Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-01
Make tho Issue Clear

D edmond Is entitled to receive from Mr.
~ Hirschberg, Of the Administrative Board
more definite statement of his charges
against City Engineer Boiling. If the City
Engineer as Mr.. Hirschberg says, sis not big
enough for the position he holds" considera-
uons OF mere sentiment should not dictate
his retention in Office. but the public will de-
sire to have this alleged unftness specifically
described and clearly established
MIR. Boiling has given many years to the
service of the city. He has many friends and
admirers, and even his critics coneede his high
character and personal and official integrity.
Ihat he has failed to meet the approval of
the Administrative Board has long been no.
torious, but there at least two explana-
lions OF why this approval has been with
held. According to one yerson-the correct
ness OF which we do not guarantee-the lack
of accord is due to the City Engineers refusal
to organize his department politically, at
the boards behest
Those who take this view Of the matter
point in confederation to the Street Cleaning
Department, generally conceded to leave
something to be desired, SO far as the care
Of Richmond's thoroughfares and the collec-
ton OF garbage are concerned but, politically
declared on high authority to be 400 per
cent efficient" If the Administrative Board
ever calls the head OF that department to
account, the public never knows of it.
We do not urge this reputed discrepancy to
retention, If indeed he is subject properly to
Mr. Hirschbergs structures We allude to
1t merely as one of the elements that affect
the popular determination of the merits of
the issue and for the purpose of suggesting
to the board that 1t would win more conf
dence If it did not confine its disapproval so
exclusively to that department head whose
political incompetency is admitted
Public sentiment will agree with Mr.
Hirschberg that the post Of City Engineer
to-day demands an aggressive, alert and
fully competent engineer. with executive abil-
ity, who is able to direct every department
OF this important Office and assume personal
responsibility for its policy" That states the
fact. 1t is obvious further that while the
incumbent necessarily must be qualified
engineer, the executive functions and duties
OF the Office are to the strictly professional
in the ratio Of at least five to one, and. there
fore, at least five times important Many
men who, in the view OF their professional
brethren, were but mediocre engineers have
carried to successful completion engineering
works of magnitude because they have had
the intelligence to select able assistants and
the executive ability that assured results.
We quite understand that 1t is difficult to
describe tho exact degree in which an in
dividual lacks specific qualities, but in the
case of an executive his successes and fail
ures and, generally, the causes thereof are
written In his work. In this view and with
this qualification 1t Is not asking too much
of Mr.. Hirschberg when he is besought to tell
where and when and in what respects he
found Mr.. Boiling failed to measure up to
the Administrative Boards standards.