The San Francisco call., 1897-08-21
GLASGOW TOWN
LAUGHS At Us
Our System Of Supervisors
Comes in for Much
Ridicule.
Stewart Menzies Finds All
Workmen in Great Britain
Employed.
Believes shipbuilders Paid Better
Than Americans, Cramps Word
Notwithstanding.

They don't do things in Glasgow the
way they DO here - that is, politically
speaking. 1t has been observed by many
Who take an interest in economics that
the Glasgow people are little bit ahead
of us in the race, but the worst we have
to stand is related by Stewart Menzies.
who returned from trip through Great
Britain and Ireland about two weeks ago.
He left here in April last.
Those Glasgow people, according to Mr..
Menzies, laugh at us-actually laugh at
wha: they term the childish way we have
of doing things. And, moreover, the gem
tleman in quesion seems to think that
they have good grounds fo1 their risibll-
ity.
"In the city Of Glasgow" he said, "the
munici pallty owns all the sources of pub
lie utility, such as the gas and the water
used there and the street railways. They
are conducted very economically and
yield the city an apr ecia BILE revenue, one
that cuts a material figure in the reduc.
ton of taxes. The tax-rate is exceedingly
low.
"The cost of a ride on one of the street
railways is only penny. And yet on
special occasions they do better than that.
commutation tickets, and between the
hours OF and 6 in the morning, the time
they go to work, and between the same
hours in the evening workmen are per-
mitted to use those tickets and ride even
cheaper than penny for each person.
The City Council is com posed of sew
enty-seven men, elected biennially. The
office is honorary-no man being allowed
a cent for anything he does-and a man
can be reelected about as often as he
wishes. The council is subdivided into
committees, which have various branches
of the municipal government under con-
troll THESE committees make the recon-
mendations for reforms in the different
branches and sucu suggestions are re-
TERED 10 the committee of the whole be-
fore any definite action is taken as regards
their adoption.
"Che effect of this system is easily seen
TO be most beneficial. 1t may be mat
ter of no great difficulty to corrupt ma
jority of twelve men, but when it comes
10 corrupting majority of seventy-ssven
that is an entirely different matter. l ex-
planned to one of the Councilmen the sys-
lem under which this City is conducted,
and he laughe at it. His opinion, con-
| trary to that commonly expressed, is that
| we are not Supervisor-ridden, but need a
| few more.
That is my opinion in the matter ex-
| i
| the body of the last-pr. posed charter tn at
/ the number of our Supervisors be in
creased from twelve to thirty-slx, but the
most OF the mem bers OF the com mlttee
| did not look at matters III the same light
| as did. When the consolidation act was
adopted in 1856 we had population of
ONLY so. 900, and twelve Supervisors might
| have been enough then, but it is not
enough now, when the population is over
325, 600.
Il introduced a resolution before the
committee OF 1G0 a week or so ago that the
mum Der of the Supervisors be increased to
thirty-six. At The same meeting l intro
duced another reso,u ion, in my opinion
fully as important as the first, that all
executive powers be taken from the board
and that it be permitted legislative func-
tions only. In addition l have brought
| forward the theory that the salaries of all
| City officials should be fixed at stated
| times by the Supervisors. When salaries
| are EN- bodied in charter, as some are in
the Old consolidation act, they cannot be
changed without a great deal Of trouble
| and expense.
1T has been urged in opposition to this
| idea that the Supervisors would use their
| influence under such conditions to secure
positions for their friends in the different
| de partmentS, but we saw that this Nigh
De so, and in the last proposed charter in
trod uced a clause that any Superv sor
using his influence in that direction
should be deprived of his office"
While on his tour Mr.. MenZies passed
through such large commercial centers as
London, Dublin, Liverpool, Londonderry,
Manchester and Belfast. He was sur
prised to find that oil t. e workingmen
are employed, and there is no cry of hard
times in any place throughout ber
Majesty realm.
He had heard it stated, he said, that
Mr.. Cramp of Philadelphia had often
times asserted that the reason why Amer
leans cannot compete with Europe in ship
| building is because of the exceedingly
low rate of wages paid worxmen there.
| Accordingly he visited the Fairfield Ship
| building Works on the Clyde to find out
| If this were true. He was informed by
Commander Marshall, who was recen ,ly
| in Portland for the purpose of seeing what
could be done in the way of esta blishing a
| line from that city to China for the North
eru Pacific Railway Com pauy, that rivet-
| ers there work IN gangs OF four. Two Of
| these are riveters proper and the other
| two are assistants.
| "The men are paid by piece work, was
informed" continued Mr.. Menzes, "and
| "gang" will average about t15, or $75 a
| week. The riveters share equally, and, of
| course, get the larger portion of the
| money, while the assistants divide the
| balance equally. l do not know the pro-
portions. But | do know that this is q
| good deal more than Cramp pays his mon
for similar work. l have a friend there
now who viii learn what all the workmen n
receive and notify me in short time.''