The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-04
ATLANTA STARTS IN . BUS|NESS-L|KE WAY.
The Chamber of Commerce
 Drafts Commission Bill
PEOPLE WANT CHANGE
Bill to Be Presented to Forthcoming Legislature and Will Very Proba- 1. ply Receive Unanimous
 Endorsement

Atlanta, Juno s--(speoial.) )-There is to turn to the commission form of gov ernment, in the hope of getting certain things done which 1t has failed to get through the present governmental plan.
 Fridays chamber of commerce meet ing, at which President F. J. Paxon ap- pointed a committee of 123 Atlanta citi- zens to frame plans for a new charter along the commission government lines, is taken as an expression of the crys- utilization of public sentiment in favor of the proposed change.
 An overwhelming majority of those who attended the chamber dinner, composed of leading business men in all lines, ex- pressed themselves as strongly favoring a commission government and as ready to work to that end.
 Those who have sounded public senti- ment through casual conversation make the assertion that the people of the city are largey in favor of the change.
 James G. Woodward, twice mayor and a well known Atlanta politician, whose position on the subject is not known, but who is believed, on political grounds, to oppose commission government, has stated that in his opinion the people of Atlanta stand four to one in favor of it.
 Like expressions are heard from others who have made inquiry, and there seems to be little question that If left to pub lie ballot, commission government would go in like flash.
 5no +o ha hot with commission form of government there would be a pairing down in expenses wherever anything could be conveniently Topped off, with the result that the city could have more money with which to meet the expense of necessary projects that are now to large extent neglected.
 For example, there is the garbage problem which is giving no small con- cern. No relief has been given by the present city government from the IA dumping grounds located in various sec .tions of the city and into which hundreds of cart loads of trash are being dumped every day. There are many who believe this is a serious menace to health and yet the city does not seem able, under the present plan, to find the funds with which to provide adequate remedy.
 There there is the Grant park zoo, to which council recently gave only the small pittance of 5000 for maintenance. The park commission came to the con- clusion that it might as well abolish the zoo as to try to do anything on so small sum, and if an additional amount is not given, it Is altogether likely the com mission will let the matter take that course
 It is matters of this sort which have, perhaps, more than anything else, got the public stirred up on the question of commission government; for, so far as has been made apparent, theer has not in years been any serious graft in Atlantas s municipal administrations
 But the chamber, of commerce crowd and others back of the movement mean business. It is proposed that the commit tee shall meet at once, prepare details for a new plan of government along the com mission line, and, if possible, present a bill for the necessary charter amendment at the coming session of the legislature.
 To do that would require quick and en- ergetic work still it is possible to push 1t through, inasmuch as there has already be n laid a foundation in the work of the city charter commission of one and two years ago. The last charter commission had before it charters both for commis- sion form of government and one on preesnt lines brought up to date. It side tracked the former and adopted the latter and then the city council pigeonholcd the paper it had adopted.
 It has been practically impossible for the city to secure any radical changes in it's form of government during the past ten TO twenty years. On three occasions within a dozen year sefforts have been made radically to amend the city's char ter All have failed because they didn't suit the city council. The proposed new charters were immediately pigeonholed after much pains and labor had been ex- pended upon them, and that was the end of them.
 This time the people appear to be walked up on the subject and 1t is hardly likely they would submit to any pigeonholing porcess If council won't put the mat ter up to the legislature, some other way will be found of doing it. There is no doubt now of. the fact that it is going to be done, if not at the coming session, which Is close at zhand at least by the summer of 1912