The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-04
PLAN RADICAL
MUNICIPAL
CHANGES
Important Recommends
tons 10 Be Made to Char
fer Revision Committee.

Municipal government by a repre-
sentative body of nine aldermen or
commissioners in place of the present
Board of Aldermen of W representa-
tives from each ward, and a mayor
: and comptroller elected at large. is the
tentative proposition on which Chandler
w. Riker, John r. Hardin and City
Counsel James r. Nugent, members OF
the City Charter Revision Commission,
will work and report to the revision
commission at the next meeting.
The City Charter Revision Com
mission convened last night after
a vacation of five months, dur
ing which time some of the
members. not enough for a quorum.
visited the convention of the League
of American Municipalities, at James,
town. Some of the opinions heard there
were brought to bear on the question
of the commission government.
President Hardin said that no
doubt during their vacation some
Of the commissioners had re-
eeived new ideas on the subject
OF city government that would be prof
liable for his fellow members to hear.
At any rate, he declared, they should
get down to business as soon as posi-
BILE If anything were to be brought be-
fore the coming Legislature. He would
be glad to hear any suggestions, he an
nounced. Mr.. Riker was the first to
respond.
THE future government of cities he
declared, sis by the commission method
There is no doubt about this being The
successful system. A city should be
run on the same lines as a corporation.
TO attempt to run a city like a Legisla-
lure is a method of the past, for we
have little legislative work to do. and IT
is no longer a sensible way for us to do
business. We are bound to come to the
commission system sooner or later, be-
cause 1t is the logical course and be-
cause the other has been a failure. We
may put off the decision now If we will.
hut in the end we are bound TO make
the change"
He went on to say that this was his
belief, though he was willing TO do all
he could to meet the other commissions
ers in their ideas. He would agree with
them on having a Mayor, he said.
Mr.. Hardin remarked that in the re-
vision of the charter of New York
there was a tendency to get away from
the commission idea. He added that
cities which had adopted that system
seemed to have become tired of 1t. Will
son j. Vance, secretary of the commits
sion. backed this statement by telling
of some of the speeches delivered at the
jamestown convention.
Another point in favor of his plan,
MIR. Riker said, was the check that
could be kept ON the administrative
and financial bodies, by one another.
The latter arm of the government, ac-
cording TO Mr.. Riker's plan, would con
sist of the Mayor and comptroller, with
whom the commissioners would sit in
meeting. He would give the first two
Ave votes apiece, and the commission
ers, of whom there would be five, ac-
cording to his plan. n each. This
would allow any two to over-rule the
third without giving the administration
division undue power in financial af-
fairs. At any rate he wished the Com
mon Council and the Board of Works
TO be abolished. City Comptroller j.
Harry Bachelor, to get things started,
moved that the charter provide for a
Mayor for a term of three years, but
later withdrew the motion.
The question of the necessity for cleo
ton from wards at all was brought UP
by former Mayor William II. #. Fled
Ter. who contended that at the last cleo
ton the voters decided in favor of a
smaller school board, to be appointed
by the Mayor without regard TO wards
He wanted to know why this would
not apply TO Aldermen as well. Thg
inquiry followed the presentation of Mr.
Bachelors plan for a single Alderman
to be elected from each ward, a Mayor
a comptroller, q general Council, 6
Board of Estimate and Apportionment
and a Sinking Fund Commission Mr.
Nugent confessed that, while he wa
not unalterably in favor of the ware
idea, he believed there should be som
sort OF territorial representation in thu
city government. The city comptrollei
contended that a smaller school boart
was not the result of the peoples laci
of interest in their representation, bu
because they were Disguised with thu
way the old board had been al
wanted any change hat promised bet
ter results,
Mr.. Fiedler's suggestion that tn
number of wards he reduced to min
met with the approval of Mr.. Riker
What he wanted. he said. was a smal
enough number to make 1t possible TO
each member to receive an adequat
salary. at least $4,000, so that he Nigh
devote his whole time to the cit!
business. The committee was APP