The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-02-19
COMMISSION FORM MET EMERGENCY
SITUATION N SEVERAL CITIES

SIIUAnUk
publicity Committee.)
II commission form Of city gov
eminent cannot any longer be said to
be an experiment. over three hun
idred cities of which more than half
are larger than Grand Forks, in thir-
ty-seven states have adopted 1t. II
is in operation in seven cities in this
state and in as many in Minnesota.
Duluth and st. Paul are commission
governed cities.
Nearly every state has so amended
that the commission form may be
adopted, the remaining are fast COM
ing into line. The state of Pennsyl-
vania has recently made it compul-
sorry in all cities over 5000 and under
100000 inhabitants.
This form OF city government came
into use in this country RS an emer-
gency measure to replace a form that
failed under exacting conditions, and
in a large number Of cities it has been
adopted when looseness Of organiza-
ton, inefficiency and waste had all
but financially wrecked them. The
commission form did meet the emer-
!gency, and has cleared up the finan-
cial middle wherever tried, putting
the city government on a sound bus
mess basis, substituting a business Or
ganization for a political. one. BUSH
ness efficiency for political patronage.
If it is q good thing and a success
in the. worst extreme, why not as a
ton is superior to political organiza-
ton. in cases where the latter fails
altogether, why would it not be where
It is only a partial failure or indif-
ferent? e'e .
The political system Of municipal
government Is passing. The mayor
and aldermanic form is purely poll
tical. Every change Of administra-
ton means a new brood of political
Of the 'city's business. Experience.
efficiency, or qualification is lost sight
of. The whole organization in charge
Of the city's affairs. it's most tech
nical and special business as well as
the simplest job, automatically ter
inmates on a given day. The new
mayor out of his supporters organizes
a new set and things go merrily on,
because no books are kept that will
and bonding posterity can be made
to pay the bill.
If any man who happened to be
elected mayor had the power to Sc
lect from his supporters an entire
new staff, from office boy to manager,
Of the local gas and electric company
to take charge. letting the present
staff go, and in two years some other
man Of a different political faith anc
long would the company last? Ever.
should the fourteen aldermen elected
from the different wards Of the city
be around most Of the time directing
the new employees how to keep the
books, how to run the engines and
tend to other details how long would
1t last .s5, Ill
It is freely admitted that this would
not be business. But why the differ
plant, city waterworks, garbage coll
lection, maintenance OF streets and
sewers. or to the expenditure ef hun
dreds Of thousands on improvements?
10 In this city the mayor appoints
My or more employees. head Of de-
pArtments,, their s~ubordinates. once
girls. To make more jobs. depart
ments have been multiplied. Three
departments with al many heads
management. effciency would~demand
1one head. Duplication of work and
responsibility is the rule, correlation
and studied efficiency is the excep-
ton. -. .
The fourteen aldermen meeting,
once a month for a few hours pass
lon the mass Of business done by APP
pointees OF a third party. the mayor.
OF recommendations Of it's own COM
mittees. Any one member knows lit
tie or nothing about most Of the bust
ness, he has to take for granted that
it is as represented. The whole ma
chinery Of government 10 80 intricate,
Involved, and cumbersome that there
is not time to give anything mature
consideration. ~. -
Each alderman is~only one In four
teen; his RESPONSIBILITY is lost in the
number NOR can he Justly be held re-
sponsible for acts Of men, depart
ments or numerous branches Of the
city government Of which he has had
little or no say in the election OF
management.
The commission. on the other hand,
is a small compact body organized
along business lines. The commission
system Of city government is in fact
Organization OF a private business
The city 10 primarily a business or
SANITATION and on a large scale. then
why not the same method of bust
ness control? Experience in the bus
mess world, where efficiency alone
counts, has worked out just one sim
Iple form Of business, management and
control: That one should certainly
apply to the one big business that is
iyet not sc organized because efficiency
is a secondary consideration and the
city cannot fail.
The Commission employs; organizes
and controls the entire city force.
Like. any similar organization In pri-
vate business when once organized.
the latter grow In efficiency and
experience. individuals: will be chang
ed from time to time, but results viii
be made the prime qualification rath-
er than political faith.
The greatest asset Of any private
business IL the we'll organised and