New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-04-28
COMMUNICATED.
Single Headed Commission Favored
for Board of Public Safety.

Last winter we had an official, and
officially selected charter revision
committee to advise, devise and rec
ommend all the charter changes their
combined wisdom and judgment could
evolve. During their three months or
so of deliberation this scheme of
making two boards do the work of
one escaped their notice.
In fact some who were members do
not hesitate now TO express their
opinion that if such "a plan had been
brought up it would have been killed
so quick it could not have committed
suicide in time to escape.
This matter seems to have sprung
up in a night. 1t was rushed through
the common council with hardly
chance for investigation or discussion
| and hobs up in Hartford before the
! Legislative committee as d demand of
| the people of New Britain. It's
| few advocates claim that it represents
| the wants of the people expressed
| through their mayor, and common
| council How is it known ttlcy do?
The common council at recently
| specially called meeting voted nearly
! unanimously to have the city vote on
proposition to purchase the present
| lighting system for it to go into the
| lighting and furnishing electrical
power business. 1ncidently this would
run our present Indebtedness of over
three millions up to over five million
! dollars, increasing our tax rate by
! over two mills per annum for interest
| charges. Did this represent the peo-
pies wishes? They voted it down
without a dissenting voice inside of
| n nrl,- oft
meeting for another purpose. The
common council by Il large majority
| voted without due investigation to
| change and cut down the carefully
prepared estimates for tho yearly ap-
| preparations SO as to lower the pro-
| posed tax rate. which if made law
| would have resulted in Gripping the
| services of some OF our city DEPART
| mentS.
| The city meeting turned down the
| proposition by a vote OF two to one.
| That is what the people at the meet
| ing thought of it,
| therefore 1t is not an assured fact
that the action of the common coun-
Gil always represents the wishes of a
| majority of the people. For the past
| hltech years or more it has been the
policy of the city authorities (and as
rule endorsed by the people, to con-
sondate the city offices. This is evil
oenced by town and city consolida-
! ton, the creation of the board of
| public works and its absorption of the
old subway commission, the taking
! over OF the sewer department.
| handling the city lighting and now
working towards controlling the water
! department.
we mad the marriage of the police
and fire departments, incidentally TAX
| ing in as a roomer the electrical de-
partment. Our health department has
expanded from less than a two thou
sand year proposition to one
| handling the garbage question, plumb
| ing, sanitary, milk and food inspec-
| ton, and assuming charge of the
| tuberculosis society, thereby giving it
| Il varacious appetite for salary in
! creases, so that it will now require
| all told in the neighborhood OF twenty
| thousand a year to run it. Our au-
thorities also in order to consolidate
or get the city offices together, pur-
chased the property and remodeled
the building now used as a city build =
ing at an expense of nearly quarter
OF a million dollars. Now our lawyer
officials and others are further schem-
ing to consolidate the local court bus
mess, thereby doing away with the
scattered justice courts and have a
com bined police and city court The
claim is that consolidating or concen-
trating business, whether public or
private, tends towards better service
at less cost.
This seems to be generally con-
ceeded by all authorities
~.
place of one will be a step backwards.
1t will be an entering wedge to undo
what it has taken years to build up.
1t is a slap and rebuke to the fore
thought and judgment of the advo-
Gates and workers for modern meth
DDS, a block to progress and a step
towards retrogression in this the TWEEN
tieth century.
How many are there today who
would favor the conducting of city
business in the manner it was done
fifteen years ago?
The cause for dissatisfaction now
manifest about existing conditions il
the safety department can be removed
with little trouble. 1t is not nee
ossary to increase the number of those
in charge. The old saying too many
cooks spols the broth" applies in this
, matter
We get along with one mayor, one
corporation counsel, one city engineer
superintendent Of schools, etc, ano
we do not need eight men TO run thc
; fire and police departments any more
than we need them to run the posi-
tions above named.
Put one man of strong character
good judgment with some business eX-
perience preferably with a military
training) at the head of it, give him
, practically a free hand in the man