The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-29
REDUCE THE OFFICES.


cases OF emergency.
REDUCE THE OFFICES.
Independent offices are maintained, in.
dependent books and accounts are kept
by each. involving far greater expense
than would be necessary if all the city
business was directed by one board, in d
single suite Of offices with one set OF
clerks, one set of books and with every
detail of the business under one compe-
tent head.
One emergency force and one set OF
| Tools IN the hands of a single keeper and
under the control of a single departm
would meet all the requirements and save
| much expense, while the efficiency of the
service would be increased, rather than
diminished
The saving of cost through concentra-
tlon or the business under one depart
ment would amount to as much or more
in subordinate matters as in that of sup
| erViSion.
If material be purchased on sealed bids
| Tor the city s needs instead Of for that of a
| single department, 1t would insure rates
equal at least to the difference between
! wholesale and retail prices and be SO
much of saving in the cttyS interests.
Such board organized under the pro-
posed plan will save the loss now occas-
| Toned by an entire change of management
| every two years and the Introduction of
! new set of men to perform important
functions TO which they are absolute
/ strangers.
IL the fire and police board can do all
/ the business of those two departments at
| two meetings in each month, why not
! impose all the work on the board herein
suggested, which would be composed OF
! capable men to be chosen with special
regard to their qualifications for the par
I ticular work assigned TO them and with
out reference to creed or politics, whose
F, entire time would belong to the CITY, and
A., whose duties would compel a thorough
knowledge of all the city's needs and
business?
Z
/ late adjustment Of the present board OF
! public works and further that all public
| work of the city Of every nature be here
/ after directed and supervised by the var
ious heads of departments with the ap-
I prOval and under the general guidance OF
! board, which shall consist of the city
/ engineer, the superintendent of water
/ works, the superintendent of streets and
/ parks, the city electrician, the Superin-
/ tendent of sanitation. Each of the fore
going should be the head of a correspond
! ing department of the city government,
/ thereby including every department con-
/ cerned with public work of any nature
( and each head of department should be
a competent man in his special line of
work.
The general policy of each department
would be subjected to the approval of the
/ entire board Each department head be-
/ ing always familiar with the work of the
| associated departments, would be indie
/ pendently capable of intelligent action or
I consideration of the board.
The mayor should be chairman of the
/ board and brief daily meetings should be
/ held, this would keep the mayor in touch
with the various departments and the sew
! eral heads of departments in touch with
each other, and would insure prompt exc
cuIion of all public work and combined
action of all departments when desirable.
! Members of said board should receive
salaries sufficient TO secure the best grade
| of ability.
( IL -
most instructive. A careful investigation
/ of the status of the existing department
4 organizations and consultation with the
heads thereof, demonstrates conclusively
that a great reduction in clerical and
J office expenses would be Immediately eff
! fected. and that great simplification, local
/ ization and increased rapidity of business
/ execution Woald necessarily result.
PLAN OF REORGANIZATION.
/ The proposed board and the sub-divis-
/ ion o. labor under the re-organized de-
/ partments would then be constituted as
/ follows:
! Engineering Division.-Surveys city
maps and Subdivisions plans for con-
! struction work stalking out WORK. ccnl-
/ putations, estimates, extensions of sewer
/ systems, extension OF water pipe system,
extension of conduit system. extension of
/ irrigation canals and bitches, construction
/ of all drainage work, grading streets and
! sidewalks, paving streets and sidewalks,
/ constructing and repairing culverts.
Water Works Division:-Operatio of
water pipe system, repair of water pipe
/ system, care of irrigating bitches, distri-
button of water for irrigation, care of
surplus and storm water, care of canals
and conduits, flushing sewers, Sprinkling
streets, laying water service pipes.
Electrical Division.-Lighting streets
and sidewalks, regulating erection of
poles regulating construction of street
car tracks, protection of underground pipe
systems from electric corroSion, prepar-
ing and enforcing rules for outdoor and
ff1ltN
/ ton and testing of street electric con-
struction, inspection and testing of in
door electric construction, supervision of
all electric wires overhead or under
ground supervision of constructing cleo
trio underground conduits and removal of
overhead wires.
Sanitary Division.-House plumbing and
drainage. operating sewer system, super
vision, sewage disposal, care and opera
ton of crematorY. sanitary inspection,
food inspection, live stock and meat in
spection, collection of garbage, disposal
of garbage and night soil, contagious dis
eases, quarantine regulation.
Streets, Parks and Public Lands Di-
vision.-Supervision of parks, improve
ment of parks, care of public lands, IN
spection and patrol OF watershed. en-
crCachments on land or water rights,
city's apportiOnment of water from
streams not entirely owned by the city,
and sidewalks, cleaning streets and side
walks.
PRESENT. ORGANIZATION.
The present organization of depart
ments is as follows: There are employed
to do the city's business five department
chiefs and three boards, viz: Public
works, fire and police and health; en-
plOying the number of men and paying
for salaries alone, according to the enum-
GRAFTON in the following table: One chief
of police, s., 400; chief fire department,
s., 100; city engineer, $500; Superintend-
ent of water works, 1890; watermaster,
81, 500: street supervisor, S1,S00; city sex
ton, $1,000; five members board of public
fire commission, S400; three members
board of health, $1,000; city engineers
clerk, 5000; watermaSter and street de-
partment clerk, 81, 440; clerk fire depart
ment, S1.0S0; waterworks department
clerk, $1,0S0; board of public works clerk,
$720; fire and police board clerk, $500;
board Of health clerk, $500. Total, TWEEN
TOO MANY CLERKS.
One board of five competent men ard
four good clerks could do all the work
now done by the twenty-six men and at a
cost not to exceed the following:
Five heads of departments. $4,000; one
chief clerk, s., 200; one clerk, 81 600; two
clerks. $500 each, $500; nine employees,
total salaries, $l3800; making a saving for
supervision alone of $1,000.
BY reductions in the forces maintained
by the various departments of public
work for both outside and Office work,
not included in the foregoing state
ment. further annual saving of
$4,000 can without difficulty be effected.
In the police and fire departments, a
yearly reduction of $4,000 can be made
without reducing the number of men or