New-York tribune., 1908-02-20
4 CITY INVESTIGATION.

The Page bill. which has just passed the
State Senate, provides for thorough investiSa-
1ion into the New York city government as
preliminary 10 the drawing up of a new city
charter. In no other way an intelligent re
vision be made. Great dissatisfaction is felt
with the present management Of the city. The
Controller publicly declares that I'VE are throw
ing money away" Yet he. as well as many
other members of the city administration, is
engaged i'll tevising ways by which the city's
capacity 10 borrow can be expanded by about
S200Oo0,OoN. Who will guarantee that this vast
sum will not also be thrown away: The city
debt is nearly as great as the national debt
and with the expenditures already authorized
viii exceed il; yet almost yearly some scandal
shows that the city is getting inadequate re
suits from this prodigious outlay. The pave
ments Crumble The fire hose is rotten The
fire alarm system is antiquated and unrust-
worthy And who knows where the next ev1-
dence will appear that. despite its prodigaIity,
the city equipment is of an inferior grade. that
everything has been scamped In the interest of
honest graft for the politicians:
Before new charter is drawn every effort
should he made to learn why these things are
so 10 ascertain if II is possible 10 check waste
and extravaganza by a proper instrument OF
government or if the fault lies in the men
VINO administer municipal affairs and. no mat
ter whit form the charter takes, the scandalou>
waste and extrava gance will keep on growing.
Thai vrouId seem 10 he the lesson Of all pre-
vious charter revisiOns. Of which there have
been many But no previous charter comlnIS-
sion has eyer cone at the underlying defects ot
municipal government in 50 thorough WAY rs
this proposed commission is empowered 20 do
IN the Page bill. This act provides that the
commission shall first investigate and find ont
IN detail what the faults Of the city govern
mont are and rhen rry 10 devise a charter 70
correct them Charter revision has hitherto
been chiefly theoretical II i proposed that tnlS
one shall proceed. so 10 speak. by the lnducuNe
method finding out its facts first and Then
dovising laws in accordance with them The
commission viii do for tne New J ork city gov
ernment what the Finance Commission mas
done and is still doing for the government oil
Boston.
The Page commission viii have the advantage
in is work of what has already been done tow
ara investigating the city government Last
zesr's Charter Commissions report is full ol
Iir-f4 77pou the general field, and the inYeSuga-
rion of the commissioners OF Accounts mo
Borough President Ahearn's office aoounds III
SUGGESTIONS showing the wasTeruIneSs ana IL
efficiency of municipal government Inc eAaln-
narion now being made into the Fire Depart
meur bv private organizations and by the 1oHl-
mis- .ig i
fa,,Irs tbere are and the investigation just be
er77n nv the Commissioners Of Accounts lnto
RornIab President Haffen's office Will indicate
what Darr politics plays IL producing waste
The Bureau Of Municipal Research Is constantly
ar work upon questions Of city government
belc occupied recently. we believe. IN the study
of the accounting system prevailing in the Con
rollers Office Its studies should be exceedingly
belpfuI TO the commission.
No more important work lies before The nation
today than the study of how 10 make municipal
government economical and efficient. Cities
everywhere are discontented with the results o1
+rair administration. In the South and West there
has heen a widespread movement 10 abandon sys-
-eTns of civ government like that in New York
for government by commission N imitation oI
the management of private corporations by
boards of directors Boston Is uncertain what
stems to take 10 relieve Itself of the eXhaustlh@
drain of politics Before the MaSsBcnuSetiS
LEGISLATURE is a bill extending the application
of -he Civil Service rules 10 heads OF city dc
rar-rnents. Everywhere there is an effort TO
make city governments businesslke, and rs
q preliminary to that here there is necessary
s77ch IN nvrrhaulinC Of the municipal corpora
+ion as husipess men would make IN order TO
e%a~4 economies in a business corporation.