Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-10-23
mis&sSsD
eaIsSl,
Short on Argument.

Commenting upon an editorial in
the Herald OF last Monday, advocat-
ing the commission plan of city gov
eminent, the Grays Harbor Post
says
The Herald is impulsive, if not it,
logical 1t acknowledges in its first
sentence that the present city gov
eminent is as good as can be Sc
cured under the present ward coun-
cilmanic system yet it wants a
change to an untried plan. The pres
ent city of Aberdeen has grown and
fourished under the old plan, but the
Herald wants the new. 1t is restless
and impatient, which makes its Ian
guage run into eXaggeration as in
the promise to manage the city for
80 to 40 per cent less money (taXes)'
with a commission under the Allen
law.
No one with an iota of business eX-
perience will accept this last state
ment as even plausible. The present
council and mayor costs the city
$3,600.00 year in salaries. The three
commissioners under the Allen law
will cost the city s6,50000, an added
legislative expense of nearly 100000.
The Capitalization of power in a
commission form of government did
not lessen expenses in Tacoma. 1t
has brought about undesirable fea-
lures in that city's government. The
matter is too important to Aberdeen
to be acted upon hastily. If We go
under the Allen law we are tied to
il for six years. A cautious survey
Of the situation would appear the in
The Post betrays a wonderful ig-
norance of conditions in Aberdeen, as
we'll as a paucity of argument against
the adoption Of the commission plan.
No one conversant with the records
of this city believes that it has re-
ceived to exceed 80 cents on the dol
lar of taxes paid since it's incorpora
ton, and to those who have studied
causes the fact is plain that fully 80
per cent of the waste is due directly
TO the absurd, outgroWn system un-
der which it's affairs were and are
managed
Take the North Aberdeen bungle-
not that it is striking example so
much that it is recent. A private
corporation would have repaired the
old bridge at a cost of $500. The es-
innate was that of Councilman Hits,
who recommended this procedure,
but was overruled by the clamor in
North Aberdeen for new struc-
ture. The ward councilmen scared at
the noise, proceeded to tear down the
old bridge, without having made the
slightest arrangement for new one.
The site was not even decided upon
and the shore right to swing it is
not yet secured Who is to blame?
The answer is easy, the system. While
the entire city is compelled to pay
for the mistakes Of it's council mem
Der may make as many mistakes as
he pleases, if his ward is favored he
has no fear about being retained.
Let the taxpayer see what this one
blunder cost him. The bridge, when
completed, will have cost, including
approaches, $4,000, in round figures,
the waste totals about $3.50 as fol-
lows:
Ferry, IA months at 1915. ..s5 $50
Loss Of time by ferry, (low es-
Inmates ........... ..... 800
Easement claim, neglected 49,. 1900
Total practically wasted. .... $3.50
Here the city acquires value of
$4,000 at price Of s15,950. represent
Ing waste Of over II per cent. In
other words the taxpayers of Aber-
deem receive less than 80 cents on
the dollar in this case. And, this is
by no means an isolated case. Scarce
ly an undertaking, great or small but
will show startling waste which If
cut out would materially lessen the
tax rate in Aberdeen.
There will in Eli probability be some