COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20892, 5 December 1929, Page 17

COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP.

TO THE EDITOII. SiK,—Harold Ranchman eays he advocates private enterprise against my idea ox community ownership and control. Ho claims that the usefulness of community ownership is and always will be limited, lhen he refers to the loss the City Council made on its sheep venture.-and states that the extension of such unprofitable avenues of activity i s inimical to the interests of all. Ido not know the facts in. relation to the City Council's sheep venture, but will make inquiries, a ? 1 fancy, if my memory carries me right, there were other factors. Leaving this one out in the meantime, would your correspondent advocate that the Dunedin City Council should offer for sale its water supply system, gas, electric power, tramways etc., to private enterprise? Or would he advocate that the railway system that takes him to and from Sawyer b Bay should be sold to private enter- ■ prise, or our Post and Telegraphs, Public Trust Office, etc.? Would he advocate that our community-owned and controlled gardens, and parks should be sold to private enterprise and a toll Rate erected by private enterprise for a charge for all who enter therein? Does he believe that ~ , C,ty Council started a depot to sell plants grown by our botanic over- ; eeer, it could- not do this and beat private growers out of existence? Does i he believe that if the council went in for an -up-to-date cereal farm., with a thoroughly competent man in charge, and I decided to supply its citizens with muni- ! Cipal vegetables, etc.. at a properly consisted market at different parts of the : city, it could not do this successfully? • It ', could, but because the persons whom the I people elect to the City Council are '■ private enterprisers at heart and in actual fact, it is not done, and it never will be done, until the majority of the ' people say, We command you to give ' it a trial." Let me just give your cor- j respondent a glimpse into the laying of ' the foundation stone of the new station in Wellington for supplying the city with milk. .This venture was eulogised by private enterprisers. The foundation stone was laid by the Mayor (Mr G. A. Soup) and what he and Mr R. A. Wright. M.P.. said will go a long way to losing them their seats. Mr Wright >\, "Under private enterprise the Health Department's reports showed that the milk supply of Wellington was' an ' absolute disgrace. If they had been '< published there would have been a riot i in Wellington." The day after these Lory gentlemen had lauded their fine municipal milk supply, etc, a private en- : terpriser came before the magistrate for adultoratins milk, which contained 19 per cent, of added water. This person tried to put the blame on to another farmer but he waa nevertheless fined £ls. Another ' reason why we should have ownership and control of our necessitities of life is that we would get a guarantee that they are pure and unadulterated, because surely there would be no incentive for people to adulterate and make a profit out of themselves. The idea of community ownership and control is to supply the public with the best possible social services at the lowest possible cost, and to see that those who carry out the duties pertaining thereto are paid the highest possible wages. The bigger the wages the bigger the market created.—l am, etc., _ P. NeilsoinDccember. 3.