The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-08
A PROBLEM SOLVED.
PROGRESS MADE BY GERMANY IN Mu-
NlcIPAL GOVERNMENT.

Councillors Are Excellent Citizens md Serve
without Pay-Administration Put Into
the Hands of Experts, Who AFRO Often
Chosen For Life.
Municipal housekeeping as IL science
ana an art evolved out of the conditions
OF life prevailing ill tho last half of
this century can DO observed to better
advantage i'll Germany than in any 9TH
or country. 1t is true that the German
cities have been somewhat tardy in pro-
vlding themselves with modern conven-
fences and improvements, but now nav
ing fairly entered upon tho task they
are accomplishing it in more system
attic, thorough and businesslike way
than any other cities, whether i'll Eu-
rope, America or Australia
To this work of modern improve
ment, especially i'll public appoint
ments, the Germans seem to have
brought moro Of the scientific spirit and
method than any other people. Their
habits OF thoroughness i'll research and
OF patient, exhaustive treatment of any
subject i'll hand have fully characterized
their progress i'll the arts of civilized
life. Above all, the Germans had already
developed system of public admins
tration moro economical and more i'll
fallibly effective than could have been
found elsewhere, and they were prcpar-
ed when tho growth of their cities and
the new demand for modern improve
mentS madc necessary n great increase
III tho number and variety of public
functions to do III the best possible way
whatever it was decided to undertake.
So confident were they indeed in tho
efficiency of their administrative organ
ization that they dared to assign to the
municipalities spheres of action which
elsewhere have been left to private eff
fort and control.
Municipal councillors i'll Germany arc,
as Il rule, very excellent citizens 1t is
considered q high honor to be elected to
the council. Membership is a title of
dignity that merchants, professional
men and scholars are usually eager to
hold. No salaries are paid to tho coun-
cilors, and u penalty is attached to re-
fusal to serve if elected The sentiment
toward these positions is much the same
i'll Germany as III Great Britain, though
stronger with men of high education
i'll German than in British towns. The
reelection of good councillors term after
term is common i'll both countries. 1t
would be difficult to estimate fairly the
influence of the class system in Prussia
upon tho character of city councils as
regards their conservatism, intelligence
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 i'm
perial legislature-tho rcichstag.
In addition to tho magistracy and the
council, there is in Berlin body of
about 10 so called "citizen deputies, "
who are selected by the council for their
general fitness to serve rs associates OH
committees charged with the oversight
of various municipal interests, such as
parks, schools, the care of the poor and
the sanitary services They have no
authority to vote in the council, but
they illustrate, at the center of admin
istration, the excellent practice which
is followed throughout the entire rami-
fication of German city government, of
enllsting the cooperation of unofficial
citizens i'll managing the ordinary con-
Germs of the community.
The burgomaster and magistrates are
the most highly trained experts that a
German city can secure. The burgomas-
ter is an expert III the general art of
municipal administration Associated
with him i'll the magistcrial COUNCIL are
experts in law, experts in finance, cx-
perts in education to administer the
schools, experts i'll engineering to over
sec public works of every character, eX-
perts Ill sanitary science, experts in pub
lie charity, experts in forestry and park
management, experts in the technical
and business management of water and
gas supplies, and so OH.
The analogy would not be perfect,
but it would answer roughly to compare
the governmental structure of German
city with that of q railway corporation,
i'll which the board of directors, chosen
by the stockholders, appoint a general
superintendent or manager, a 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 tho
service of various other transportation
companies, almost the entire manage
ment and operation of the road. The
shareholders represent the voters of Ber-
lin, let us say, the board of directors
are tho municipal council, the general
superintendent is the chief burgomaster,
and the general officers at the head Of