Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-09-11

the following advertiseme nt:
The Council of the County Borough of Dews-
bury invite APPLICATIONS for the OFFICE OF
TOWN CLERK Of the said Borough, which will be
vacant on the 3oth September next. Applicants
must be Solicitors and have previously held the ap-
bointment Of Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk, AS
sistant Town Clerk. or similar position. The salary,
which covers all work, includes all emoluments, will
be $50 pounds per annum, increasing by annual in
crements of so pounds up to 1000 pounds. Staff and
offices will be provided by the Council.
The gentleman appointed will not be allowed to
carry on private practice, but will be required to Civ.
his whole time to the duties of his Office.
Applications, stating the age and experience of the
applicant and the time at which he would be prepar-
ed to enter upon the duties of the office and accom-
panied by copies of not more than three tesr,no-
malls, to be sent addressed to the undersigned and
endorsed Town Clerkship," on or before Monday.
the 26th day of August, 1918. Fuller particulars Of
the duties of the appointment may 'e obtained on
application to me.
Canvassing of members of the Council is strictly
prohibited and will disqualify the person pursuing
1t, but supplying members with copies of appnca-
ton and testimonials shall not be deemed canvassing.
Such advertisements are common in English papers.
We do not see them here. The English plan Of local
government is. in general, to elect from among the local
~ oSASANA eOVSAA hA6 OouyS
and to have that body choose its executive and admln,s-
trative officers wherever it can find them. In other
words the municipal corporation proceeds about its work
Just about as a private corporation does. The stock
holders elect the directors from among their own num-
per- and those directors employ qualified persons to take
charge of the several departments without regard to their
place of residence. and, in theory at least, solely on the
basis of their professional fitness. .
The. residence requirements which are so common
to most American cities have peculiar results, sometimes
In Grand Forks, only recently when it was decided to
employ a particular individual as city engineer, a direct
appointment could not be made because the engineer
was not a resident of the city, and it was necessary
to appoint a local man as engineer, and to, make the
actual engineer his deputy This arrangement Will con-
tinue until the acting engineer has acquired a legal res
idence here. A similar course has been pursued in at
least one other case in the past, and possibly in others.
Our English friends would have been able to choose their
engineer just AS they choose their town clerk, and .just
as a business corporation chooses its mechanical super
intendent or its chief engineer.
The English system is the more logical. 1t is often
said that English cities are better governed, as a rule.
than American cities are. This may be true. But 1t is
always to be remembered that it is not alone the system
That makes the goverpment.s A community that is de-
terrnined to be well governed may be well governed UNI
der a very crude and clumsy plan. On the other hand.
= community whose members are negligent and indif-
ferent will be poorly governed under the best plan thai
the mind Of man can devise. It is to be noted that In the
above advertisement, canyassins Of members Of the
tcollncl is prohibited, as IT. should be in all cases. But
the fact that the prohibition is made. and that candi-
dates are notified that vioiatlon Of the prohibition win
Idtsaua1ify them, indicates that the practice - 1t least
mot Unknown across the water.