Norwich bulletin., 1911-02-01

pOslt1ng or these funUS. MT. SaFy Do- lieved that the present deplorable con dition relative to the water supply
 would not have been possible under the proposed charter. Difficulties with the water supply question have kept the city in a turmoil for ten years.
 MT. Cary said that the provisions of
 the new charter placed the respons1-
 bility in each department on one man,
 who would be subject to recall by ten
 per cent. of the voters while five per
 cent. of the voters is all that would
 be required to get a proposed ordin-
 anee before the board.
 MT. Cary said that some features Of
 the proposed charter are different from
 those of other cities of the commission
 form of government. Charters had
 been secured from Galveston. Des
 Moines, Berk1ey, Cal, Haverhill, and
 wich commission had been to overcome
 the defects in these. as well as to in-
 sert new ideas. The proposed charter
 guards against deadlocks in the dis
 tribution of offices and has many
 other features to commend it.
 Government Nearer to the People.
 Hubbard R. Norman said the object
 in framing the plan was to bring the
 government nearer to the people. It
 would promote publicity in relation
 to city affairs and would establish the
 initiative referendum and recall; he
 believed it would be the means of in- tereSting a greater number in the ad ministration of the city affairs. Pub- licity would be the greater feature of the new charter. and a powerful sen tinaent had already manifested itself in its favor MT. Norman said he did not consider the scheme perfect. but the essential features are wanted
 Present System Wastefui.
 Ia thaf c1, member of the commission had taken up one line of investigation. He, therefore, discussed the financial feat ures of the subject, recommending the standardizing of the method of keep ing the city's accounts. The present system is wasteful. He said that the fiscal year in all departments should end December 31 He believed in a centralized keeping of accounts and in centralizing in the purchase of SUD- plies: in operation without duplica- ton; in effecting system of economy Statistics of the Commission. As secretary of the charter commits sion, Herman Alofsin, End. gave the committee some interesting facts rel ative to the commission form of gov- ernnent quoting statistics from cor | respondence that he has received from many sources relative to important l points under the suggested form Of 1 government. He read several ques- l tions that had been framed by the 1 commission and sent to many persons l asking for replies. Out of 10S per sons asked if they believed that the i business of all city departments should 1 end their fiscal year at one time, l0f ] answered yes, though there was some ! difference of opinion as to the tlme l they believed all financial accounts l they believed all finincial accounts | IJcrht fn ha InT in r.1l l per cent. answered yes majority | sent favora ole replies to the inquiry as 1 to whether it would be advisable tt 1 have a central purchasing department | for supplies, and that it would be g 1 great saving to the city Tine matter l districts MT A1ofsin said brought fortf 1 great variety of opinions from those who were asked the question. There I was an almost unanimous yes" 025. 1 to the question ought officials and ent- ployees be removed for political req. sons. The merit system should be rh' deciding feature in making appoint ments. Mir. Alofsin believed in talk | ing the city business out of politics.
 Growth of Actual Conditions.
 General Wm A. Aiken prefaced hi ] remarks with Q fine tribute to th' ability of the members of the com mission. He told the committee he hat lived in Norwich since the civil wa and that he. had watched all move ments of aepubiic nature. He de 1, scribed Norwich as one Of the mos conservative towns in a conservative l state and that he felt that the pro posed charter was not growth O l theory, but of actual conditions H. referred to the city meetings to con | sider the matter and to the unanit. 1 of the electors in favor of it. H believed this to be a true index of tn feeling in his home city. Genera Aiken said that radical changes ar l needed in the fdndau u,entals of tn 1 city's government. It is time to d. l business on business principals. H cited the fact that more than 100 cit ies have adopted government by com l mission. General Aiken com plimente the Norwich charter commission a having evolved a masterpiece of thor 1 oughness He said, however, that how ever perfect form of governmen may be, it's working depends on mar and so with tn charter. General Alike read letter from the president of tn borough of Manhattan in and of hi facts in favor of the charter.
 Will Meet the Wants of the People Il Rev. Edward S. Worcester in Iii
 remarks stated that in the last resor
 everything depends on the interest an
 intellig gence of the electorate. Tn
 C
 been approved because of it's simpHc
 ity, the publicity it will give and tn individual responsibility that it i'm poses. The feeling of many person
 is that it is no use to give time administrative affairs because they ar
 so intricate In simpler form the inter
 est of a greater number would be at
 tracted, the Rev. MT. Worcester be
 lieved would be the effect in Norwich
 The grea test number of the peopl
 would still prevail in affairs in ever , case under the new charter action be
 ing regulated by majority Vot - even to the recall of the charter il } self, should 1t prove unsatisfactory. Charities Features Emphasized. Rev. P. c. Wright discussed the ne . plan from a somewhat different ang than the other speakers. He said r : had been a resident of Norwich fe nine years and was interested in il public affairs. He said he did nt
 hope that new charter would core,
 l every error. but he believed 1t EOul improve in many ways.
 . He said that during the nine yeal : of his residence there the city had bee brought into several situations tn; might be remedied through such a for 7 of government as the one propose The citizens might be given an oppol } tunity to express themselves and t after five years they were dissatisfie 5 might return to the present charte 7 Taking up the public charities feature - Rev MT. Wright said that partisa politics in relation thereto Sofnetim ? creates serious conditions of affair $ and cited incidentally the fact that u f outside poor account in Norwich h : year cost several thousands of dolla . 1 more than in the larger city of Ne ,txtf- lt..f rt4r