Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-12-21
COMMISSION FORM
 ABLY DISCUSSED By Men Who Have Had Ex- perience With New Form
 of Government.
TELLS OF BENEFITS
What Has Been Done In Des MOines and Houston Through the New
 System.

First hand information from men who know all about the profitableness of the commission form of govern nent was received by the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago a few evenings ago. By Invitation, repre-. fentatives of two of the largest cit- ies in the country in which this gov ernmental system has been tried, John MacW car, of Des Moines, la, and H. Baldwin Rice, mayor of Houston Texas, told the club members at their monthly dinner what has been accom-. plished in their cities.
 Mir MacVicar advocated it's adop- ton by large cities, citing the gov- ernment of New York City by the mayor, controller, president of the councl and five burrough presidents as a practical example. MacVicar said: The idea that no branch O government can be conducted unless conducted onl the theory that the ex- ecutive. legislative and judicial fune tionsl rest in different bodies is argu- ed tn opposition to these new plans of municipal government.
 'It seems not to have occurred to our reformers and legislators that what S needed to get results is to center responsibility rather than di- vide it.
 Tells of Des M0ines Success.
 'The Des Moines plan simply in- wolves the placing of the city's gov ernment in the hands of five men elected at large. and without rela- tion to party All the other officers are appointed by this body and re- moved at will. The adya1tage is the removal of the city government from the county and state political organ izations By the elimination of ward lines it has created a united city.
 "The publicity which accompanies this plan places the control in the hands of the people and takes the government from the hands of pri- vate interests; a practical system of civil service improves efficiency inn ali departments: reasonable salaries are paid, and practically the entire time of the mayor and council is requir- ed for the city's serv'ce; improve ed bookkeeping and effic ent auditing stop many leaks.
 The city's expenditures have been kept within its income. The tax levy Is slightly decreased. For the first time in the history of the city it lives within it's income.
 '"rhis plan already has been adopt ed in 100 cities. the largest of whicl, is Buffalo, N, r., although in that city, because of lack of powers, 1t has not been put in operation ..
 Shows Benefits in Houston.
 Mayor H. Baldwin Rice of Houston, Tex, told what the commission form of government had done for his city in six years. There have been three great differences, he said. They are:
 Smaller number of aldermen.
 Power vested sn mayor, as in council, to dismiss any official with out cause.
 No franchise can be granted for more than 30 years. Every franchise provides for compensation to city.
 MT. Rice also declared that the new system had obliterated politics from the schools.
 When inausurated in 1905' ha said, "the present government had a floating debt Of s40n 900. The city had no credit In five years Hous- ton has pa this debt and has made permanent Improvements costing $1 - 550,000 besides paying nearly S2o0,00o bonded debt aud acquiring a surplus Of over $120,000 and the tax rate has been reduced 30 cents on $1o0
 Gas and Water Rates Reduced.
 Tn 1905 the price of gas was $750 a thousand. Today it is s1.05. and next year, Si, and the company pays the city 1 per cent annually upon its gross receipts. The telephone com panies claimed that they did not need A., 1~t- ast s,~