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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Problems in American Democracy

Problems in American Democracy

Williamson, Thames

Paperback

General Political Science

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN10: 1153679043
ISBN13: 9781153679046
Publisher: General Books
Pages: 360
Weight: 1.16
Height: 0.80 Width: 9.01 Depth: 5.98
Language: English
Excerpt: ... and necessary step. Important social gains are claimed for municipal ownership. It is said that where the plan has been tried, it has promoted civic interest and has enlisted a higher type of public official. If all utilities were municipally owned, state legislatures and city councils would no longer be subjected to the danger of corruption by private corporations seeking franchises. If utilities were owned by the municipality, it is claimed, service and social welfare rather than profits would become the ideal. The public plant could afford to offer lower rates, because it would not be under the necessity of earning high profits. Finally, service could be extended into outlying or sparsely settled districts which are now neglected by privately owned companies because of the high expense and small profits that would result from such extension. 340. ARGUMENTS AGAINST MUNICIPAL OWNDERSHIP.-Other students of the problem believe that public regulation of utilities is preferable to municipal ownership. Those holding this view maintain that on the whole regulation has proved satisfactory, and that ownership is therefore unnecessary. Rather than improving the public service by enlisting a higher type of public official, it is maintained, municipal ownership would increase political corruption by enlarging the number of positions which would become the spoils of the political party in power. The periodic political changes resulting from frequent elections in cities would demoralize the administration of the utilities. Under our present system of government, municipal ownership means a lack of centralized control, a factor which would lessen administrative responsibility and encourage inefficiency. The opponents of municipal ownership also contend that the inefficiency resulting from this form of control would increase the cost of management. This increased cost would in turn necessitate higher rates. Moreover, municipal ownership might increase...

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