The San Francisco call., 1897-08-21
THE GLASGOW COUNCIL.

To the Editor of the San Francisco Cdll-SIR: ::
According to Sir James Bell Lord Provost OF
Glasgow, in his work on the "Municipal Or
ganization and Administration" OF that
famous city, 1.-THE various committees of the
Town Council embrace the finance committee,
a committee In charge OF the bazaar, haLs,
pu bl1c clocks and bells of the city, commit
tee to deal with churches and churchyards,
the property of the city, and mnfttee on
parliamentary bills" etc. COMMITTEES are
also appointed 10 manage Q) the tramways,
(2J the Mitchell Library, 81 the municipal
buildings a. The gas and electric light under
takings, (5l parks, gardens galleries and mu-
seums, and o. an executive committee" etc.
''These committees in their turn appoint their
own sub-committees, and so the wide and
comprehensive duties OF the Town Council are
divided up and allocated."
Page rs; "All are now Qs96) consolidated
into one body, the corporation OF Glasgow, and
while for the facilitating OF business, for con-
troll of expenditure and for statement OF ae-
counts, all these departments must be man
aged by separate committees, thee commit
tees are committees OF the corporation, and 1t
is competent for the Town Council 10 deal
with the affairs OF any or all OF them at any
ordinary meeting regularly convened.
At this point desire 10 direct special atten-
ton 10 the distinguishing features OF the
British system o municipal government, as
understand it, and OF which Glasgow is con-
spicuous example. though in Sir James Bells
ample pages it is rather assumed than stated
an essen tial and fundamental characteristic.
refer TO The heads OF departments. In the
preceding enumeration of committees 1t
would appear that there are ten OF these
departments.
As already stated, these ten departments are
under the management of standing committees
of the Council each committee presuma bly,
consisting OF about seven OF the seyenty-efght
memb bers, but the ectus work of these COM
mittees, varously called commissioners" and
trustees" is the consideration of the reports
and recommen dations of the "heads OF depart
ments" and the taking OF such action thereon
as seems proper and wise for the promotion of
the public efare. This method thus makes
the head OF 8 department its guiding spirit
the real manager in taeI-a vital part OF the
system.
Referring to this matter, on page 20 of
"Municipal Government in Great Britain" F."
DR.. Albert Shaw says: "Heads OF depar +
menis are selected with great care by the
Council itself and their places are prac-
tically permanent. In the minor ap-
pointments the responsible heads are
gestion, the Council ratiiylng such selec-
tions as are agreed upon by the departmental
head and he supervising Council committed" !;
that is, the committee in charge of that de-
partment for, as he says in another para
graph, Each of these departments Is organ
lied separately and its work is carried on by
the standing committee"
AS a matter of fact these heads OF depart
NETS are almost always men of IN arked ability
and great attainments in the special line OF
investigation for which they are severally
chosen, their qualifications rendering them
pre-eminenuy iii to occupy these various po-
sitions. Then, again, the Couucilmen serve
three years, three from each ward, and one
third of them go out of office each year, so
that new men can be chosen 10 meet any
change OF public sentiment, while two men Of
experience remain in Office
But the one fact which l wish most 10 en-
phasize is that these specially qualified heads
of departments, who are rarely changed, but
are practically permanent, are in the actual
working OF the system, the real managers of
the great city corpora ton. just as heads of
departments manage the great private cor
porations in this country. In word. the
business affairs of Glasgow and all the British
cities are managed as all successful business
enterprises must be managed.
The 'Town Council of seventy-eight pass
upon the work as laid out by the heads OF de-
paTtments and their wisely chosen assistants
each committee In charge OF a department
rendering through sub-com mittees, as well as
by full committees, all the aid they can to ar
range and perfect any business or measure of
department before it Is laid before the
"Town Council for approval and adoption.
JOSEPH AsBURY JOHNSON
EsspY stroet Auupst IA 1907