New-York tribune., 1909-01-30
GOVERNMENT OF HUBHIT
FINANCE BOARD REPORT.
"Citu Council Dominated by SpoIs-
rnsu"-Unioue Charter Proposed.

meu-Unioue Charter Proposed.
Boston Jan. "a soorchins arra1snnen' o.
nearly every branch and department Oh u-e
,,tc,raT government of Boston and a recoiiiiiiei
a., eor q rev snd unique city charter are con-
rs.ned in the report which the hnance ooniiii'so"
r,-esented TO the Massachusetts DeglsIatute :" ~
The report q comprehensive document oi 49, oc
.har+y thousand words. is one OF the most ho'aole
oesc,a1 ,sners eyer issued in this city The COM
mission declares that the City Council IS oonlha'eo
by spoilsmen, that municipal appropriations or
strained Il tae limit In order 10 favor cohu
or give employment TO constituents tnat some oi
n. oarobes ,se their official places for pecuniery
sein and that the Aldermen ana Couhciilieil
as legislative bodies. are inteiiectoahy Gnu
morally incapable Of action IN the ln'eres's u ~
citizens at large
The commission also states that the number OF
ra,ncipal employees is excessively large and tnat
they practically control 1o.0e1 City Hair Votes'
thereby constituting menace TO good government
TIC rencr+ &c signed by six members of the COM
,,ission minority report fled by the seventh
member. John 2. Kennedy, the representative VI
the Boston Central Labor Union on the nnahCe
committee which says that 1T seems to nave
been the fixed purpose and policy Of my colleagues
chiefly TO dscredit the administration OF
ex-Mayor Fitzgerald and he adds, i am ho'
willing to Soin painting everything black ABOUT
single administration and in suppressing everything
rood rhet can be found in connection with IL nor
tsor,ne the elarfng defects and abuses that have
all others
NE
Fitzgerald December, 1907. and consisted ol eA-
Mavor Nathan Mathews chairman: George u
crocker John F. Moors. George A O. Ernst. John
& Sullivan Randall G. Morris snd John :. hen-
uedy J. Wells Farley acted as secretary
The commission finds that 'the city is not keep
,nz naca with its rivals in commerce in its in
tlustries that the population is nearly at stand
still and that there is little demand lot real eS
tate and almost none for vacant lano' ana IN no
uncertain words it proceeds TO lay bare Whal II
he fhe Cumbersome
chinery is condemned as preventing the nonllns-
ZION and election of representative men TO once
In the executive business too many departments
are found. and the officers are founo 4dchIle III
-rofessouai or technical skill, holding their places
through politics alone. An increase IN the nu1nner
and decrease in the efficiency Of the city employees
found. while II is maintained thet repulaoe Jus
ness houses have conspired 10 oelIdoo Hie S4e'
through coIiusive bidding The administration OF
1906 and 1907 receives the brunt Of the arralgnnent
In referring TO the Common Council the comrns-
sion says:
Its work on the annual appropriation bill con-
estimates the maximum amount allowed oy iaH:
patronage is largest Loan bills are log-roled LED
through with more REGARD IGf i Inc nessbtV Of Jobs
TIA for the needs of the city as whole
The commission charges that least $4,000 is
wasted annually upon superfuous ennp4oyes. gen
.-sIlv politicians retained TO aid the Counch IN
,be non-discharge of its duties" The report fur-
ther saws Of the Council:
Mary members spend their time in violating the
charter y besieginE the heads or departments "
employ yS 1Sn for the teneft of their political sup
porters and constituents
k7 Since 1855, the commission states. the debt has
~ been growing seven ana one-half times as fast as
the population
In discussing remedies the commission discaros
as insufficient the greater Boston plan, the eectFe
commission plan. the meeting plan. the state
commission and a radical change in suffrage
legislative changes
which summarized provide first. a snplifed bal
lot with as few names thereon as possible; second
rbe abolition of party nominations; third city
council consisting single small body elected at
large: fourth the concentration OF executive mower
and responsibility the Mayor; fifth the admins
trsti6n of The departments by trained experts, or
persons with special qualifications for the office,
and sixth full publicity secured through perrla-
nent finance commission
4 novel feature of the proposed new charter IS
the election and term OF Office of the Mayor He is
70 be elected at large for four years However. at
the end OF his second year there may be inserted
on the ballot at the time of the state cleo
ton the question. Shall there be an cleo
zion for Mayer at the next municipal cleo
tiea7' II the referendum is carried in the af-
frrnative there Will be election for Mayor at
the next following municipal election but the name
of the Mayor in Office shall be placed upon the bal
lot without nomination BY filing written notice
with the secretary of the commonwealth by the
Nayer tire referendum viii be omitted from the
state ballot in the second year. but the MayoF 3
term of Office thereby terminate with the close
of his second year. and the election held as If the
referendum had been accepted the affirmative, with
the exception that the Mayors name will not be
placed on the hallot at the municipal election ex-