Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 10.djvu/250

 THE WORLD'S FAMOUS ORATIONS

to be considered in discussing Manchester, which is essentially a manufacturing and commercial city. Its history is in many respects a parallel of that of Glasgow. It seemed to be a great city of slums, degradation and misery, and was in the grip of private monopolies.

To-day the city furnishes all the service that is furnished here by private corporations, and does it at about one-half cost. It furnishes gas at fifty-six cents a thousand, and after deducting all that is used to perfectly illuminate the streets and after applying $200,000 a year on the orig- inal cost of plants, etc., it still turns $300,000 a year into the public treasury, altho the aim in nearly all English cities is not to make money, but to serve the public.

The city constructed an aqueduct ninety miles to secure pure water and furnishes this for a little more than half what the private company had charged for a poor quality of water. It owns the street railways, and besides giving greatly reduced rates and giving half -fare tick"^" to workingmen, the city derives a large revenue from this source. Like Glasgow and Birming- ham, the city owns large cemeteries in which there are separate sections for the different relig- ious denominations, and prices are so arranged that while those who desire to do so can get lots costing from ten to thirty dollars, yet "a decent burial with inscription on ston^^ over a grave can be had at about four dollars for adults and throe dollars for children. This charge in- cludes all cemetery fees and expenses." 216

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