To the Editor of the "NonrH-Cuina Datty News."
Sin,—I fear the writer of the cading article on the above subject is past hoping for: and I know that some of your readers will only be convinced by whatever coincides with their own interests. For the sake of the more innocent and fair-minded among your fever, it may be Well to make a few comments.
If State Control is so undesirable, how in it thave is such a tendency in that direction? Why is the member of Socialists increasing rapidly?
T note from the "Municipal Gazette" that the Commissioner of Revenue estimates that whereas he will receive Tls. 900,000 from the Electricity Department, he will only receive Tls. 85,000 from the Tramway Ao, Tls. 24,700 from the Waterworks, Ts, 6,000 from the Telephone Ca,, and Tls. 3,000 from the Gas Ca. Its obvious that the shareholders in these companies must be pleased with your anti-Socialist articles: throwing sand in the eyes of the public prevents them appreciating the real situation.
Why did a Conservative Government dispossess all the blood-sucking water companies that preyed on the London populace; and establish the London Water Board? Why was the Port of London Authority established? Why was the office of the Public Trustee created? Why. were the telephones taken over by the Post Office?
Tt is time there was more common honesty in dealing with these ques~ tions, and to abandon the usual Journalistic claptrap about publicly owned concerns being. wastefully managed. The fact is that whereas with public concerns' the slightest mismanagement 1s magnified" and proclaimed from the housetops, in a Drivate concern the blunders' are successfully hushed up: there nobody interested in making them public. "Here are a few instances Of the economical (1) working of all companies in China.
huge tank was erected, but found to be in a wrong position, 50 that within four years a sort' of canal had to be made, wherewithal fo float the tank to a beter loc tion.
'A large solid stone godown wi erected, but also found to be i conveniently placed, so that within four years a factory buildings were being rushed to a certain port before navigation ceased. Urgently required material was excluded by a large clumsy piece of machinery which would not be required till the very last, and indeed was not indispensible' even then.
Forms of ull kinds are printed only to be scrapped: or printed in disproportionate numbers. On one occasion so few were printed that they were used up immediately, and another lot had to be ordered.
On another occasion a suiiciency was printed to last 600 years!
'A married couple were sent over 1,000 miles inland, but within a few weeks were brought down river again and settled at another port.
'Any blunders such as these in a public concern are megaphoned all over the world. Of course, oil profits are ce enormous that' nobody cares?
I venture to prophesy that in less than 10 years both the rail and coal-mines of Great Britain will be nationalized: and the benefits will be so great that people will censure themselves for not having taken these steps before.
Tam, ote, Shanghas, June 5, 1924.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.