Arizona republican., 1913-10-06
STOPS WASTING
 TIME AND MONEY
It Has Been Found to Be Profitable to the Towns Where Business Govern ment Has Been Given d Trial
(By Henry M. Hyde in Chicago Tri-
 bune.)

(Ry Henry M. Hyde in Chicago Tri- l bune.)
 There are fifty or more suburban towns and villages within as many miles of Chicago, the executive heads of which spent practically all their daylight hours in the big city. Once 1 a Week-or once a month-the Chi cago business man who has been elected mayor or president of the board of trustees devotes a couple of hours after dinner to presiding over a meeting of the council or board. More than nine-te of the time the on-the- ground executive author | ity of these suburban communities is vested in a city clerk or some other subordinate whose best bet, when a : question is presented which requires ] immediate decision. is to refer it to I the next meeting of the council Since suburban councilmen and trustees are also generally Chicago , business men that simply cOmpH- cates the thing.
 { The case is the same as that of most American municipalities, multi piled by the continual absence of the responsible authorities.
 River Forest is the first subur- ban village-at least in Illinois-to i attempt to solve the problem in a radical way. Just little more than three months ago Karl NJ. Mitchell went to work as general superintend- ent of the village, empowered to set , tle without reference to any commit tee or other higher quality, practical ly all the questions which arise daily for executive action wherever more , than half a dozen people are gather ed together.
 Up to a year ago Mir Mitchell had been for sixteen years an employe of the Chicago Telephone company. He had experience in the department de- voted to the maintenance of the tel ephone plant, and also in the sys- tematizing of the complicated organi- zation of the company. His present salary village manager is $500 a year. It is too early yet to pass any final judgment to the result of the experiment. Nose of the vil- Iage trustees seem to feel that so far it has been entirely successful.
 Mir Mitchell has put into force economics in the hiring of village em- ployes which-if carried out to the end of the year-wilI save almost the amount of his salary. He has also been able to buy certain supplies for public use at less than the old prices. It is a perfectly natural thing that the influence of a boss who is all ways on the job should result in more and better work being done by all the employees of the village.
 The contractor who is erecting some large college buildings in the village
  perintendent helps him to get imme- diate decisions in a multitude of lit tie matters which, under old condt- tions, might take weeks to settle.
 There are, of course, objectors, there always will be. no matter what machinery of government is adopted. For instance, last April before the general superintendent was employ ed, the trustees passed an ordinance requiring all residents to keep the weeds cut about their places MT. Mitchell served notice on 1855 prop erty owners, covering about six miles of street frontage. At the same time it was stated that the village would be glad to do the work at a cost of cents a front foot. So far about 30,O0O feet of frontage has been clipped. 1000 feet by the village and 23,0O0 feet by the individual property owners. But there is one-and only one-property owner who declares that he will neither cut his own weeds nor pay the city for cutting them. He considers the general man ager plan of village government rank failure.
 John F.. Adams, who serves Chicago as principal of the Arnold school, IS president of he board of trustees of River Forest. Since the general su- perintendent went to work Mir. Adams has received scores of letters from town officials in various parts of the country asking for information and advice.
 There is even evidence that other suburbs of Chicago are seriously con- sidering the general manager plan as a way out of their present difficult ties Within a few weeks MT. Adams has addressed a gathering of men at Glencoe. on the north shore, on the advantages of the general manager plan-particularly as adapted to the
 (Continued on Page Ten.)