Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1916-04-27
AN IMPORTANT LOCAL
NATTER.

To the Editor of The Democrat: It
is conceded fact that large corpora
tions are being managed with greater
efficiency than ever before. The seri
Gus problem was how to get away from
wastefulness. The present tendency is
to invoke the principle of scientific
management in the administration of
large industrial concerns. Many large
concerns have been poorly managed in
the nast as the result of the election of
incompetent boards Of directors and the
employment of inefficient superinten
dents and heads of departments.
Today the big industrial corporations
employ as directors, perintendents
and heads Of departments, men pecul-
iarly fitted for those positions. The
Ford Motor Company is one of the most
striking examples of the application Of
scientific management to the admins
tration Of the affairs of an immense
corporation. 1t employs in its factory,
its branches and in its many ramifca
tions, men especially fitted for their
positions The Ford Motor Company
is only one of the many big corporations
which are today being managed scien
tiically
Why not apply scientific management
to municipal corporations? Why not
apply scientific management to our own
city? Mineral Point is big corpora
tion; it has approximately three thous-
and stockholders it has property
aggregating in value millions of dollars;
it is managed by a board of directors
consisting of eight persons who COM
pose the common council. If this were
an industrial corporation instead of a
municipal corporation these stock
holders would meet in person or by
proxy, and select from among their
number a board of directors consisting
of eight men best qualified to manage
the corporate affairs. 1t would not be
question of whether man is dem
ocrat or republican; nor whether he
stands for license or against license;
nor whether he belongs to~this- faction
or that faction; but the question with
the stockholders would be is he the best
qualified person to manage the affairs
OF this big corporation. Is it not about
time that the acid test be applied in
~ ~ %o
age this big municipal corporation, the
| city of Mineral Point? Why not begin
with the water works system? Under
the law the water works of Mineral
Point may be operated under the
direction Of the Board of Public Works
of the council or by commission to
consist of the mayor, three citizens and
one alderman. The Board Of Public
| Works is an ever changing body, its
members have scarcely had time to
familiarize themselves in a general way
with the water works before others are
elected and take their places. Besides,
aldermen have other duties to perform,
public and private, and cannot devote
much time to the consideration of water
works. The water works system could
be managed very much better by a
commission composed of persons with
special fitness for the work and who
could continue the work after they
have had time to familiarize themselves
with it. 1t may we'll be doubted
whether there are ten stockholders of
this big corporation or ten citizens of
the city of Mineral Point who know
anything about the income or expendi-
lures of the water works system. Every
fair minded man in this city must
concede that the management Of the
municipal theater by a disinterested
committee, we'll qualified for the work,
has been decided success. The water
works system can be managed and
administered in the same way.
This article is written in the hope
that the citizens of Mineral Point may
be impressed with the fact that they
are stockholders in a big corporation
and should be vitally interested in the
management of the corporation The
aldermen are doing the best they can
but the personnel of the council is con-
stantly changing and in the opinion of
many people it would be much better
to have the water works of this city
managed by commission.
E. G. FIEDLER.