The Detroit times., 1913-09-25
WIN Be Taken Up By Commits
sion Monday Evening. and the
Plan Is to Submit IL to
Public In November
NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS
IN LIST OF REFORMS
Initiative, Referendum and Re
call Provided For-City OIL
ciab' Terms Four Years

Chs revision committees draft Of
ne new charter Is practically com.
pletA It Will be submitted to the
e0mmission next Monday evening.
NV changes are expected. and It ID
probable that the commission will sd.
36uru early In October, after setting q
pate IN November for q special cleo
tlen. 1t which the charter will be
adopted OF rejected.
The most important changes pro
3oeod are a. follows:
The city n divided into 81 wards
instead OF lS, the Seventeenth ward
being split into three parts and the
Eighteenth into two.
Election districts are not permitted
to have over 500 eiectou. n dis
tsaot grows to have more than that
figure. it, boundaries must Do
changed.
! City elections are changed from fall
to spring. The first election is to be
held In April 1915, and present city
io6ncers are to hold over until their
Successors, chosen In April. are inaug.
iurated. The nrst Monday In April Is
election day. City ofhcers are to hold
spface for four years. instead Of two.
There viii be no city primary. a.
me charter provides for the non-par.
tisan ballot, with the preferential
vote. Nominations are to be by petit
ton. Five hundred signatures are re-
'Quired to nominate q candidate for
mayor: 200 for other city Offices;
, 200 for every ward candidate.
The names Of all candidates are to
be printed on the election ballot with
out party designation. Spaces are TO
be left 80 that the elector may vote
for his first choice and his second
choice. In another column he may
mark q preference for any or all OF
the other names on the list, or, II q
man II o candidate who IL inaccepta-
BILE under any circumstances. he may
leave the column blank opposite his
name. The system sounds cOmplt-
Dated, but In reality 1t is very simple
The charter provides that when the
polls CLOSE. at o'clock In the even.
ing. those waiting In line outside the
booth may vote, and directs that q
police oficer see that no others join
the line.
II any person receive more than
one-half the ballots cast, as the first
choice Of the electors. he 10 to be de-
clared elected. II no one receives
half, the second-choice votes are to be
added, and the man receiving the
highest number Of both first and sec
cnd-choice votes Ia declared elected,
n his total Is q majority. But II.
still, no one has q majority OF the
votes cast, the other choices marked
are to be counted and added to their
totals. and the candidate with the
highest vote Is then declared elected.
This, also. sounds complicated, but
Il II not as difficult as 1t appears.
The terms OF city officers are to be-
gin on the nrst Tuesday in May, fol.
lowing their election, and are for four
years, except those Of the recorders
court Judges, which are for six years.
On petition of 25 per cent Of the
electors who voted for mayor, an OF.
ncer II subject to q recall election.
Salaries are to be as follows: May
or, $4,000: city clerk and city treas
urer, $1,000; aldermen, $2,5O0; cor
poration counsel. $500; each railway
commissioner, $4,000; commissioner
Of public works $500; park commits
sioner, police commissioner. superin
tendent Of the House Of Correction
and health onfcer, $4,000.
The common council 10 to consist
OF one alderman from each ward, or
81 members, instead Of SO.
The council may refer any ordt
nance to the people for adoption; anu
on petition Of Ave per cent Of the
electors, an ordinance must be refer
!. red to the people for ratification. Pro.
vision 10 also made for the initiative.
The board OF estimates Ia abolished.
The budget, after passing the council.
goes to the mayor, who may increase,
decrease or wipe out any item. The
budget then returns TO the council.
which may reject the mayors findings
only by q three-fourths vote.
The council IL given power to de-
4ne the denomination of city bonds.
The interest limit IL fixed at Ave per
can't instead Of four.
In the police department, . new Of.
Aosr, known ~ the deputy commits
aiouer, II created. He IL also to DO
property clerk.
a new department of public safety
b created, having control Of inspec-
lion Of electric wires, buildings.
plumbing, drainage, gas water.heaters,
boilers, steam machinery and the IL
sue Of licenses. The department II
divided into Ave bureaus-electric In.
speotion, boiler inspection, plumbing
inspection, building inspection, and
signal service. Each bureau 10 to b
n charge Of superintendent
Provision 10 made for the street
halfway commission, according to the
terms Of the charter amendment
adopted last fall.
The water commission n brought
under the city government. It 10 now
q separate corporation
A recreation commission II created.
% have charge Of Fairgrounds. indoor
recreation centers, debating clubs.
6yWnasiums and private baths, and
% inspect and regulate commercial
amusements for which licenses are -
CURED.
A department Of labor welfare 10
established, with . single commis-
pioner at It's head, and an attorney to
assist him, to adjust differences be-
tween employer and employe, and to
ave advice to workingmen. Questions
Of social vice may be investigated ~
che department. nj may be assistoo
y this courts By citisens, serving
without pay. The commission, With
~ oonncf1sa oon0nnt- may establish