The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-01-19
Plan Suggested for Brattle-
borO Outlined at Board
of Trade Smoker
SPRINGFIELD MAN
VERY INTERESTING

and Town Manager Plan and Holds
Close Attention of Large Audience
in Brooks House Parlor.
In adding to its list of previously
| planned smoke talks a meeting for the
presentation of the town or city mana
ger plan of government by Walter V.
McDuffee Of Springfield, Mass, the
| Brattleboro board Of trade performed
a public service, as It enabled a rep
resentative company OF men to get a
comprehensive idea Of method of
running municipal affairs that sooner
or later will come before the voters
of this town for consideration. The
meeting was held last evening in the
Brooks House parlor and was open to
the public, and about 100 were present,
the main parlor being filed and some
having seats III the corridor.
On the surface the audience appeared
to be III accord with Mr.. McDuffee s
views of this comparatively new sys-
tenn of government, but whether they
were or not they were agreed that the
subject was handled in very illumi-
mating manner by the speaker, and at
the close they extended him unani-
nous rising vote Of thanks.
Mr. McDuffee. who is sub-master of
the Central high school in Springfield,
was secretary Of the committee that
drafted the Springfield city charter
that was acted upon recently, and so
came here with fund Of authoritative
, information on the subject. He spoke
easily and held the close attention OF
everybody present His talk gave the
men something to think about and
something on which to base action
, when they arc called upon soon to ap-
prove or disapprove bin which is
being drawn 10 be presented to the
; legislature giving the voters the right
! to adopt a town manager plan in case
, they so vote at a later date.
: President Horton D. Walker of the
board Of trade presented the speaker
who gave a history of the develop
, ment of the city manager plan. In tn.
seventies the people of this country be
gan to realize that something was the
matter with the city governments, and
early in the eighties they began tC
clean house with a view to eliminating
S corrupt and incompetent officials Il
was learned, however, that the trouble
was not so much because of a lack OF
1 right ideals as through an inadequate
t form of government. 1t was concluded
, early in the nineties that there wer,
!, three principal defects in the existing
{ method of managing city affairs. First
| it was cumbersome and unweildy
e second, ii was difficult, through the diff
. fusion of power, to fix responsibility
: third, the executive and legislatiy,
| functions were mixed up in a way tha
tended to inefficienev.
\ In the year 1900 the commission
form of city government was devised
) each of the several commissioners elect
!. ed in a city at the head of a certain
4 department, and nearly 500 cities haC
!. adopted this method in 1910. This en-
I ables responsibility to be fixed easily
but does not do away with the con
Q fusion of the legislative and exeeutiv
/ functions and calls for an election b,
, popular vote of persons who ought t
: be carefully selected experts in thei
VIZ petl tilShto. nat .. obCHl lids bttI
4 shown to be very defective, although i
z has done very much to improve condi
tions.
The city manager type of govern
ment was evolved about 1910. IN
name "city manager the speake
said, was not fortunate choice, as
gives wrong impression. In the cas-
of a town the selectmen are elected q
$ usual and they hire an expert to ar
point the various department heads
The speaker gave reasons why he pre-
/ fers this plan The manager is cor
e trolled by the executive board, the sc
II lectmen, and can be removed by then
e whereas an elective officer is not unde
their control. The manager is likely t
remain if his work is satisfactory, thu
e insuring a continuity of administra
k tive policy. Under the manager pla
4. the expert is chosen through diligen
search. 1t eliminates politics and TIL
usually unsatisfactory result of
choice by the electorate. Almost all al
thorities on the subject favor the MAJ
r ager plan. All of the three national O.
carnations working for the improv,
ment of municipal government fave
. the manager form.
: The speaker emphasized the fat
:. that the manager plan does not inte
: fere with the functions or prerogativt
! of the long-established institution. ii
town meeting. Winchester Mass.
ne place of about 10000 persons, vote
last week to adopt the manager pla
and a bill to that end is now befol
w the Massachusetts, legislature. Norwoo
he Mass, a city of 10000 persons, h;
just entered upon its third year of tn