Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-10


Bureau of Economy and Ehicioncv
1t sent to the state UNIVERSITY. f,-
Professor John R. Commons who
organized a municipal clesrir,
house of experts. When the GIN,
wants advice on paving, health
engineering or harbor problem thu
bureau makes study of the sinh.
ject with the cooperation of tho
best experts that can be found II
the country, and reports its find
ings to the city. Such studies bavs
been made on garbage disposal. tha
incarceration plant, on a harbor. on
health and hygiene, on pure milk
as well as on variety Of otbs,
subjects. Standards of cost haye
been established and departmental
efficiency secured by letting in tbs
light
Expert Ability Available.
We have the same expert ability
that Germany and England com.
mand, But it is excluded from ci-v
politics. And as long as question,
of policy or partisanship are de-
termined at the polls we can not
hope to displace the political mayor
by the trained official The Nil.
waukee plan for a permanent bu.
reau of experts offers a means ot
securing that which our cities nave
heretofore lacked.
But the reform that has done
most to simplify our municipal ma
chinery is the commission plan OF
city government. 1t is a short cut
to efficient, to responsible admin
istration. It sweeps away the COM
plexity OF the long ballot and the
confused charter, and enables the
public to locate responsibility. It
reduces the number of elective Of
ficials to three or five. Through the
initiative, referendum and recall. ID
destroys the power Of the boss and
the privileged interests behind the
boss. The commission plan may
not be the final form that city gov
eminent will assume, but It win
enable our cities to establish them
selves in the confidence of the peo-
pie. and that is what we most need
just now It was impossible to de-
veIop a city sense so long as the
city was distrusted, so long as the
public felt it should be shoru ot
power and limited in its actlv-
ties A healthy municipal life could
not exist under this distrust
This gives but an idea Of Mr.,
HoWe's delightful article.
Rule Applied to Atlanta.
Now. if we had any experts IN
Atlanta, selected by taxpayers 10
say what should go with their
money does anybody think they
would have discarded our garbage
plant for which We had just paid
$4,000 for one that cost over SS0D,-
600? No, An expert told me he
would have recommended that our
plant run day and night Ct has
only run by day) and that WclI-to-
do people be required to consume
their own garbage. The up-to-date
plan is very simple-a little gas
arrangement in the kitchen which
cats up anything from . dead dog
to its own ashes. When we get
our 100000 crematory, it will take
100000 for an outfit TO haul tine
garbage, which must now he
brought from Brookwood and
WestvieW and KirkWood and the
end of Marietta street-my! TAX
about congestion When this cara
van takes the streets people will
all have to sell their automobiles.
Let's turn over a new leaf right
now Let's get a clean, live, sue
cessful, up to date business man
for our burgomaster And then lets
away with our little old ANTICIPATED
charter, and our little old anti
quated methods. Let the city take
in the whole of Fulton county and
compel every landlord to furnish
decent housing for his tenant.
black or white. No wonder we rank
third in the typhoid cities of
America when we think OF the
thousands of human beings in tn
city herded like cattle When ~e
know that the servant in the
house comes to Us from these Ioatu-
some dens, shall We not in the
name of humanity demand
change?
The city Of Trenton. y. j., has
tried the commission form %.
government for one year Althous"
heavily handicapped by = deb,
nearly as large as Atanta's v''.
be next year. left by the outgou1
administrations they amount
that they have already saved up-
ward Of 500 900 Of the taxpayers