ers of lumber, and it
has also a diffused utility in its influence on industry, on climate,
on navigation, on water-power and on floods. Yet, as the private
owner, unless a great land monopolist, does not control enough of the
forest to appreciably affect any of these things, and could rarely
sell them even if he could affect them, he will cut down the
tree whenever he can gain by doing so. In this situation either
governmental control or governmental ownership of forests is
essential.

Each kind of political unit, or subdivision of government, develops
characteristic kinds of public ownership and industry. Federal states
consist of three main groups of political units: national, provincial,
and local. Provincial units are the largest subdivisions, as the
American "states," or commonwealths, the German states, and the
provinces in other countries. The term local political unit is more
complex and may mean county, township, village, city, or school or
sanitary district; but most of what is to be said of local ownership
refers to cities or to incorporated villages.

Sec. 4. #Forms of municipal ownership#. Local political units acquire
ownership only in local industries and in wealth used locally by the
citizens. Nearly all parks and recreation grounds are owned by cities.
As population has become more dense, private yards of any extent
have become impossible, in cities, for all but the wealthy. Public
ownership of parks insures a "breathing place" and recreation grounds
to the common man in the most economical way. Of late the movement for
large and small public parks and playgrounds has gone on rapidly in
American cities. Related to parks are public baths, public libraries,
art collections, museums, zoological gardens, etc. Some have seen
danger in this policy, but the public sees no such danger so long
as the things supplied gratify the higher tastes--as art, music,
literature, and social recreation. These give no encouragement to
the increase of improvident families and to the breaking down of
independent character. The means of local communication--streets,
roads, bridges--were once owned largely by private citizens. Here and
there still are found toll roads and toll bridges built under charters
granted a century ago, but tolls on public thoroughfares are for the
most part abolished. A public market, where the producer from the
farm and the city consumer can meet, is an old institution. About two
thirds of the citi