Semi-weekly herald., 1913-12-15
OBSERVATIONS
BY THE WAY

While listening to discussion of city
affairs the other day the thought
kept running through our mind-"the
ever increasing cost of conducting
public business" Where is the end !?
1t is one of the problems of the high
cost of living, and to help solve this
the Chicago Record Herald has been
running an article every day the past
six months and apparently is no near
er solving the problem than when it
commenced. Hundreds of thousands
have no doubt given care persual of
the articles but with no one to take
the initiative all the articles have
served to do is to cause people to
worry some and wonder what is to be-
come of the country? We are not
like some who believe this country
through its riotous living and reckless
expenditure of money, is going to the
dogs. Some agency is going to be
raised to solve the problem of right
hNiiS. iHe sstiHe Is lfue VI Siey,
county, state and national govern
ment. No matter in what department
of public business the trend the past
few years has been to an alarming
ly increased expenditure and necessar-
lily higher taxes. 1t is not the inten-
ton of the Herald to reflect on any
one of the present city commissioners
or public servants, but we are going
to moralize in public expression as
we did the other day, both in city and
county affairs.
To start with, we have three men di-
decting the expenditure of something
like $4,000 year in the city of Du-
range at an expense of practically $5,-
900 a year. Every one of these men
have an assistant, or deputy. In
listening to the mayor read the pro-
posed assessment for 1914 it was
simply amazing at the multiplicity
of departments even in a small city
like Durango and the thought occurred,
is there any way of combining and
getting the same amount of work per-
formed for less money. Under the
present policy, or law, there seems to
be strict segregation and no one
seems to be permitted to interfere
with the work of other departments.
Have any of our readers ever thought
that one man with a stenographer and
bookkeeper at wages paid by firms
around the city could do the work
that is being performed by the three?
AS to this we cannot say, but we
have notion it could be, and pos
sibly with great saving in the run
: ming expenses of the city. Tbs paper
favored commission government
three commissioners instead of five.
Now we are inclined to only one
Above we said it took three men to
spend practically $4,000 Il ear. The
income and outlay is greater than
this but interest is Il fixed matter and
should not be count,i in the general
run of business. Yesterday we pub
lished a synopsis of the proposed
new charter of the city of Montrose
wherein directorate of five is provid-
ed as advisors for a manager who
is to receive $1,800 year. This di-
rectorate is to receive ten dollars a
month each, adding $50 month to
the expense. In other words, the city
is to be run on the same principle as
corporations which have directory
and a general manager who looks
after the business. With capable as
sistants one man can look after the
details of every department in the
city of Durango. At recent cleo
tion the city of Pueblo by a large
vote reduced the number of commits
sioners from five to three. In some
eastern cities the manager plan is
being tried out and Dayton, Ohio, is
looking about for capable manager,
and if the right kind can be obtained
he will be given s25,OOO a year if
necessary. The people of that city
want results and are willing to trust
one man rather than dozen. Just
as we believe three men with fixed
responsibilities are better than eight
aldermen, we are beginning to be-
lieve that one man will be still bet
ter. Would the owners of store
think for one moment of hiring three
men with equal responsibility to run
their business, each man with his own
views, and what firm doing bust
ness of $4,000 or more year would
think of requiring the services of
more than one head man and book
keeper?
The above thoughts are sufficient
to start our readers thinking. Sup
pose they give the question some
study and see how near they arrive
at the conclusions to follow. The
matter of government is always the