Norwich bulletin., 1910-11-15
Discussion on Proposed Charter
Two Hour Session in Town Hall-Report of Committee Presented and They Given Vote of Thanks Several Sections Taken Up-Final Action Deferred.

tions.
 The plan that we present here to- night is known as the commission form of government. Already some so 1 cities are working under similar plan, representing 100000 people, | Twelve states have passed laws au- thorizing municipalities to adopt this new form of municipal administration. In Texas Is cities use. the Galveston | plan In Kansas nine have the Des
 ,Moines plan. Boston, Buffalo, Taco- ma, St. Joseph and Memphis, all cit [ ies of over 100000, have adopted the
 commission government.
 The commission form Of government l originated in Galveston in 1900. when that city was destroyed by a flood. Chaotic conditions followed. The city l council proved unequal to the sItua- 1 tion. They were both inefficient and 1 grafters. The business men of the city | rose in a mass and secured from the 1 legislature permission to establish i form of city government unknown to l American soil. The city council and
 all other offices were abolished, and 1 five men were hired to manage the l city, just as they might be hired to 1 manage a great factory. The people
 who hired and paid the managers had | nothing to say about the manner of | work done except that when a man. 1 ager's term expired they could re-elect ! him or defeat him, as they chose. The i results were notable. The annual ex- | penses of city government were re- 1 duced one third; the city was saved l s1 1,000, coo; both the tax rate and the | city debt were reduced; new SyS- | tenn of sewers was established; the area of paved streets extended and 1 the bonds of Galveston, which had | been depreciated by the flood, once | more sold at par.
 Notwithstanding the great benefits 1 of commission government. d feeling
 arose that the powers given to the
 commissioners were so autocratic that no responsibility or authority remain | ed with the people to interfere and | place a check on officials and meas ures of which they could not ap- | prove.
 Consequently when another Ameri- l can city adopted the new form of municipal administration the farmers 1 of the charter placed therein the pro- visions of the initiative, referendum
 and the recall. These provisions pro vide that al lauthority rests with the i commissioners. as in the Galveston l plan. However, remOnStrance from | the citizens will stop any measure
 from going into effect until a vote has
 been taken upon it by the people. Any
 measure desired by til people can be presented to the commissioners by pe- 1 tition, and if not acted on favorably must be subnlitted to popular vote. l Further, any city official who does not
 satisfy the people in the conduct of his 1 office can be taken out of office at l any time, whether the reasons be in | efficiency, lack of attention to his du-
 ties, extravagance or dishonesty, as ! the case may be. This is the Des 1 Moines plan. The plan as tried in that
 city was successful. The old city gov | ernment left floating debt of $780, l 900. The new managers provided for
 an issue of bonds to take up this debt, 1 and then the city lived within it's in 1 come. Public Improvements were made l at a lower cost; brick paving was done at seven cents less per yard; the
 cost of curbing was cut down one and
 one-half cents a foot; the tax rate was 1 cut down two mills
 The many other cities that adopted 1 the Des Moines plan showed the same 1 or more beneficial results. We have corresponded with many of them: :
 Kansas City, Haverhill, Berkeley and 1 others, Every city that adopted the l plan provided that the old form of | government could be resumed if desir- 1 ed. No city has desired to do SO The new plan is exactly in accord with progress of democracy, and exactly in 1 accord with the plainest principles | of good business, good morals and good ] sense. Furthermore, taxes have been reduced uniformly in every city adopt 1 ing the plan.
 It may be argued that in the cities !! where the commission form of govern
 ment has been adopted there has been i an unusual condition of affairs not 1 duplicated in Norwich. Galveston with
 it's flood and San Francisco and Chel- ! sea with their confidgTat tions were so ] reduced by calamity that they were in
 a condition of direst extremity and the 1 citizens were willing to submit to the i new order of things under the circum- stances and so give up their represent
 ative form of government. This is ! true. but the modification of the orig l ciy "a na,1c i1, ] place of their representative govern i ment a most effective weapon in the ] silent ballot Nothing can be done without publicity and without popular
 vote if the same is demanded
 Present System Not Businessike. ! Norwich is not in the plight that /! Galveston was or Chelsea or San ! Francisco. Our city government has not been corrupt but has it been eff ! cient, busineSElike or economical? Our l city cannot issue bonds unless ap- ! proved by the people. bat We stand to- day on a par with Des Moinets as re- 1 gards floating debt With our present : high rate of taxation we are not paying i as we go. Through failure to keep within olm appropriations and by making public improvements without ! providing for the necessary funds we now have an accumulated floating debt l of S144300. with q bonded debt funded l of s291 ,000
 1 Furthermore no better argument for 1 the inefficiency of our present form of ! administration need be made than to ! cite the present conditions reia ting to ! city water. Who s responsible for our i present crisis? Can Vou place 1t on i any one individual? Certainly not. Is i. politics res Gonsibie for it2 Not wholly | Is it due to the fact that officials are : charged so often that q well considered l plan cannot be developed and execut 1 ed? Yes partly. ] contend that a far 1 lesser crisis than our water famine has ! driven other cities to adopt tie upw 1 form of city government recommen1ed { hers tonight
 In the Des Noines plan inc peoale i elected the principal paid officials such 1 as thes superintendent of streets tl1a l city treasurer. the chief of the police 1 department. etc, and the elective off cers gave their entire time to the city i business. This plan worked well in l Des Moines. but 1t wes found inefficient i in other cities and was not approved fv present and foFpler ofFicials Of Nor 1 Wich. New Haven. Mt. Vernon and other cities that we investigated The l duties of thr elective officers are legis- f latiFe as Wall- as administrative Ii 1 was found tAat q good chief of police had not the qualifications to manage q gas and electric plant: that q good superintendent Of the street had not I the required ca pacity for making ordi- 1 nances or managing city finances 1 Furthermore. no city in the United 1 States that has adopted the comnis- i sion form sof government has owned its