r-company to another, not merely without their
consent, but without even the civility of a notice. Old tenants of the
New River Company, who had taken their water for years, and had been
their thick-and-thin supporters through the battle, found themselves
ungratefully turned over, without previous explanation, to drink the
"puddle" supplied by the Grand Junction Company. The abated rates were
immediately raised, not merely to the former amount, but to charges
from 25 to 400 per cent. more than they had been before the
competition. The solemnly-promised high service was suppressed, or
made the pretext for a heavy extra charge. Many people had to regret
"selling their force-pumps as old lead," or fixing water-closets on
their upper floors, on the faith of these treacherous contractors.
Those who had fitted up their houses with pipes, in reliance on the
guarantee of _unintermitting pressure_, found themselves obliged
either to sacrifice the first outlay, or to expend on cisterns and
their appendages further sums, varying from L.10 or L.20 up to
L.50--and even, in many cases, L.100. When tenants thus unhandsomely
dealt by expressed their indignation, and demanded redress, they were
"jocosely" reminded by smiling secretaries that the competition was
over, and that those who were dissatisfied with the companies'
supplies were quite at liberty to set up pumps of their own.

'Thus as, in political affairs, anarchy invariably leads to despotism,
so, in commerce, subversive competition always ends its disorderly and
ruinous course in monopoly, which, whether avowed or tacit, individual
or collective, is but despotism in a lower sphere.

'The cure for these evils lies in the competitive contract-system,
which brings competition to bear _for_, instead of _in_, the field of
supply, so as to obviate the reckless multiplication of
establishments, and capitals, and staffs, for the performance of a
service for which one would suffice. Evidence shews that the
water-companies might be bought out, so as to clear the way for the
consolidation of the water-supply with the drainage and other
connected sanitary services, under a public authority, responsible to
the rate-payers through parliament, and charged to supervise the due
execution of the works by contractors competing freely, on open
tender, in the public market--a system obviously calculated to secure
for the public the best possible service at the lowest possible rates.
By empoweri