Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 10.djvu/251

 ALTGELD

The city owns the markets and slaughter- houses. It has provided parks and swimming baths and, like Birmingham and Glasgow, it maintains large technical schools in which thou- sands of young men are instructed in the in- dustrial arts and sciences, so as to be able to maintain ^Manchester's greatness.

Birmingham has over half a million of people, and its experience resembles that of Glasgow and IManchester. Formerly private corporations con- trolled almost everything and charged very high rates for very poor service, and the sanitary con- ditions were frightful. But here again munici- pal statesmen came to the front, the most prom- inent among whom was the Honorable Joseph Chamberlain, who has since been in the British government. He gave his time free and was three times elected mayor. Under his guidance the gas works were purchased of the private com- panies for $10,000,000. There are about two thousand men employed in connection with the gas works; they work only eight hours a day; the price of gas has been reduced to fifty-eight cents; the streets have been better lighted than ever before; and the net amount now annually turned into the city treasury, after deducting all fixed charges, is over $300,000.

The water-works wore purchased of the private companies for $6,750,000. The system was greatly extended, the supply doubled and the cost to consumers very much reduced.

This city has condemned the worst section of

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