Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-22
CITY MANAGERSHIP

1V1 been casting their eyes toward
the city managership plan of
government. The subject is one of
general interest. Each citizen should
be fully informed concerning it, in or
! der to be able to form his views intel
| ligently when the time comes shortly
for decision as to the value of the
plan locally.
Jesse NJ. Switzer, City Councilman
of Dayton, Ohio, where the city mana
gership plan, has been conspicuously
successful, will address a public meet
ing at Chestnut Street Auditorium to-
morrow evening, under the auspices
of the Chamber of Commerce, at
which he will tell at length in word
and picture the story of his home
town under this new form of admins
tration. The opportunity is one that
everybody who finds it possible should
embrace.
City managership has been without
single failure of note since it was
first tried. Under this system the pub
lie Official appears to have accom-
plished the almost impossible feat of
giving the taxpayers the improvements |
they desire at an expense against |
which they have been unable to COM
plain. This, together with the gener-
ally satisfactory operation of munich
pal departments, has made it popular;
so much so that in st. Augustine, Fla,
for example, a bare majority for city
managership increased after two years
to a two-thirds majority.
Claims for its Widespread efficiency
are illustrated by records presented
at the city manager convention at
Sprlngsheld. Mass. City Manager G.
c. Cummin said the commission man
ager government had accomplished
these results in its second year, 1916,
for Jackson, Mich:
Reorganized the police force and
developed IL on the basis OF a sur
Vey of its needs; using a trained
social worker as Il police woman to
handle the young girl problem.
Materially reduced water rates
without crippling the finances of
the department; reinforced a very
weak distribution system so that 1t
will now supply plenty of water at
any point; found seventy closed and
several hundred broken valves; laid
over ten miles of water mains.
Doubled the number of boulevard
lights Installed last year; laid out
general paving plan for several
work on unpaved streets than has
been done In any two years previ-
ously
Started a forestry department for
care of trees in parks and on city
streets. starting Il city nursery for
acres acres of an lana inside tRe city t6a
was put on the market at an eX-
tremely low price, in line with gem
eral policy to invest in local real
estate when it can be bought at low
Saved from fifteen cents to
10000 barrels of cement by buying
early; completing. building code; in
creased sinking fund balance from
$4,000 to $4,000 and will own by
January 1 $4,000 Of city's own
bonds.
Commenting upon this remarkable
showing, the Institute for Public Ser
vice, In a recent bulletin, observes that |
the tax rate for Jackson has not been
increased, The public has received !
such service as it never before even
expected, and yet has paid no more
for it-that is, no more than the nee
essary brain effort to realize what was
to its great advantage and the effort
necessary to overcome the inertia of
changing to a new system.
Harrisburg people are keenly OBJ
servant of what is transpiring else
where. They will have an excellent
opportunity tomorrow evening to get
first hand information from one who |
has been in the midst of activities at
Dayton ever since the inception of the
plan there.