The Washington times., 1914-06-15
COMMISSION GOVERN
MENT COSTS.

It will surprise most people to
learn on such authority as the Gen.
sus Bureau, that over one-third of
the cities in this country having over
10000 population have adopted the
commission form of government. 1t
is stated that sixty-nine cities of
this class have it, and that there
are 1875 cities in the class, the fig
ures being representative Of condi-
tions to February l, 1918.
Twenty-Five States and the Dis
trict of Columbia have commission
governed cities. Of this class, Penn
sylvania has more of them than any
other State, counting thirteen. But
this does not fairly represent the
tendencies in adopting the new
plan, because it has been most wide
ly accepted in States whose cities
are SO small that most of them do
not appear in the classification of
10000 and over. Thus, South Da-
kota is not named in this list; yet
it has very large number of cities
which have adopted the plan, though
there is not single city of 10000
in the State. Oklahoma and Kansas
get representation, but the extent to
which they have committed them
selves to the commission plan is not
even suggested for like reasons. On
the other hand New York has not a
city in the class; New England has
only three, and they are all in Mas
sachusetts; Indiana and Ohio are un-
represented. save by Dayton, with
its commission-manager modIfca-
tion, which was adopted as the re-
suit of the flood there.
For the 1876 cities of over 10000
in the entire country, the average
net annual cost of general expenses
of municipal government was s17.34.
For the same list, the average per
capita Indebtedness was $6S.74. Com
mission government seems, on the
face of the figures, amply to have
justified itself in the figures that
compare with these. The census
bulletin gives them as follows: the
first figure being annual cost, the
second Indebtedness, both per capita.
Alabama Birmingham. sssl-S3s.65;
Mobile, sS.53-s54.54; Montgomery, $685.
1856.
California-Berkeley. s1s.s2-Ns8; Oak
land. s14S2-$S6.6 IS; Sacramento, 1884
$500; San Diego. s2o.o7-ss7 40: Pasadena.
Colorado-colorado Springs. 1864
gas: Pueblo. slo.s4-s57.N; Denver,
District of columbia-washington.
Illinois-Decatur, sass-sa.g; Spring
field. SI2.2e-s2oS2.
Iowa-Cedar Rapids, s11ss-sS2ec; Des
Moines. sl4.3o-s3oos; Sioux City. s1057-
s3L3s.
Kansas-Kansas City, ss73-s579s: To-
peka. $11.5s-s3S.72; Wichita, s9.sl-s4O.I7.
Kentucky-Newport, s7SS-t3S.s6; Cow
ington. s3.SS-sfL5l; Lexington, sl146-
S24.7S.
LoulSlana-NeW orleans, IL TS-sl22.A;
Shreveport, S1l06-s190s.
Observation-Disclosures Sl393-S37 65;
Lowell, S131O-s2422; Lynn, sl3. .65-s36.32;
Salem. 3.O9-s27.12.
Minnesota-DuIuth. s395-s7S@9; St
Paul, s1301-s43.19.
Missouri-Joplin, s7S6-Slo.25.
Nebraska-Omaha, sI6.36-sl09. %; Lin
coin, $lO.79-s25s8
New Jersey-Atlantic City, s22.7e-
81. .53-s22.09: Jersey City. Sl3.S0-s12.so.
Oklahoma-Muscogee, sll. o. -SS5.65; Ok
lahoma City. R1O.4O-s66.2
Oregon-Portland, Sl3l0-s4S.6s.
Pennsylvania - Allentown, s6.E-sl7.n:
$s.O7-s3s.8 .; Chester, $3.50. IS;
Johnstown, S7H-SS93; Lancaster, S7.51-
SO o.: McKeespOrt. $1O9l-s2l.S9: New
Castle. $9.16-sI4.O4: Reading. IS. S.22-sl5.2I;
s.. .22-s25.16: Williamsport.
S. .51-sl2l5; York, S6.5S-sl97S.
Tennessee - Chattanooga. .Il.2S-S66.G 81; |
Knoxville. $lO3l-sS3.5l. Nashville. sIO92- |
sjO02; Memphis. sl2 95-s75.33
Texas - Austin, S9.l4-S7555: Dallas,
81 1885 .: e. Paso' sllso-sSt65; Fort
silS.24: Houston. SiIa5-S53,a5.
Utah-Salt Lake City. sl44S-s5Lsl.
Washington Spokane, sl467-s s65 5s:
Tacoma sl4.16-slG5.96.
West Observation-Disclosures s697-s23. o.. |
"lScOnSln-oSHhOSH, SJ-S5-Sl5-o-. Su- |
perior. s1265-s23.l
1t will be observed that the figure,
s17.34, which represents the average
for the entire 1876 cities is higher |
han that for the large majority of |
he commission cities. In other
words, the commission cities are
tossed in to help pull down the aver
age for the entire 1875, and still the
average for the 195 is decidedly |
arger than for those under the COM
mission plan.
1t is not to be overlooked in this
that the cities in the
class are all outside
he commission form. New York.
Chicago. Boston, Philadelphia, Bal
really great cities of the