Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-02-11
WHY NOT HERE?

~ showing results in Altoona
where the commissioners are
exercising only supervisory powers
over the city government, while the
actual work is entrusted to a city
manager, paid for by the joint sal.
aries of the councilmen, which have
been voluntarily pooled for the pur-
pose. The city manager has cut
down expenses almost to the amount
of his own salary by inducing a city
treasurer to serve the city for ST.
| 500 a year, instead of the $4,000 oil
$50 a year formerly paid. If he
is able to equalize salaries on the
basis of service rendered he will
have done a great work for Altoona
and accomplished an economy, the
lack of which is costing other cities,
Harrisburg included, a vast amount
of money and considerable in lost
motion and inefficiency.
For example, there are heads of
branches in the city service who have
spent years in study and training
who are getting less pay than some
others employed to do clerical work
that almost any business college
graduate could be taught to do with
day or two of coaching. We are
paying some $4,000 a year for city
treasurer (and this is not intended
as a reflection upon the present in
cumbent or any of his predecessors,
who have performed their services
faithfully and WELD, while Altoona
is getting the work done just as well
for $1,So0. The city treasurer's du-
ties are little more than clerical.
To be sure, he has the responsibility
of caring for large sums of money,
but the city amply protects itself by
paying for his bond. And while we
are paying this large sum for a work
not particularly difficult to perform
we are hesitating about the payment
of a far less amount for a skilled
engineer to run the water depart
ment and prevent a repetition of the
serious water shortage that cost us
thousands upon thousands of dollars
few weeks ago. No businessman
would conduct a private enterprise
in this way and no city manager
worthy the name would think of do
ing so.
That the laborer is worthy of his
hire is just as true to-day as it was
when the sentence was first penned,
but merely because a man is in the
service of the public is no reason
why he should be paid too much or
too little. 1t is notoriously true that
the positions in the city service re-
quiring the most skill and expert
ence are underpaid. while those of
little or no importance have all the
advantage, where there is advan-
tage. OF course, there are excep-
tions, but generally speaking we are
paying too little for expert service
and too much for work that re-
quires little skill or experience.
A city manager on the Altoona
plan might be expected to equalize
the salary list here, so that the many
who serve faithfully for small nav
might be benefited by taking from
some of those who receive more for
their work than they would receive
for similar work in private business
A city manager running the busi-
ness of the municipality as he would
a private enterprise entrusted to his
supervision would see to it that the
servants of the city are paid just
as much as they would receive were
they occupying positions i'm private
life; no more, no less. They are en-.
titled to just that much and not 9
penny more.