The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-02
RUNNING A cIrY,s BUSINESS.

N
In this issue of The Herald is re-
ararkable story of Galveston's success
sul experiment with a simplifed. bust
ness-like form OF city administration.
Instead of a complicated organization
with a city council and various depart
mental branches and divided respon-
Fibility. the Texas city has just such a
plan of doing business as could be ex-
pected from a big corporation seeking
the best results at minimum expense.
"A few men drawing salaries common
Burate with their responsibilities and
duties transact the city's business.
When anything goes wrong the citl-
Eens know exactly who is to blame;
when they want thing done and done
promptly they know where to go and
whom to see.
AS might be expected, this way Of
handling public affairs has demon
strated the wisdom OF the plan. The
city is free of debt. it is being improved
at tremendous rate, it is undertaking
public works which would bankrupt
most cities under a purely partisan po-
litical regime; and Il has not had TO
increase It's tax rate.
Contrast this with Salt Lake. for in
stance, under the old-fashioned plan Of
a divided responsibility and an admin
sstration by council committees and
department heads. Salt Lake spends
an enormous amount of money annual
ly and in return It gets-what? An
increase in the tax levy to begin with;
streets that are disgrace to city Of
its class; a lot of irresponsible en-
ployes who render service or not as
they please. If the health department
or the street department or the water
department fails of it's duty, the cit
fzen who has a complaint finds il i'm
possible to locate the responsibility for
conditions and secure n remedy. He
may petition the council and If he is
fortunate enough to get a hearing his
petition is referred to a council COM
mittee. Then, If there is no prizefght
or bicycle meet on the night appointed
for a hearing, the committee will hear
him. If he is unpopular with the coun-
CiImeu. he is as apt as not TO be
charged with bad faith. If he has some
'pull" he may be promised a remedy.
but the execution of the promise is re-
ferred to the department head who was
TO blame I'm the first place.
OF course a good administration is
possible even with this cumbrous sys-
tenn IL the right men are i'm Office. but
there is too much opportunity for delay
end pettifogging and Sinking and ex-
travagance. All over the country the
great question of municipal admins
tration is being studied. In every in
stance where the facts are recognized
the tendency is toward a simplificatior
of the system and the Capitalization OF
authority In the hands of a few well.
maid men who devote their whole time
10 the citys affairs.
II would be cheaper and better foi
salt Lake IL IT followed In the direction
of modern methods and changed ~
form Of city government so that th'
public could know not only what part,
but what Individual was responsible,
for derelictions OF duty and short
cornings in public service. No business
man in this city would employ some o
the coupcilmen who are intrusted will
the supervision OF expenditure
amounting to thousands of dollars an
nually; certainly no concern would ex
pect to get competent service for tn
nominal salaries which content SOM
of the city fathers. And finally. M
CORPORATION except the city would re
tain a man in it's employ who coul'
buy houses and live royalty on few
hundreds of dollars year as salary.
The whole system is radically wroni
and the present administration is show
ing its defects more glaringly than an
city administration Salt Lake has eve