The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-28
SPLENDID PAPERS
AT COMMONS CLUB
PROFESSOR KIRSHMAN DELIVER
ED SPLENDID PAPER AT CON-
MONS CLUB LAST NIGHT, ON
SEGREGATED BUDGET PRoPo-
SITIoN-MANY WERE PRESENT.

A splendid paper on Segregated
Municipal Budgets by Prof. ]. e.
Kirshman, professor Of history at the
North Dakota Agricultural college,
was read last night before the Com
mons club which held it's regular
meeting 1t the Fargo Commercial
club, following the regular dinner.
A number Of guests were present
at the meeting of the club to hear
Professor Kirshman's talk which was
based on his own personal experience
as a member of the staff in one of the
| city departments Of New York City.
The paper was an interesting disc
cussion Of the administrative problems
Of New York. In part Professor
Kirshman said:
People in New York city are realiz-
ing as nowhere else in the country the
necessity for social action in solving
many Of the problems now confront
ing the American public. The more
human beings, the more does the ne
cessity for social action on a large
scale become evident. The largest
unit of social control yet devised is
the political unit. Before this creeds
and sects must wither; private phil
anthropic ~endeavors must diminish;
societies, associations, alliances and
SSNANA ShONPo VI 4iCILSfCL ldAtkS
known must recede; yes, even local
political parties must be forgotten.
The ever widening and increasing
functions Of government are compre-
bending more n more social en-
deaVor. The political and social phil
osophy of a decade ago finds today it's
expression in material advancement.
Few people realize the dimensions
of the activities of the corporation of
the city of Greater New York.
Eighty five thousand permanent en-
ployers draw from it's payrolls. It's
annual expenditures stagger the
imagination. One hundred ninety-two
million dollars was voted for the 1918
budget, $4,000 900 of which is COL
lected in the form of taxes on per-
sonalty and ordinary land and i'm
provements. The debt Of the corpor-
alton is still more appalling. March
81, 1913, the total bonded indebted
ness was $685. so, 747. OF this
amount $949,7 9 900 represents the
outstanding funded debt Jan. 1, 1913.
This is increasing since 1908 at the
rate Of $55,O 600, 900 per year. It's pres
ent debt is larger than that of any
other corporation, public or private,
in the United States, exceeding even
that of the national government. The
interest due on this ~stupendcus debt
excessive of thaut on revenue and spe-
Cldl revenue DonuS amounting TO over
800, 000, 600, for 1913 amounted to $33,-
454,S77, while that collected for in
stallments and redemption was So
796,439. If nc new bonds are issued
the city will continue to pay annually
for ten years to come an amount al
most equal to that of 1918. The next
administration is handicapped by an
inevitable minimum increase of $21,-
600, 900 over the last four years for
interest and installments. On the
present debt $780, 100000 in interest
charges alone will have to be paid.
besides the principal, before the debt
Is wiped out.
This increase in the expenditures is
taking place in spite of the increased
economy and efficiency in many city
departments. The issue in the i'm
pending city election is the economy
and efficiency, for no matter who is
elected this tremendous debt will keep
on growing and require strong admin
istrators equal to the task of control
ling the annual budget. 1t is fortu-
nate in this democratic age that the
officials who control the affairs of the
city are few and all elective. For it
is a fact that few appreciate that New
York city has a government by COM
mission in fact if not in name.
Specifically the problem is this: To
make the mayor the real as we'll as the
legal head Of the government by secur-
ing control of the twenty-nine depart
ments under him and for which he is
responsible, thereby making his office
the central controlling one of the city
government, and keeping in touch with
the business of the board of estimate
and appOrtionment.
Budget-making is in an extremely
backward stage in the U. S.. Most
American cities have a form Of budgest
but the methods and principles used in
setting it up render it almost useless
for administrative purposes. The state
governments are still worse off. none of
them having budgets, so far as l am
aware. MOI even our national govern
men has found it necessary to change
its present method Of l~og-rolling and
independent appropriations. Here we
are far behind most of the great ma
ions Of Europe, almost all of them
having the ~budgetary principle of
financial control. But we have made
a beginning. President Taft appointed
a commission on economy and eff
cheney, making Frederick A. Cleveland
of the New York Bureau of Municipal
Research the chairman. This commits
sion a several volumes in it's report
the burden Of which is ~budgetary con-
sideration. Governor Eberhart on Oct.
IA, 1913, appointed a committee of
thirty to make recommendations for
the revision Of the accounting system
of the state, mentioning specifically
the budget as needing attention. In
our own state the last legislature pass
ed a law relative to the budget, but
does specify that it shall be a func-
tional budget.
The New York city budget has been
in process of construction and Derfec-