The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-18
This Years Municipal Convention

This Years Municipal Convention.
According to the programme pre-
pared and advance information fur
nished, some important questions in
volved in municipal administration are
to he discussed at the third annual con-
vention of the League Of American
Municipalities, which will be held at
Syracuse, N. Y, Sept. 1922, The pro-
Gramme committee Of the league, con-
sisting of Mayor Jones, of Toledo May
or Flower, of New Orleans. and Mayor
Gray, of Minneapolis have settled upon
five topics which will each be given
an entire session of the convention for
| discussion. These five topics are: "The
Municipal Ownership of Public Service
Industries" "The Contract VS.. the Per
Diem System for Public Works" "The
Collection and Disposal of Garbage and
City Wastes public Bath Houses
| and Play Grounds" and 1.-THE Special
Assessment system for Public I'M
provements." Three or four papers on
each of these topics will be read to the
convention, after which the questions
will be discussed generally by the dele
| gates on the floor.
That the consideration of these i'm
, portant municipal problems at this
| meeting of city officials from all parts
of the country will disseminate a great
| deal Of valuable information and re-
suit in bringing about improved public
| service in the various cities represented
| cannot be doubted. Or the garbage
| question, for instance, which has long
been perpleXing one to our city Off
cials, the formal papers are to be pre-
| pared by such eminent authorities as
| Captain +. NJ. Gibson, deputy street
! cleaning commissioner of New York
city; G.. Everett Hill, formerly assist
| ant to the late Colonel George f. War
| ing; Dr. William c. Woodward, health
officer of Washington, D. c.; DR. Quit
| man Kohnke, president Of the health
board OF New Orleans, and II. ]. Con
den, editor of "City Government"
The discussion of public bath houses
| and play grounds is to be led by Mayor
! Josiah Quincy, of Boston, and Mayor
| Samuel M. Jones, of Toledo, both OF
whom have had much experience in the
! institution. and maintenance of these
| pleasurable and healthful municipal
| enterprises. Authorities of no less abil-
ity will present the leading addresses
| on the other topics, the object of the
| programme committee being to bring
! out at this convention the very best
experience and thought on the various
subjects by assigning the preparation
of the formal papers to city officials
! who have devoted unusual efforts to
the solution of the problems involved.
Aside from the five topics which
| have been chosen for general discus
sion, many other important questions
! of municipal administration will be
treated in special addresses to be de-
livered at other sessions of the con-
vention. The important problem of
public water supply, filtration and dis
tribution will be dealt with in address,
es by Judge George Hillyer, president
of the water board of Atlanta, Ga, and
for years a close student of this sub
ject; William r. Hill. chief engineer
and superintendent of water works at
Syracuse and first vice president of the
American Water Works association; f;
John c.. Trautwine. jr., chief of the
Philadelphia water bureau, and others.
An important feature of the conven-
tion will be joint debate on the mu-
nicipal ownership of public utilities be-
tween Edward w. Bemis, of the Agri-
cultural college of Kansas, and Allen
| Ripley Foote, of Takoma Park, d. G.
| The discussion of this question will be
participated in by Mayors Quincy, of
Boston; Ashbridge, of Philadelphia;
Jones, of Toledo; Baker, of Providence;
Weaver of Louisville; Maybury, OF
| Detroit, Woodward. of Atlanta; Phe-
Ian, of San Francisco; Akin, of Evans
Vile, Mac Vicar, of Des Moines, and
many other mayors and council MEM
bers who have given the subject care
| fui investigation.
1t would pay the city of Scranton
to send it's councilmen in a body TO
this convention.