The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-11-30
Achievements Of Commission
Form of Government Cities

of the citizens.
Sewers in Grand Junction are built
by day labor at cost 20 per cent
below the usual cost.
Efficient system. Of garbage collec-
ton installed by the city.
Improved fire apparatus bought and
installed and the. city's Indebtedness
reduced the first year $4,000.
Wages for city's employees are fixed
at minimum Of $3.50 per day and the
eight-hour law is In effect. Thus they
have the minimum wage law and the
eight hour law in effect Duluth can
have the same conditions under the
proposed new charter.
Grand junction has had wonderful
growth since adoption of new charter.
EAU CLAIRE, WIS.
First year shows an increased sur
plus over. year before of $71,327.93.
This represents what has been saved
to the people Of Eau Claire in spite
of the fact that more improvements
have been made than ever before.
LEAvENWORTH, KAN.
Paid off $4,000 of bonds on which
the people had been paying interest
for 30 years.
lola, KAN.
Saved $32,741 during the first year
of the commission form Of govern
ment with better efficiency and more
improvements for the same amount of
money spent.
TACOMA, WASH.
Elected, through poor election laws,
a mayor and two commissioners who
were hostile to the commission form
of government. These men tried for
a whole year to discredit the COM
mission form Of government by mis-
management and by passing freak
legislation that would make Tacoma
ridiculous But in spite of their eff
fort the plans proved a success and
the people, getting tired of the game
recalled the mayor and two commits
sioners and elected good men in their
places.
SPOKANE, WASH.
The commissioner of public works
(who is Socialist) has made the best
| record for increased efficiency of any
department. He has adopted the day
labor policy of making improvements
| and by this means alone is saving the
per month! He has reduced the cost
! of asphalt repairs so per cent: He
has cleaned 4miles of streets at a
! cost of s6,250 per month, as against
Az miles that formerly cost the city
| $3.50 to clean. This saving could
| not have been made by any man un-
| der the old form of city government.
Recently Spokane took a vote to de-
| eide whether it should return to the
| old form of government, but the citi-
zens voted solidly against it.
! COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.
After IS months of the commission
! form of government the city clerk re-
ports that there has been a. saving Of
| 30 per cent in the cost of running the
city.
DALLAS, TEX.
, In force four years. Reports that
| more improvements have been made
in the four years under the commits
sion form than under the previous
| rule in 20 years.
Saved $4,000 the first year in run
ming expenses.
City started in with debt of $780,
575. At the end of the first year
the new council had reduced this to
$4s,373.
At the end of the second year, in I.
stead of an overdraft, the city had a.
balance in all funds. of $S79,492.
Brought the price of gas down
; from $1.35 per 1000 feet to SO cents
TOPEKA, KAN.
Former mayor was honest and t.f-
! ficient, but did not believe in the
commission form Of government. He
| ran for the office again, however and
the people elected him. After a trial
! of one year Of the new form of gov
! eminent he is now firm believer in
! 1t. The commission consists of:
A miller for mayor.
barber, commissioner of public
| utilities
former manager of an iron foun-
| dry, finance.
A storekeeper, commissioner of
! parks and sanitation.
A house-mover, streets and engi-
! neering.
The only ward in the city electing
two commissioners was an outlying
ward which previous to the adoption
! OF the new charter raised the loudest
! howl because it was sure it would get
| no representation in the council
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