Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-12-23
GOVERNMENT BY COMMISSION.
WHAT HAS IT ACCOMPLISHED?

900 and place balance in the treas
ury. In Sioux Falls, Iowa, city ex-
penses were decreased through the
consolidation of offices, there was a
definite Increase in efficiency in ev-
cry department Of the city and pub
lie improvements were stimulated
and conducted on business lines and
a coherent plan. Leavenworth, Kan
sas, has paved more streets since it
adopted the commission plan than it
paved in all its history before.
Columbia, South Carolina, has civil
service for police, fire and health de-
partments; initiative, recall and re-
ferendum. Ward lines are obliter-
ated, councilmen being elected, as
the mayor, at large.
In the old system there was a little
or no grating, just incompetence
or indifference, lack of definite re-
sponsibility; this unbusiness-like
system resulted in waste, thousand
little leaks. There were jealousies
and chickering's among aldermen.
All that is changed. In ten months
for the first time in many years the
city wiped out a floating debt of
SIS, 900 and got on cash basis. No
debts. No appropriations over
drawn. Every councilman publicly
known to be responsible for the con-
duct of a certain department. The
waterworks instead of showing a
deficit of $4,000, to be paid out of
general taxes, is paying expenses and
beginning to show a cash balance
Besides $25, for street cleaning
and repairs, 100000 was appropri
ated for expenditures in 1912 fol-
permanent improvements, all out Of
current receipts. Next year the city
will appropriate $115, 900 for such
improvements.
In Trenton. New Jersey. open com
petitive bidding has been adopted
for contract work; city advertising
has been placed on a business basi
at saving of several thousand dol
lars annually; legal department ha
been established; a city chemist ha
been included in the personnel o
officials; theatres and moving pic
ture houses are kept under stric
surveillance; all city bills are pai'
promptly; city business is transacte,
more quickly than ever before an,
all employees put in more time a
their work than ever before.
In one year in Montgomery tn
commission completed street i'm
provements valued at $73, 248. /
supplemental water power plant t
deliver water for commercial pur
poses was also completed.
The police and fire department
are the pride of citizens. The police
departmt MT embraces rs men and il
equipped with patrol wagons, bicy
cles and an alarm system. The fire
department is equipped with moderr
apparatus and is being gradually
changed from horse trucks to motor
trucks.
In Memphis, Tenn, the commission
reduced the city tax rate from Sl.7t
to 1.59, the latter being the lowest
in the history of the city; secured the
construction of $3,OOO,0O0 of sub
ways, now being built, something
administrations tried in va n fol
twenty years to do; constructed 6(
miles of permanent street paving; 81
, miles of sewer, and 100 miles of five
/ foot sidewalks.
In Yankton, South Dakota, The
commission has built a large amount
of cement sidewalks and has made
considerable extensions to the water
: works and sewer systems, also ar
ornamental concrete bridge. Dur
ing the same period the city's in
debtedness has been reduced severa
thousand dollars, and the tax rat
: has been slightly reduced.