Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-28
ANDREW ROSEWATER TALKS.
Omaha Engineer Addresses League Of
Municipalities on City Government. y
NEW ORLEANS CITY PHYSICIAN SPEAKS
Health Omcer Of Southern Tosvn at
Chicago. .Conveptipas Tells OF
influence of ssqttatiOn
ON Morality.

/
called to order The session was opened
with "a discussion by. DR. Qditnisn KUiIfilSe,
health officer of New Orleans 90 q paper on
The influence of Sanitation on Morality"
Andrew RosewsteR, city 'seneineer'5s OF
Omaha, spoke OIL THE Government OF
| Cities, in part, as; follows -, f~';r lN
The twentieth century municipal ftya'eIh.
braces In It's makeup ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Of
and far-reaehins tIiRf thoses 6f any bust
ness corporation In existence The aHairs
! OF modern municipalities met alone con-
| Germ the welfare Of millions of people from
| purely financial considerations but affeCl
/ their health, comfort educatfon and moral
development as we'll, 4 Intimately good or
pad civic. management. lays, the 40 undatioll
| for broader or poorer citizenship. OF
state and nation. Municipal governments
are no longer governments, in the sense
Germs, organized, ciassih9d and worked
with an eve to accomplishments. Every
only the useful brought into kplay. The
sham OF grand stand plays are exposed
oy the rprogressive' seurch., hshts OF the
keep fairly Informed Of the corporate az
fairs of the city in which he Is a stock,
contributor. does not .spprsciate the duties
Within the past decade thousands Of ihif-
n tha Sie seys % sRRFqt s
sole and laudable object or watching and
iiIntiuenelng he work of civic officiais,
| These organizations indicate the extraordi-
| nary interests and influences which are
being brought to bear on municipal ad-
the people OF the United states live within
the corporate limits of municipalities, r
per. cent within five cities. per cent
within the city of New York; and. pa per
Municipal Tax Large.
The properties taxed for the maintenance
! OF the cities. of the United States exceed
haDd dH S ysgs " 10 T The money
ceeds $1,000 go. RE RE yearly yearly tax for
municipal purposes pfssthese cities !ap-
ss seeSe Sc SsF AE Gc S's stSS
600; Philadelphia and Boston, each $1,000
600; averaging Nf per thousand and s14 per
capita within the cities exceeding 5000 IN
: The present aggregate debt of'these, cities
exceeds s1.50o, OOoyo0; that OF New York City
that OF the Eve ctieS y New YORK. Boston
Chicago, Philadelphia and st. Louis ex-
ceeds one-half. Of, the, entire snount., Fl.
& other Receipts. !,
The annual sorpers re receipts Of these
municipalities from sources other tina
taxation aggregate nearly 800, 100000, maxi
Ing the total money collected annually
those OF New York City being about si7i-
10000. or So per capita Chicae e,' $4,000 900,
or 81 per capita Philsdelphia, ste, ooo. OoQ or
population from below SvsoS and down 10
5000, -aggregating $50, 900 people. collect an.
| which is by direct taxation. OF this $40. |:
o0oOoe is for school purposes and w.5Os0so
Interest on muntcipaL blended debts. IThR
h IN these sm nSiI e ss SSSeeSs
Their investment intpunlelpal water works
Syss 's CIV Ss s fSrle ,ls 5st Seats
and iibraries ovss sssa.ooO' 90, and parks xs-
&C., s. a TGslF '0 3. q essr sSe @sS NSSa
rkfid child -|stH III - 4<sT ~ = srr.iif,
In AroSieeaing tSs tRs era ss t5 Of
coded at the start thae MUNICIPAL corpdsa-
4 tions unlike other general business corr
porstions are 4net prqfit making oIganiza1
4 that term THE aim'of municipal manage
1 Inent is primarily totprovide everything
possible sR n for The ssfey snd 9esb
duct of business Haiin the municipal
/ limits on the mos ,reconomie basis In
other words the a Municipality H PrSlie
! making. but to fnakebit possible for ffs
inhabitants tS safely pursue their various Ss
1 city life at minimum cost.
As to ofncials.
Persons are elected or selected annually
1 or otherwise periodically to take charge
! of and administer the vast AFFAIRS Of our
partisanship. II is Immaterlai whether
I the candidates have had any experience OF
Intend to devote their future efforts 10
the study of municipal problems or even
have the capacity to- grope with them
The question considered is the man avail
able 10 carry the German, Scandinavian
Bohemian, Irish and other votes for~the
party. To succeed, pLanhses are made fol
appointment and selection OF employs
l'gardless of the public interests. sr T.,
Thus we depart IN the. COMMUNICATION q
the great ssTs of qnisiPsisss from
l.all persons are placed upon an equality
basis. Every vagabond who fails for lack
of ability, honesty or desire 70 90 an hon;
recurring skin. industry fand fidelity. The
man who has occupied a. puDile, posittor
o oUr yss devoted his beet epergies to III,
promotion OF the interests entrusted e
him; is placed upon equality with sii'
S sed newly Is sSoasfs Sesds can 0l Ss
their electiop debts orAto talk plain, thaa
PF5sIsS hSs the imPopta6 rSGaste
Of ability. experience and'fdelity are sci
S The other requisite of Involvement foi
EFFORT is ignored-and the universal 20
i IiticaI fallacy OF equality attempted tS
be practiced. ~
Loss ON PRyements
'rhe result of inexperienced official inter.
j ference is that not 10 per cent of the 900
miles of paved streets IN our municipalities
arc paved strictly according TO plans an6
/ specifcations and the 80 per cent beal
Evidences OF inferiority due TO lack Of
i yvorkmanshipN After thirty years expe.
l'rience in municipal service make bold
10 state that a loss on an average Of II
per cent OF investment, due to lack OF
l,auantity in thickness In concrete work, am
10 TO is per cent in quality, due TO shortage
OF cement in the concrete, is sustained By
the cities of the United States In the base
I Of movements alone each year. In asphalt
construction fully is per cent. due partly
TO inferior mixtures OF MATERIALS and short
age In thickness discovering, would moi
cover the losses within the last twentS
In sewer construction contract obligations
are rarely complied with TO within more
than so per cent OF all requirements: Al
this is due 10 the lack of capacity tnteg'
rity or shortage In supply OF adequate su
perytsion and Inspection
| IL the present system OF interference IN
! iuspection cannot be overcome, there WI
Intimately be but ore remedy-resort u
abrogation of the contract system by sub
stitution OF day labors but even then poll
tics must be overcome and civil service
substituted.
Ability should he Rewarded.
The vast variety OF service under mn
nicipal management calls for scientific or
ganizing ability on the part Of the heads
and subheads OF all branches. A uniform
J