Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-11-19
MUNICIPALITIES
NOT AFFECTED BY
WAR IN EUROPE
Progressive American Cities
Go Right Along With Their
Activities Just as if Moth
ing Had Happened,

Baltimore, Nov. fS.-The European
war is having no serious effect on
municipal activities in the United
States according to a survey made By
Clinton Rogers Woodruff secretary OF
the National Municipal league. who
delivered his annual address before
the organization here tonight.
With inquiry among many of the
representative cities Of the country,
MIR Woodruff learned that municipal
tiles were going ahead without the
slightest abridgcment In their plans
for such improvements as had already
been authorized, and although some
cities were experiencing difficulty in
placing loans through the usual chan
nels, municipal credit ala not seem
to be Jeopardlzed.
Indeed" he said, the opinion
prevails among financial authorities
that the European situation VIII IN a
short time make municipal securities
tho most desirable In America
lie reported no recession OF inter-
est in the commission or commission
manager forms Of government.
what Is aptly called the vanishing
system'-the bicameral form of city
government. he said, lis to be found
now In only nine of the largest fifty
cties--P Philadelphia, Baltimore, Kan
sas City Providence, Louisville, At
ianta, Worcester. Richmond, Va, and
Cambridge, Mass.
System Changing Rapidly.
I'm the light OF the events Of the
past five years." he continued, III
would not be hazardous TO predict
that five years hence not one OF the
larger cities will be risking its bus
mess and It's future to the evils of a
form which affords such abundant
opportunities for inefficiency, and
waste and mismanagement."
Hand in hand with this advance he
notes the progress Of municipal home
lruIe (which in the course OF the
coming generation Is destined to be-
come the settled policy with regard
10 the relation of the states to'the cit
les"
Nine Iowa cities operating under
the commission form OF government
had. he noted, lived within their in
come for the first time, in 1913. a
federal census also showed that out
Of slxty-nine cities, sixty-one were
4 found to be running at less per cap
lita than the average head OF ex-
pense of the 1876 metropolitan centers
OF all classes considered.
Better Business Methods.
There was notable improvement
lin municipal housekeeping accounts,
he found. The happy go lucky way
was being superseded generally by Sci
entific budgets which made both ends
meet Both the demand for munich
pal ownership and that for effective
control of privately owned municipal
utilities continued undated Wyo-
ming and Utah, he said, were the only
states in the union which had no
form of control to regulate, in some
way or another. the public utilities.
There was still much discussion
Ithroughout the country as to whether
such control should be by state or
local commissions, with the develop
ments of the past year seemingly more
in favor Of state action in these mat
tiers.
He concluded with a reference 10
social problems. The fear that inter-
est in work along these lines would
be ahated on account of the great
war he believed to be unwarranted.
''The very greatness of the European
cataclysm will emphasize the need
for greater social and civic effort he
said An increased migration from
Europe to America was be expected
US a result of the war and this itself
/ would require no little attention.
Address by FouIkc.
There have been such strides in the
evolution Of city charter making since
the National Municipal league drew
Iup its model city charter fifteen years
lago that new program and model
lcharter will be considered AZ the
present meeting Of the National Mu-
nicinai league, said its president VIII
liam Dudley Foulke of Richmond,
Ind, in his annual address tonight.
The tendencies toward municipal
home rule and the commission and
commissions manager forms OF city
government were cited by Mr.. Foulke
las remarkable instances of prog
|ress"
Among other things, he urged the
adoption by American cities or the
German way of training experts for
municipal work.
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