ELECTRIC LIGHTS. This service was started on practical kale in or about 1880.
Probably the first municipal plant in the United States was put in operation in 1882, at Fairfield, Iowa. At the close of 1808 there were in places of 1000 or over by the United States census of 1S90. 460 municipal and 2572 private electric lighting plants. At the close of 1901. in places of 3000 population and over, by the census of 1900, there were 193 cities and towns with munic ipal and 1190 with private plants. besides 85 cities having both. The largest municipal plants are at Chicago and Detroit: but these, like many ot her American municipal elect ried ighting plants, are for lighting streets and public build ings only.
The first electric-lighting plant in the United Kingdom was established by a private com pany in 1882. The oldest municipal plant was started by Bradford, in 1889. At the close of 1901 there were only 248 works in operation in the United Kingdom, of whieh 168 were municipal. In addition. 84 munic ipalities and 31 companies were then in stalling works. Among the larger municipalities Glasgow bought out a company in 1892, Liver pool in 1897. Leeds in 1898, Sheffield in 1899, and Birmingham in 1900; Dublin built vvorks in 1492s and in 1893 Edinburgh and Manehester did likewise. Loudon is divided between munivipal and private ownership. with the latter far in the
lead. From the outset municipal ownership of electric-lighting plants has been encouraged by the general Government; and that to such an ex tent. especially in the earlier years of the indus try. as to cheek the growth of private plants.
On the Continent of Europe private ownership of electric-lighting plants seems to be the rule, with some exeeptions in the northern p:u•t. The works at Berlin were opened by a company in 1480, but the city controls their operation in important particulars. and shares largely in the gross receipts. At Hamburg. Germany. munic ipal works were put in operation in 1889.
TELeenoxsts. This service. like the telegraph, is national rather than municipal in scope, and is generally controlled by large companies. as in the United States, or by the general governments, as in many countries of Europe, in Japan, and in Australia. Tunbridge Wells. England. and Glas gow, Scotland, inaugurated the first Wnnilcipa1 telephones in Ilreat Britain in 1901. and early in 1902 some 40 other plants or projects were under way. The English trunk lines are owned by the national postal authorities: municipal telephones are reported at Amsterdam.