The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-06-02

jurisdiction OF the mayor, his office
should be, and will be If am elected,
made the clearing house of every de-
partmental activity. The method OF
clearing will be by daily, weekly and
monthly reports and in maintaining a
unit cost system and a monthly COM
partive record. A strict survey of all
departmental needs that budget may
be prepared based on the results Of
that survey.
Question Number Three.
what effort and method will you
employ to secure the best results from
both the fire and police departments
in such way as will be of essential
benefit both to safety and moral well
fare of the people of the city,"
The morale Of both departments is
now adequately covered by a book of
rules. The essential benefits, from the
point Of view Of the fire department, is
efficiency in reaching a fire in the
shortest possible time and by a sys-
tematic method of inspection of base
ments and garrets; the motorized
equipment furnishes speed and with
proper inspection our losses by fire
should be almost negligible.
From the point Of view Of the police
department, while under the admins
trative power of the Metropolitan
Board of Police Commissioners, my
recommendation to that board would
be a policy tending to centralize re-
sponsibility. placing the force on a
merit basis. conditioning promotion
and future increase in pay on the per.
centage of merits to their respective
credits.
Question Number Four.
care you in favor Of the adoption of
a we'll defined civil service for all city
employees"
favor civil service where its appli-
cation is practical. am not quite sure
that it. would be at all necessary in
some department work; wherever it
would conduce to efficiency l would
favor its adoption.
Question Number Five.
Have you any plan for the operation
of civil service system that
will make such system proof against
political influence"
No. Under the present form of
partisan politics, making the adoption
of civil service compulsory by state
law, penalizing any official who at
tempts to defeat the purpose of the
law, such civil service will be effect
I've and immune to any political in
fluence, not otherwise.
This should be taken care of by the
new constitution.
Question Number Six.
ut has been proven beyond question
that where public utilities have been
owned by municipalities that it has re-
suited in the lowering of taxation
we therefore ask you are you in favor
OF extending the manipulation of all
such public utilities?'
Most assuredly. Under our present
law. our debt contracting power is
limited to two per cent OF all taxable
values and II the city was free from
all bonded debt, we could not float
bonds for amounts exceeding $3.50, 900.
So the acquiring Of any further utility
properties Is out OF the question.
The influence Of organized labor in
OUT city and state could be profitably
used In seeing that such delegates to
the constitutional convention are voted
for who favor municipal home rule
carrying with It the authority to &C.
quire utility properties, raising the
money for such purposes by issuing
mortgage bonds therefor beyond the
general limit of bonded indebtedness
prescribed by law; such bonds to be
secured by the utility itself and the