Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-01-30
Il Tlisgai ~ 60 as
Il fUul-.d d l,'yliG !.
High Personal Cllsr~s.1 Oil lot
Insure Business Efficiency.

works & sar Il WAISTS and Ruin
Negative qualities q c.aeisls Re-
sporsible Fcy Mrbiis's Extrassgant
| Neglect ef cossly Plant.
| Mobile. Ala. bulit its waterworks
| In 1899 III a cost of $4,000, which
has been Increased 70 more than ST.
po0. 600 In extt aSidns. One would nat
urally suppose that an undertaking In
which SO zach public money was In
vested aud apon which the health,
comfort and safety Of the citizens so
largely depend would be conducted
with at least semblance Of business
and engineering ABILITY. Yet an inves-
tigation Into It's management has dis
CLOSED condition Of carelessness and
neglect that Is appalling. In report
TO the council the mayor says:
"The engineer did not take the day
watch and slept practically through
out the night watch. leaving the
pumps in charge Of negro help. and In
fact bis general duties were performed
lin way inimieal to the best interests
81 tic city,
Ihe superintendent apparently did
Inet tgatd il as a part Of his duties 70
Ess. tsi ths machinery was properly
ma Il member Of the water
oaaa.itgee OF the council stated,
later hearing the mayors report. that
lif there had been a meeting Of his
leoisslittee III the last two years he
lllaGs. heard of 1t.
At the same time citizens COM
miftce presented report Of an inves-
LEGATION along other lines. 1t showed
that there was on hand at most only
1900 tons OF coal instead of the 5000
tons called for by the engineers own
figures 1t demonstrated that In four
years the cost of pumping per million
gallons had increased nearly GO per
cent. although 1t should have dimin-
ished, as the amount pumped had
more than doubled. 1t further called
attention to the facts that there were
no scales at the plant to check coal
GAiNDdrtos Ahstt tbC ihtSS w 49, sos&A
classes of consumers were obviously
unfair ard that the reports for the
last two years had been so lacking in
details that they are useless as afford
ing basis for ascertaining whether
the plant has been honestly and prop
erly operated.
Commenting on the situation de-
.st.a tat nit nj
Mobile writes:
4sI'his is especially bad because the
personnel Of the Mobile city council
and Of the mayor Is of the highest as
to Integrity and the freedom of the
management from petty policies"
Good men. bad management Gu
rieus combination, Yet not so strange
when one considers that each one OF
these good men gives only small
traction of his time, attention and
ability to the work Of the city be-
cause his heart is IN his own business
or profession. Mere goodness free
dom from graft and unworthy mo-
fives--is mighty poor equipment for
running million dollar business, or
any business for that matter. To make
any business successful requires posi-
tive qualities in the management and
these qualities are usually available
only at price which our cities do not
pay. Plenty of good business men are
elected TO city councils, but they cease
to be good business men the minute
they pass the door of the council cham
Der. They don't give the time and en-
ergy necessary to learn the city's busi-
ness as they learned their own BUSH
ness, and no amount of ability In some
other business makes up for lack
fof knowledge of the city's business:
hence the usual result good men. bad
4 management.
There are. Of course exceptional
cases where men of high character
and ability are able and willing to de-
( vote large portion OF their time 10
the work Of the city without thought
of compensation. But the more fire.
qHent exceptions are those cases in
which men Of ability. but lacking In
character. devote enough Of their time
ITO the city's business 10 master II thor
oughly. not, however that they may
conduct IL economically and efficient
". but that they may utilize It 10 the
benefit Of their own pockets or politi-
cal ambitions. One such man can
wind about his fingers dozen "gocd
men," whose real interests lie outside
the council chamber The story Of the
failure OF municipal business under
takings can usually be summed up in
one Of two ways indifference on the
part 0f all Of the council or indiffer-
ence on the part Of the good men,"
roupled with malevolent interest on
the part OF fhe practical politicians"
Another case in point IS Toledo, o.
Brand whitlock. disciple and success
Or Of Golden Rule Mayor Jones. is
undoubtedly good man, but while he
mas sat FIJI the city hall, inditing beau
tiful theories on good government. tho
abolition OF Especial privileges" anc
the curling cf cornarations his subor-