination of waste in competing lines and otherwise, reduction in the rates of interest, the saving of the increased land values and the like that would amount in all to between $1,000,000,000 to $1,500,000,000 annually, Still further savings would be possi- ble through the public ownership of (Continued on page 16)