The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-15
Administrative Body in An
nuai Report Dep'ores Agita-
ton fer Change in System
SHORTAGE OF MEN
is CAUSE OF ALARM
AMONG OFFICIALS
Many Employees Have Joined
the Colors and Places Are
Hard to Eill-Work of De-
partments 10 Reviewed

The lfth annual report Of the ad-
illustrative board is Just off the press.
The volume consists OF ninety six
pages, made up mainly of tables and
figures showing the workings of the
various departments under the admin
istrstive board.
The report contains the substance of
the annual reports from the depart
ments OF streets. building. street clean
ing. engineering. water. gas and cleo
tricity. and presents summaries OF the
work done in these departments. which
indicate that the city had been very
busy during the year.
In the toreword to the report the
board says;
thc usual emergencies occasioned by
state of war. there has been great
= stitltN IN the part Of few people
ne. IN spite of the onlin0us events
dt1y frsrsptr,nE. have aE}tated the
luhtv concerning the smaller matter
ot rearianklng snd reorEantxing the
PRACTICAL operations Of the city gov
ernment.
%fhe principal result OF these sc-
tjNittes up to this time has been the
diversion OF the minds Of the officers
aud employees Of the city from their
daily routine OF duty by compelling
their attention TO. and fixing their
these proposed radical changes upon
their future employment. remunera-
tson and happiness-of course. result
ing In more or less Decentralization. tn
& action of discipline and dlssatisfac-
ton aud unrest
Mnay with OLD Glory.
Ths report refers 10 the large
number II expert attaches of tho city
who have answered the call OF the
frN ien "a
their plsceg are hard to fill.
In reference TO the electrical de-
partment, the report points out that
the total illumination furnished the
streets was Increased - per cent, while
the cost of "a given quantity Of light
on the streets was is per cent less
than during line previous year.
The report shows that the maximum
production Of gas in any one twenty
four hours was on December 18th.
when ii was S.2Sl.4e0 feet and the
maximum consumption In any twenty
four hours was on December 3oth.
hen II was 3,5s4.S00.
There are Is2 miles. 40 feet Of
street mains in the city, aEainst 1s7
miles. 7s3 feet the previous year.
The water department, says the re-
port. has been kept up to high stand
ard. The settling basins have fur
nished clear and wholesome water dur
Much work has been accomplished
by the annexed territory survey. the
improvement to James river, extern
sions and repairs IN the parks and
cemeteries, and the Office of the build
ing inspector has been very busy, al
though the number of new buildings
has not been as great as upon former
occasions. A number OF public build
inEs have been remodeled and I'm
proved. and the streets in some sec
tons Of the city have been consider
ably improved.
Praise for street Hasss.
good word is given the street
cleaning department. That depart
meut helped merchants and citizens
during the streets OF the worst win
ter for years. and in addition kept
down the work of the department to
the extent of preventing complaint
and ticks from the public. Many at
taches of the department have been
caised to the coiors. and the superin-
tendent has found Il extremely diff
cult TO flI the vacancies.
This Is true, 200. in the water and
gas departments, where men are not
available, And the city engineers de-
partrrsnt is short OF men
Tho health department has made
much rre~ress toward perfection. al
though the war has tended to a large
extent 20 curtsil the effectiveness OF
the department.
Some of the departments says the
report. ARE now short-handed, with
little prospect of replacing the men
they have lost and with little hope
OF securing. except at greatly in
creased wages. competent men to fill
the places. Because of the facts men
toned, and for other reasons more
serious. no more inopportune time
could have been selected for an at
tempt to disorganize and reorganixs
the government. II the opportunity
is afforded the public win be fully In
formed as to the danger and the mis-
fortune of any radical changes to add
10 the confusion and the practical diff
fculties occasioned by the war which
now face the city government"