The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-12-19
THE CITY MANAGER JOB.


| lust held its annual meeting at Springfield
Mass, is bringing new type of municipal ofn.
Ger into further public view. The idea OF
placing one man, supposed to be competent
expert, in charge of the entire business opera
tons Of city, seems to be making some prog
ress. AT the same time there are certain oD-
| stacles in the way of successful realization OF
the idea which deserve thorough investigation
by any community considering the plan
To carry ont the functions of a city manager
man requires varied equipment. he must
first be a technical expert He must know
whether he is getting his moneys worth OF IRON
pipe, cement, stationery and hundred other
materials He must be able to build highways
that will stand wear to put down sewers that
will drain; he must know pure water from foul
and how to build schoolhouses and other struc-
lures economically A rare man and one to
hold fast to, when he is found!
At the same time he must be a good judge OF
human nature, first class executive. He must
know when his suborthnates are soldering. !"
He must know how to be able to get harmoni
Gus, loyal. energetic labor. He must also be
tip-top financer. He must be able to-straight
en- out the tangle into which so many systems
of municipal bookkeeping are apt to fall.
To combine these accomplishments and ma
tive gifts takes an all round man. Ii they
could be united in one personality, that person
would save almost any city money. But the
one great rouhle is the baleful influence OF
politics. A city manager might be turned down
by the wrath of factions whose claims for jobs
have been ignored. The more efficient he Is.
probably the less popular he will be.
4 Under these circumstances good many OF
| the managers will be tempted to play politics
| They will tie up with one bunch of heelers to
prevent themselves from being rooted out by
another 1t is no bed of roses A man who
can command all the required resources and all
/ the needed diplomacy. including moral back
! bone strong and unyielding as steel. probably
can earn more In private employment than
most cities will pay him. There will be few
towns. however. far seeing enough to recognize
and requite such services at their real value
| 1t is poor time for congress 70 DE talking
about raising the postage rate charged the
newspapers. With the price of print paper
more than double what it was a year ago. and
with very little prospect of relief. the added
hardship of double postage rate would be
killing blow to publishers. Already hundreds
of the smaller newspapers have been forced to
the wall and 1t Is only question of time when
hundreds more will fall if the price of print pa
per shall continue at its present mark Certain
! " congress should not strike an industry
which is just now making game fight for ex-
istence. No publisher can pay FIVE cents a
pound for print paper and make any profit on
present advertising and subscription rates.
| There has been IN the south great deal of
criticism of Wall street corners. but Dixie
now shows disposition to hold out for TWEEN
ty- five-cent cotton The principles upon which
business is transacted are, and in the nature of
things must be. pretty much the same every
where. It makes all the difference in the
world, though. who is doing the ''cornering"
! Talk about pilfering the pleasures of exist
ience! The experiment of living on forty cents
a day is no sooner successfully concluded in
Chicago then along comes q man with recipe
for human maintenance. including overhead
charges, eighty cents a week.
! The proposal for the shortening of the In
ternational league schedule and a post season
series with the American association teams is
7 an effort TO make possible two thrills where
one. ST the most, was all that could be hoped
| for otherwise.
4 Christmas would not seem natural with
I out plenty of those Red Cross seals And the
Salvation Army kettle has also come 30 be part
/ of our standard holiday observance Save a
( little for both from your other Enes-o giving.