The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-15
TOO BUSY NOW TO
GET IN POLITICS
Members of Council Figure That
Present Year Will Be Busiest
Ever Known.

Each night this week there will be
one or more important municipal meet
iIEs at the City Hall. Members OF i'm
portant committees and of long ex-
per!ence IN the Council say this has
been tEe busiest winter in municipal
circles OF Their e&p-rlsnce-that 40
numbers of meetings has greatly muIlI-
pueu. and that the grown oil the city
mas aooed constantly increasing pro-
DiemR 10 be determined. Until the nrst
Administrative Board takes ONCE on
january next, members OF The Couu-
Gil lace mucn hard work and many oe-
nanus on their time, cunsIdeIlng mat
they receive no coInLensatiun. and can
oniy give the city's business considura-
ton alter their own working nuu,s
30 much municipal work has demanded
attention that Few Counci.men have as
yet been aDle TO do Inucn campaigning
for the spring election. the primary Tor
which Win come some ume in April
when the new Common Council or
twenty members IS TO be selected. and
when under the new plan, fully half
Of the present members of both
branches must be left at the post The
new Council takes office September l..
Ths first Administrative Board is
elected next November. and takes once
January / next
Mnny Demands on New Council
Even after the business OF the vari-
Gus departments is turned over to this
paid Board. membership In the Council
Will be 10 sinecuro, and Will demand
fully as high order of Intelligence and
patriotism as at present. Councimen
win no longer have contracts to award
and Will no longer have patronage TO
dispense, they will not sit on com
mittees to control the gas and water
works, or the street cleaning depart
ments.
But In the Council is left all matters
rela ting TO public service corpora TONS
the granting of all franchises. and the
relations OF the city with street car
railroad, telephone and lighting com
pani.s using the public streets The
Council also retains all of the work now
done By tho Committee on Finance In
Gliding the 1evying of taxes. the ap-
preparation OF money. and the issuance
OF bonds. Ii also retains practically all
of tho work now handled by the Com
mittee on Ordinances. Charter and Re-
form, including the enactment of ordi-
nances with penalty, the fixing of sal
aries. though this latter may later be
delegated to the Administrative Board,
and the consideration OF all charter
amendments. The present form of local
assessments for public improvements
If continued at all, must be handled by
the Council. but Is regarded as so
clumsy in its plan as to be more eX-
pensive In operation than were the
city to do the work outright, putting
into the actual paving OF sidewalks the
salaries of number of clerks now en-
ployed to keep the record of a most
complicated series of transactions oy
which this work is charged to the
| abutting property owners.
There Is especial need that the in
coming Council be selected of the best
material available. for not only will
that reduced Council have to conduct
city affairs single handed from Septem-,
Der to January, but it Is incumbent on
that COUNCIL TO prepare the way for
the new Board, and 10 adjust smoothly
with that body the new wheels of city
| government, so that all may move in
| harmony.