The Portland daily press., 1894-06-07

perts, VINO are Often Given a Life
Tenure of Ofice-Mayors Called From
One City to Another, Like Clergymen
From Churches.
No subject is agitating the people of
this country more today than that of
municipal reform. The effort to divorce
city government from politics, and to
conduct it on purely business basis, is
gaining ground surely if slowly, and a
few cities in the country have made an
honest attempt in the new direction.
DR.. Albert Shaw presents timely and
interesting study of "The Government
of German Cities" in the Century for
June.
Municipal housekeeping" as science
and an art, evolved out of the condl-
tlons of life prevailing in the last half OF
this century, can be observed to better
advantage in Germany than in any
other country, says DR.. Shaw. 1t is
true that the German cities have been
somewhat tardy in providing themselves
with modern conveniences and i'm
provements but now having fairly en-
tered upon the task, they are accomplish
ing it in a more systematic, thorough
and business like way than any other
cities, whether in Europe, America or
Austria
To this work of modern improvement,
especially in public appointments, the
Germans seem to have brought more of
tho cci an n n c,,ir;f oY,J ~ athod than apv
other people. Their habits of through
ness in research. and of patient, exhaus-
tive treatment of any subject in hand
have fully characterized their new pro-
gress in the arts of civilized life.
Above all the Germans had already de-
yeloped system of public administra-
ton more economical and more lnfallibly
effective than could have been found
elsewhere; and they were prepared, when
the growth of their cities and the new
demand for modern improvements made
necessary great increase in the mum Der
and variety of public functions, to do in
the best possible way whatever it was
decided to undertake. So confident
were, they, indeed, in the efficiency Of
their administrative organization, that
they dared to assign to the municipali-
ties spheres of action which elsewhere
have been left to private effort and con-
troll.
Municipal councillors in Germany are,
as a rule, very excellent citizens. it is
considered a high honor to be elected to
the 90 ucil. Membership is title Of
dign.uy that merchants professional
hold III
No salaries are paid to the councillors,
| and penalty is attached to refusal to
serve if elected The sentiment toward
these positions is much the same in Ger
many as in Great Britain, though
stronger with men Of high education in
Germany than in. British towns The
reelection OF good councillors term af-
| ter term is common in both countries.
| 1t would be difficult to estimate fairly
| the influence of the class system in Prus-
| STA upon the character Of city councils as
regards their conservatism, lntelllgence
| and business ability. Undoubtedly the
| recent growth of the social democracy
would have sharper influence upon the
| city councils if the class system were
! abolished and if the municipal franchise
| were made identical with the simple
manhood suffrage that exists for purposes
| of representation in the imperial legisIa-
| ture, the Reichstag.
| In addition to the magistracy and the
council, there is in Berlin a body of
| about seventy-five so-called citizen
| deputies who are selected by the coun-
| Gil for their general fitness to serve as
| associates on committees charged with
| the oversight of various municipal in
| terests, such as parks, schools, the care
| They have no authority to vote in the
council, but they illustrate, at the cen
! ter of administration, the excellent prac-
| tice which is followed throughout the
| entire ramification of German city gov
eminent, of enlisting the cooperation of
| unoffi cial citizens in managing the ordi-
| nary concerns of the community
THE BURGOMAsTER AND EXECU-
TIVE MAGISTRATES.
| The burgomaster ana magistrates are
the most highly trained experts that a
German city can secure. The burgo-
master is an expert in the general art
of municipal administration. Associated
with him in the magisterial council are
experts in law, experts in finance, ex-
| perts in education to administer the
schools. experts in engineering to oversee
public works of every character, experts
in sanitary science, experts in public
| charity, experts in forestry and park
| management, experts in the technical
| and business management of water and
gas supplies, and SO on. The analogy
| would not be perfect, but it would an
swer roughly to compare the government
al structure of German city with that
of railway corporation, in which the
board of directors, chosen by the stock
holders, appoint general superintendent
or manager, general passenger agent, a
general freight agent chief legal
| officer, chief engineer, a superintendent
of motive power, and other general
officers. and leave to these high-salaried
experts, drawn from the service of vari-
GUS other transportation companies,
almost the entire management and opera.
tion of the road. The shareholders rep
resent the voters of Berlin, let us say
the board of directors are the municipal
council; the general superintendent is
the chief burgomaster; and the genera
officers at the head of departments are
the magistrates.
A. The magistratsrath, or stadtrath, of 6
4 Herman city is, then, body of distin
guished and honored, highly paid. pro
fessional. expert employees, and not 6
body of citizen representatives, although
experienced members of the body of citi-
zen representatives may be, and not in
frequently are, promoted to mem bershir
in the magIstratsrath. The professional
%1~uN Il L