Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-12-01
Members of Paducah'S New
Municipal Board Gather
Many Facts.
TRIP MOST PROFITABLE ONE.
City will be the BenefactOr Of
Trip Made By MessrS. Burns,
Wallace, Martin, Hazelip.

AlleT SeNeTd udyS spent III SdSiSi-
ing first hand data on the science of
city government under commission
government charter Commissioners
elect Frank N. Burns, l.. A. Wash.
ington, George G. Wallace; Mayor
T. N. Hazelip and Auditor Thomas
T. Medley, returned from Lexington
yesterday morning. Commissioner
elect Don P. Marion did not return
with the others of the party, as he
stopped over in Louisville.
All the men returning have given
out expression of enthusiasm rela.
tive to the practicability of commits.
sion government and are convinced
that the few days spent studying the
highly successful operation of the
system in the Blue Grass" capital
will be of much benefit to them
when they begin to administer Pa
ducah's commission government
charter after the first o. January.
Besides visiting Lexington with
the others of his party, Mr.. Burns
made personal visits to Covington
and Newport, both of which are
commission-governed. He spent
Monday and Tuesday in Lexington
and Wednesday in Newport and Cow
ington, gathering much additional
information of value.
In an interview given to the News
Democrat yesterday, Mr.. Burns said
in part. relative to his visit to these
three Kentucky commission govern
ment cities:
81 made the trip and am glad am
at home. 1t was hard but pleasant
trip. We learned something every
minute of our visit. and it was an
intensive study of municipal prob
lens. / went from Lexington to
Newport, Covington and Cincinnati,
but haven't had time as yet to assim-
ilate all that was 'crammed down
me. 1t reminded me very much of
college days when we used to cram
or bone as we denominated it. for
an examination.
81 was much impressed with the
smooth running of the system at
Covington. There l had the pleas
ure of attending one of the sessions
of the commission. 1t was not I'M
like a meeting of board Of direc-
tors of a private corporation. Busi-
ness simplicity and absence of red
tape characterized the session.
"They call a meeting of the board
as often as anything of Importance
necessitates it.
"Covington is progressing under
the new plan as rapidly as is Lexing-
ton. In some respects Covington
and Newport differ from Lexington
in the administration of the new sys.
TEN. For example. in these two
cities the commissioner of public
safety has dispensed with chief of
police and has assumed those duties
himself. At Lexington they have a
chief Of police. At Newport the
city owns its waterworks, but in the
other two cities the water plants are
owned by private corporations.
The tax rate of Newport on $751;
100000, assessment is only $l.4O;
at Lexington. on $24. 444, 200, $1.75,
and Covington, $1.S5. The mayor at
Lexington told us he was going to
urge the raising of the assessment to
thirty million and the lowering of
the tax rate TO $3.50.
Each of the three cities has seq
regated the vice district. with the
exception of Covington. The COM
missoners in those cities were unani-
nous in the opinion that strict
regulation is the best policy. The
saloons are closed on Sundays in
Lexington. but open in Newport and
Covington. An indictment W S
sought by the grand jury at New
port against the public safety com
missioner for not closing the saloons