The Glasgow police consists mostly of High landers, nearly 1400 in number, who are univer sally praised for their intelligence and efficiency. The police courts constitute a part of the police department. Justice is administered by the Lord Provost and the bailies. Half of the ex pense of the department is met by the General Government, the net cost of the police service to the city being only $250,000.
The city possesses considerable and profitable real estate. There are, at present, some two dozen municipal tenements, which, though su perior to the private houses of the same class, are built largely in undesirable localities, and thus utilize land which could not be disposed of otherwise. The city owns also a great number of old, insanitary tenements.
The seven municipal lodging-houses, six for men and one for women, are models in their line. and a boon to the poor. Although the charge is only seven to nine cents per night, they yield a revenue above all expenses, including interest. In 1896 the municipal family home was opened to accommodate families of widows or widowers who are obliged to part with their children during the day. It contains all the necessary accommo dations, including playrooms, playgrounds, and a nursery. There are nurses to take care of the children while their parents are at work. The charges are: For mother with one child, 76 cents per week; mother with two children, 92 cents. Board: Breakfast, five cents; dinner, eight cents; tea, six cents. The public baths comprise five large establishments containing swimming-pools, and accommodating on the average 1500 people per day. The public wash houses are fitted out with steam boiling appa ratus, centrifugal machine driers, hot-air apart ments, steam-operated roller-mangles, etc. The charge for their use is four cents per hour.
The public lighting is done by the city. After baying taken over the gas plant, the city went on improving it, at the same time reducing the cost of gas to consumers. In the twenty odd years from 1869 to 1891 the population in creased from 25 to 30 per cent., and the con sumption of gas increased 170 per cent. From $1.14 per 1000 feet in 1869, the price has gradual ly been reduced to 60 cents, without diminishing the net profits. In 1893 the city opened a large electric plant which has proved a great success, and lights not only the streets and public buildings, but also all private' courts and stair ways.
The water-supply is under the management of the City Council, known for that purpose as the Board of Water Commissioners. In 1860 a new supply of water was introduced from Loch Ka trine by means of a large reservoir covering an area of acres, at a distance of seven miles from the city and 300 feet above its general level. The high pressure thus attained is utilized through a 'Hydraulic Power Works,' and fur nishes motive power for elevators, light machin ery, etc. With a steadily diminishing water-rate the city has been able to meet not only all the expenses including interest, but also to accumu late a sinking fund.
In 1894 the city took over the street-ear system; by the terms of the original contract it did not have to pay a cent for the plant, but received from the company a total sum of $225, 000 in rental money, and had exacted another sum known as the renewal fund to keep the system in repair. Since then a new set of com modious cars has been put in, certain extensions have been made, and the horse-car service has been replaced by a modern electric traction sys tem, all completed by the summer of 1901. After carrying out all of the improvements and charg ing the low rate of one cent for short rides and two cents for long ones, and after having reduced the hours of its employees from fourteen (under the rule of the company) to ten, and ad vanced their wages, the city has managed not only to pay all expenses, including depreciation and interest on capital, but it lays aside an nually about $300,000 in the sinking and general reserve funds.
Glasgow possesses a system of municipal mar kets, used, however, for wholesale transactions only. All slaughtering is done in the municipal abattoirs, yielding an income to the city of some $100,000 per annum. Under the name of the Clyde Navigation Trust, the city operates the harbor ferries, and holds a monopoly of all harbor services, reaping an annual revenue of about $2,000,000. Glasgow has no municipal library, but a private library known as the Mitchell Library receives a grant from the city corporation, and serves the purpose of a public library. It contains about 120,000 volumes.