The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-23
How to Cure Our Municipal Ills.

The ills of government of the city of Rich
mond are serious but readily cured by the appli
cation of remedy which has been successfully
used by the citizens of many other municipal
ties which have been afflicted as this city is now
This remedy is known as Efficiency.
Another Zimmerman administration will pro
vide no remedy for the improvement of the at
fairs of our city government, for Zimmerman
has been responsible for such conditions the PEG
pie of Richmond are now determined to eradi
cate.
Although Mayor Zimmerman is physician
and has been our municipal family doctor fol
many years, he has found the task of curing
Father Richmond of his ailments beyond his
skill. This is not strange because only the harm
full drug Inefficency has been administered the
patient.
So there is to be change of physicians anc
q change of medicine. There is no disputing that
fact.
William j. Robbins is to be called in for at
tendance on our bed ridden municipal govern
ment and the liberal doses of Efficiency he has
prepared should place the patient on its feet
again.
Henry Bruere writes in his THE New City
Government:
"Throughout the country cities sharply
challenging the old assumption that municipal
government is inherently inefficient. Growing
impotence with the handicaps imposed by Stat
ternly or corrupt government is energizing eff
fort to put municipal administration upon an
efficiency basis City after city is discarding
the old political makeshifts of public admins
tration to adopt business methods in imitation
of private enterprise. Success attending upon
this change is spreading country wide, as by
contagion, desire for city efficiency"
Richmond is not to be behind in this great
national movement. 1t has been affected by the
"contagion" Bruere speaks of and the prepond-
rance of votes cast in this city November will
be for new order of things municipal.
This new order of things calls for:
An executive who will devote all his time and
attention to his official duties.
The appointment of department chiefs not
on the basis of their political services to the
mayor, but the basis of their qualifications to
administer their duties inteigehtly and eff
GENTLY.
The installation of complete detailed month
ly reporting system by all department chiefs at
cabinet meetings, so that these cabinet meetings
may be made most effective agency for the
proper supervision of municipal affairs, and SO
that accurate data will always be at hand for
reference in the preparation of the annual
budget ordinance.
A complete reorganization of the street de-
partment by providing new bookkeeping sys-
tenn and the installation of daily reporting sys-
tenn by gang foremen, showing the work done
each day and the number of hours each employee
works. Also the preparation of comprehensive
program for the permanent Improvement of
principal streets and the proper construction of
macadam streets in residential districts to check
the leakage of funds for repair work; the estab-
lishment of modern street cleaning system.
A complete reorganization of the department
i've agency in reducing the death rate through a
of public health that it will become an effect
preventive system which will lessen the number
of cases of contagious diseases; to provide in the
reorganization of this department an efficient
system for the collection and disposal of garbage
to the end that garbage in all parts of the city
will be promptly and regularly removed and the
entire amount regularly disposed of by neces-
sary enlargement of the capacity of the crema-
tory.
Placing the police department on an eff
cheney basis to meet modern police requirements
by the addition of automobile patrol, which
can also be used for emergency purposes, and
the purchase of one or two motorcycles to be
used by officers in the patrong of large districts,
to enforce traffic laws effectively and to be used
in responding to emergency calls.
To place the public park system in the hands
of competent who will integently use the
park funds for the necessary improvements of
the parks, their Identification and the promo
ton of legitimate amusements, which does not
include merry go-rounds.
To appoint competent veterinarian as dairy
insnectnr