Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-02-18
japanese City
administration

am returning to Japan somewhat sur
prised at how little we have to learn from
the west regarding the administration of
cities on a business basis. That is the
basis on which we run them. They al
ways have been business-like. We have
no parties. We nave no Tammany. /
know Of no graft. no dishonesty, no excess
OF taxes for city purposes. There have
been no municipal scandals.
You speak in the United States some
what disparagingly of Government by the
press" With us, the press, always watch
full and critical, is our safeguard. Really,
is 1t not very like that in your country?
One law governs all Japanese cities. 1t
was drawn by a German jurist before We
gained a national constitution, and al
though modelled after the German method,
it does not fit our present conditions. In
the last parliament an effort was made
toward changing ii. Change is always diff
fcult with our people. Everything has his
torical value. A law that has been in
force many years becomes beyond re-
proach. 1t has been handed down; 1t has
the sanction OF the ages. We shall try
again to make mod~ification-for the op-
position, the effective opposition, does not
lie in the people. 1t lies in what you call
the interests"
For this is the scheme of the law OF
cities. There is a local assembly of 90.
mere are our WdtuSt INOIlu, EdSly oOuNh
and West. Each is entitled to proportion
ate representation. Each one of the 60 is
elected for six years. Yet only half the
assembly is elected at a time-once in three
years.
Once in three years the citizens whose
representatives are retiring choose their
successors by writing or a slip Of paper
the names of a number of candidates corr
responding to the vacancies. Those which
have the largest number OF votes are de-
clared chosen. Any independent citizen
who is q taxpayer over % years old may
vote. Whoever does not own LAND may
obtain the right to vote by paying poll
ak.
once in six years the city assembly Sc
lects three candidates for the office of
mayor. Out of these three the minister
OF home affairs, an officer of the national
government, makes an appointment.
There Is one vice mayor, sometimes two,
Usually the two remaining candidates, af-
ter the appointment, become vice ayers
but the local government or prefecture
may endorse or not this selection of the
vice mayors. All these, assembly, mayor
and vice mayors are salaried.
Above the assembly is a city council OF
nine members. Councillors are without sal
airy, and may be elected from the citizen
ship without interference from the ma
tional government. OF course many would
/ prefer not y SeTNHs lHOSe are IHe men
we desire. Men so prosperous in their own
business that they would rather not d.
vert their time from those businesses.
Our people are very public spirited. Yet
while they will go to war willingly for
the country they hesitate to aid the city
in the direction of self-government. You
understand they are used, through long
years. to being governed. 1t Is hard to get
them to undertake government them
selves. That's why we find distractions
to the program in parliament to Civ more
home rule" to cities. Our people are still
in the habit of being governed, instead OF
governing. All, in all the country, are
still ruled practically as If they had no
voice in the matter. The parliament Is
not responsible to the citizens. 1t is re-
sponsible to the sovereign alone.
All franchises in the cities are granted
by the nation. Cities. however, control
their own streets. So when an American
company gained a concession from Toxic
to light Osaka with gas, we said: well.
you will have to utilize our streets for the
pipes, and for that use you will have to
pay the city"
Direct ownership is part OF the new
~paternalism of the central government. 1t
has been taken up by the subdivisions;
the communities formed in cities. Just as
salt, tobacco and railroads nave been ma
tionaiizcd. SO about all city convenienoss
llaNC DOSiA hhA"'StPS'N~N ~ $40 "thAh
nal profit,
When l wa vice mayor I went so far
as to induce the municipality to buy a
hotel. 1t was the orly foreign hotel, and
it seemed we'll for the municipality to
manage it In its own interest. Good hotels
aid a city. But perhaps / went too far.
The new administration has sold the hotel
back to its former private proprietors.
We municipalized the cemeteries and the
crematories. l thought the burial places
should belong to the city. Isn't it a bad
thing that money should be made out of
bereaved people?
See what large spaces you are using in
American cities for graves. for private
profit. In Osaka we now make the
charges Just enough to cover expense. The
highest charge for ~cremating is 81, and
for cemetery lots 50 each is charged. These
prices are for the rich. For the poor they
are less. Consequently there are no Pot
ter's fields. 1t astonishes me that you are
not favorable to cremation in your coun-
try. In ours it has long been a part OF
the Buddhist religion.
Osaka is a city the size OF Manhattan
Island. with 100000 population. It is the
greatest manufacturing center of Japan,
and, in a city of that sort. the first need
Is transit. So we got authority from the
national government on construct rail-
ways.
Money for than was borrowed in Eng
land at 6 per cent We are, with IL
miles OF track, making IL per cent, or 6
per cent after payment on the loan. There
has been no graft, and no Sinking by
workers.
We got $l.250,W0 from street w
which wanted connection with our rail-
ways-to connect from Kobe, Kioto and
other cities. Streets had to be widened
to admit them, so we charged them the
cost. The cost was 81, $4,000 for the three
different railways.
OF course we had municipal water
works. 1t Is not legally possible for pri-
vate companies TO supply water in Japan.
Recently we bought from a private
company the ferry. You see our COM
panies do what the government says they
shall. We merely passed an ordinance
that after a specified date the ferries
should be managed by the city for it's
people. The only objection to the munich
pal ferry is that 1t ought to be operated
free-like a bridge or the extension of a
street.
We furnish from the excess generated
ror the efraaf raflwav atacfrfo 49, 49,