The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-06-06
Commission Form of Government
Has Been Adopted By Sixty Cities.

The commission form OF govern
ment is becoming a national issue.
Already some co cities, representing
over 100000 people have adopted its
essential features. In Kansas nine
cities have adopted the commission
plan. in Texas 10. Boston. Buffalo.
Tacoma, ST. Joseph and Memphis
all cities Of over 0.OOO-have this
form of municipal government.
Everybody's Magazine for June con-
tains a story giving the experiences
of some of the cities. aud a resume
OF the experiences of all, from which
the following is taken:
In Houston, the first year OF the
new plan showed that the saving eff
fected had enabled the city to pay
S400 900 of Indebtedness, while the
tax levy was reduced 20 cents on
the 800. At the same time the pub
lie improvements effected were the
greatest In the history OF the city,
and the appropriations for such work
exceeded the records. As one indi-
cation of the new order, l may men
ton that in one year Houston laid
six miles OF new street paving and
paid for IL without issuing a dollars
worth of bonds.
In Dies Moines, the general dis
guest with the old method OF govern
ment was so great that wheu the
question Of adopting the new was
being agitatei. placards appeared in
the streets bearing only the words:
at Can't Be Any Worse Than This, y
and all men knew and appreciated
what was meant. After a year OF the
new plan, the Des Moines Register
ami Leader. a newspaper of conspi-
cuous fairness, reviewing the advan-
tages and disadvantages OF the inno-
cation. concluded that "Des Moines
| Is. In fact, the most economically
AMI most honestly managed city OF
its size in the middle west" The
old city government had left affairs
in such tangle that an issue of $780,
900 of bonds to provide for the fiat
ing Indebtedness was necessarily the
first step OF the new managers; the
first year OF their work showed that
all OF this extravaganza had been ex-
cised, and economy had taken the
place OF helter-skelter extravagances.
Previously there had been in the
general fund an annual deficit OF
from $4,000 TO $4,000: this had
been converted into surplus; none OF
the funds reported a deficit.
The collecting OF license taxes,
which. with other duties. had been
much neglected under the old city
government, had been carefully look
ed after by the new. Every depart
ment showed increased efficiency.
and an increased total OF business
transacted at a decreased cost. Pub
lie Improvements had cost less and
had been pushed father. la brick
paving, for instance. the expense had
been reduced by seven cents a yard
and in asphalt paving by two cents;
and more OF each had been laid than
ever before. The cost OF curbing had.
been cut one and a half cents a
foot. Under the old government the
city paid TO the gas company SEA-
27S66 for 1,1l3 street lamps. un-
der the new s19.475.53 for Lie
lamps; under the old government
SIS a year for each street electric
lamp, under the new SOS.
In Sioux Falls. the new system
seems to be viewed with practically
unanimous satisfaction. Three re-
sultS are already apparent. There
will be a saving in city expenses
caused chiefly by the consolidation
OF Offices, there has been a notice
able increase OF efficiency in all the
departments; public improvements
have been both stimulated and con-
Quoted upon a coherent plan. the
business of the city is no longer
hit-and-miss affair. looked after at
odl times by men busy with other
occupations, but rational enter
prise ably managed for definite ends.
In the old days the city council
met once a month; the new commits
sioners or managers must meet once
a week and may meet at any time
by the call of the mayor or of two
commissioners. All meetings must
be open to the public-a dear relief
to the people OF Sioux Falls. for in
the old days there were "star cham
Der" OF executive meetings about
which the people we're allowed to
know nothing. 1.-THE difference be-
tween the old system and the new
system in Sioux Falls" said a resi-
dent, "is the difference between
chaos and order; between 20 men
each pulling in a different direction
and five all pulling in one"
Cedar Rapids affords probably the
best and clearest illustration OF the
practical workings OF the new idea.
Some of the achievements of the |
new system were amazing. and stag
gered even the most familiar with |
the slipshod ways OF the oil. For |
under the old regime the
city's revenues from the police
court and the police department |
amounted to about SIS a month.
When Business Democracy came a,
Il increased those revenues to 800 |
a month. and without increasing the
iSeets Howl Merely nv collacffng