The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-02-21
CITY MANAGER
PLAN ADVOCATED
Ideal Government For Subur-
ban Towns.
INVOLVES SHORT BALLOT.
What the Plan 10 and How II Works.
Il 10 the outsrowth Of the Commits
sion Form, but Has Distinctive
Features.


The administration Of many of our
cities is conspicuous failure, writes
Harold j. Rowland In Suburban Life.
The deplorable fact is no less true of
many suburban town. We have
much to learn In this country about
municipal government But we are
learning Fourteen years ago the city
OF Galveston WIS devastated by flood
Out vi the ruin sprang into being a
new experiment in city administration
--commissiOn government. AS adopted
In Galveston 1t was an emergency
measure. but its success was so imme-
date and so sustained that its perma-
nency was quickly assured. Today
there are nearly 800 cities In the Unit
ed States which have the commission
form Of government
A year and a half ago q further de-
velopment Of the commission plan was
put Into operation In the little city Of
Sumter. 8. c. The plan did not originate
there. but in Lockport, N. Y. But the
bill which certain progressive citizens
Of Lockport caused to be introduced
into the New York legislature to au-
thorize the adoption by any third class
city Of the "Lockport plan" never sue
ceeded In making its way through that
medieval body.
Indeed. the new plan did not orig
mate in America at all Like many
/ raIt In
made IN Germany"
The most successful municipal gov
ernments in the world-th of Ger
many-are all directed by an elective
council which hires professional
"magistrat." an experienced executive
secretary, whose business it is to carry
out the councils orders. The profess
sion Of "magistrst" is one Of great op-
portunity and honor Magistrats who
succeed brilliantly in the administra-
ton Of small cities are called to larger
work and higher salaries In bigger
cities
This Is the essence of the Lockport-
Sumter plan. or. as it is better and
more descriptively called. the city
manager plan of city government. The
advent of the city manager plan is the
most promising single event In the his
tory OF municipal administration in the
United States Along the road which
1t points out lies the way toward the
elimination Of those disgracefu accom-
paniments of municipal administration
-inefficiency. extravaganza local and
partisan favoritism. ward politics and
graft which have made the govern.
ment of cities the "one conspicuous
failure of the United States" The plan
as 1t Is now IN operation will doubtless
receive many modification before 1t
approaches perfection. But it contains
in itself the essential elements out Of
which perfection may reasonably be
expected to develop. Nothing but the
exact reverse of this can be said of our
existing methods of municipal govern
ment. We may correct prevalent evils
from time to time by the traditional
method of turning the rascals out. "
but our efforts will in the long run be
useless. The fundamental structure Is
wrong.
What Is the city manager plan?
II is simply an application to the pub
lic corporation the municipal govern
ment Of the form Of management CON-
mon to all private corporations Un-
der II the administration Of the city
has two component parts the commits
sion and the manager The voters at
the polls elect the menIbers Of n small
commission. In whom are vested the
power. the authority and the RESPONSE
bility The commission In turn ap
! points a city manager. an expert ad
ministrator. who does the work To
him. Of course the commission dele
gates whatever Of the l"wef and the
authority is necessary To rnable him to
| do the work The uianagtr Is respon.
Sibie TO the commissions; the commits
siUners are responsible to the voters.
rhe commission corresponds to the
board of directors OF II corporation
tue city naiiagpi corresponds to the
| corporations general manager The
commission determines In broad out
ibt pun VIZ "hhNh tpN 10y a sAA
fairs shall he run The manager car
ries out the policy aud runs the affairs
The manager appoints the lesser city
officials, he hires the city workers.
The city OF Sumter In advertising
for applicants for the new position.
thus described the Job:
The applicant should he competent
to oversee public works. such az paw
ing. lighting. water supply. etc.
An engineer OF standing and abil
Try would be preferred
The city manager will hold ,otice 80
long as ne gives satisfaction 20 the
cOGDutsst01 s a.
He will hsve complete adminisrra.
tive control Of the FIFTY, subject to the
approval u the board Of three elected
commissioners.
There win be no politics In the Job
THE work will lie purely that Of an
expert. se
''TDcaI citizenship Is not necessary"
The city manager plan has all the
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