The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-30
COST OF GOVERNING CITIES.

ing cities in this country is the subject
of much comment. The extravaganza and
incompetency of city governments make
high tax rate necessary, and a high tax
rate increases the cost of living. The
difficulty of living in cities on moderate
incomes is becoming greater every year.
Politics is largely responsible for this
condition of affairs. Men are put into
places of responsibility who have no ca
pacity for business, or, if they have, they
use it for increasing expenses by Great
ing new places for political friends and
letting contracts for public improvements,
out of which politicians make large
profits
In the current number of Appleton's
Monthly there Is an article on the gov
eminent of New York city by Hon. Bird
S. Coler. the controller of that city. He
says that the annual expenses of New
York are larger than those of any other
municipality in the world. According to
his statement, the gross budget for 1899
was $20,0000 900 larger than that of London
and $4,000. 900 larger than that of Paris,
and only S1.OOO,OOo less than the combined
expenditures of Boston, Chicago and Phil
adelphia. A better idea perhaps of the
cost of governing New York is obtained
by comparing It's expenses with that of
number Of states. Mr.. coler says that it
costs more to govern New York city than
six largest states in the Union.
1t was claimed by those who originated
the scheme for Greater New York, that
by consolidating the cities included in the
greater city the cost of government would
be greatly reduced. AS a matter of fact
1t has cost s15OO0.00O year more to gov
ern the Greater New York than ID did 10
govern the separate municipalities. It is
safe to say that New York has several
thousand employees more than there is
any necessity for. The politicians are
happy, however, and the growls of the
taxpayers do not disturb them in the
least.
If there were more publicity respecting
expenditures II is probable there would
be more economy in spending municipal
money. If every dollar received as reve-
nue. and every dollar paid out had to be
accounted for in the published re-
ports of city officials greater care
would be exercised in spending the
public revenue. Paris, the French
metropolis. has way of doing
things which doubtless saves the tax
payers of that city millions of dollars an
nually. A writer in Scribners Magazine,
speaking of the management of the
finances of that city, says: zone of the
most entertaining features of Paris house
keeping is the annual account book Every
year the city publishes, In a bulky vol
ume of some eight or nine hundred pages,
a report of the receipts and expenditures
of the year. Into this goes every item.
Do you want to know how much it cost
to buy new brooms to sweep the streets
of the town in a certain year? The re-
port will tell you. Do you want to know
what became of the old ones? Look under
the receipts, and you will find, from the
sale of so many old brooms, so much. Do
you want to know how many new trees the
city planted in 1890? 1t is written down.
Even the income from the sale of
branches and twlgs, cut from the trees
in trimming them, is entered. This is
good municipal housekeeping-and no
one can go about Paris for long time
without being impressed by the thrift
the care, the attention to details, which
characterize the city and add to her
charms" In the same article the writer
says: paris not only looks out that she
is not cheated by those who serve her;
she takes care of everything she owns
Let crack appear in the asphalt and it
is mended at once; let a cobblestone come
loose, Il is replaced without waiting The
economy and satisfaction which result
from taking care of things are fully rec
ognized-a striking contrast to the method
which allows a street to get into the
worst possible condition in order to pro
vide big job-for the unemployed, of
course"
Think of such care being exercised in
any American city! We undertake to say
that If in American cities every dollar
received had to be accounted for in the
same manner that It has to be accounted
for in Paris, and there was the same care
as there is there in watching munich
pal improvements and property, the tax
rate in most of them would soon be
greatly reduced.