Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-08-21

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were fighting shy Of the proposition
Of investing ninety thousand dollars
in a plant for US, and yet today
many citizens are enjoying all the
luxuries attendant upon "city water"
and as rapidly as mains can be
built this opportunity will be extend
ed to every citizen. The commission
ers now in Office will doubtless see
the extension of mains over the en-
tire city, and it will then be simple
proposition to install a pumping plant
and before we have fully realized 1t
Mandan will have. a waterworks sys-
tenn of it's own.
On December list Mandan had a
floating indebtedness consisting of
outstanding warrants (Which the
holders had been forced to discount
at ruinous rates in order to get them
to float" at all), of $4,000. On
July LIST, after seven months of ex-
Fermentation with the System"
this Indebtedness has been reduced
to $4,000, simply by means of econ
omical administration of the city's
finances and without any additional
tax levy and at no time since the
Inauguration of the system has the
holder of city warrant been obliged
to discount it in order to secure the
cash upon it; and before another
seven months have passed around
the entire floating indebtedness
should, and doubtless will, be wiped
out. 1t must be remembered in con-
nection with the reduction of the
floating Indebtedness, that for many
years the old council had at its COM
mand about $4,000 a year which was
derived from the 'soft drink" en-
poriums, and that the system has
been compelled to get along without
this source of revenue.
On the: other hand, considerable
sums of money have been realized
from sources ignored by the former
regime; for instance, complete re-
vision of the city ordinances has been
made, the offences that were left to
the state to punish or were left I'M
punished, are now made violations
Of the city ordinance; and the police
court has become source of in
come, ($600> having been collected In
fines in the past six months,) instead
Of burden as heretofore. Poll tax,
dog tax: pool table licences and sim
liar. heretofore neglected, indirect
methods Of taxation have been work
ed vigorously. and large amounts
have been realized from these
sources. s,~* ~
Under the commission system each
department of the city government is
under the direction Of one commits
sioner, and by the division Of the
task. among different responsible
heads it was originally felt that the
affairs ,of the city would be managed
in a more business like manner than
under the council system, and that a
greater efficiency Of management
could be attained. In the minds of
great majority: of the citizens Of
Mandan the system has proved to
be all that was claimed for it or that
was expected of it. This may be
largely due to the fact that the per-
sonnet Of the commission comprises
men Of the first Importance in the
community, practical business men.
without political axes to grind, who
are devoting their time and energies
to the betterment Of the city with
out compensation. But outside Of this
consideration the people of the city
are satisfied with the change and no
complaint is heard at home with it's
workings, and confidently assert that
the % system" has. come to- stay in.
Mandan, and that It Will not be
short lived" as prophesied in the.
interview referred to-. ssqy
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