The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-04-09
SHALL MOSCOW HAVE
BUSINESS MANAGER?
PROFESSOR III. L. LEWIS DISCUSS
ED MANAGERIAL FORM OF
GOVERNMENT

| The principal matter up for discus
sion at the chamber of commerce
luncheon, yesterday, was the matter
| of city manager form of government
Professor H. t. Lewis of the depart
ment of economics of the University,
addressed the chamber thereon. He
stated that the function of government
is to render services in the protection
of property, morals, health and life
and that that form of government is
best that renders these services both
efficiently and economically He stat
ed that the form of machinery pro-
vided for governing cities make a real
difference; the SIMPLER the mach
inery and the more centralized the
responsibility the easier it is for the.
people to secure the services they de-
sire in a satisfactory manner
He made a comparison of the city
manager plan with that of the present
form of government in Moscow. By
charts and diagrams he showed the
difference of the two forms. These
diagrams brough out forcibly the lack
of coordination of great division of re-
sponsibility and no real executive head
to carry out the policy of the council,
no one place therein in which the peo-
pie can obtain their desires without
going through a considerable number
of departments and individuals under
the present plan of government.
While the machinery of the manager
plan provided a central office through
which all departments were coord-
mated, and a head through which the
public might secure it's information,
data, and results by application and
consultation with the city manager.
He pointed out that the city plan
was the same form of machinery as
utilized by corporations in handling
their business; that the mayor and
city council represented the board of
directors of the corporations and the
city manager corresponds to the su-
perintendent or manager of such cor
poratiOn.
He gave the historical results of the
city manager plan in several cities,
ranging in size from one to two thou
sand up to several thousand He stat
ed that the manager plan was now in
force and effect in about It's cities
throughout the United States.
From printed reports he showed
that the cities having the manager
plan had showed a financial saving of
approximately Is per cent and very
great increase in the character of
services rendered. He stated that it
was quite significant that no city that
had ever adopted the city manager
plan had reverted to the old form of
government. He illustrated the ad-
vantages of the city manager plan in
local affairs by discussing the PROPOSE
ton to provide a community building
in this city. He stated that there was
great demand on the part of the peo-
pie of the community for the build
ing of a community building, but un-
der the present form of government
the wish of the people was difficult
to secure owing to the fact that it
was not the function of the mayor
or the councilmen or other officers
of the city to initiate action look
ing to it's construction and to pro-
vide ways and means of obtaining
same. For the people to obtain their
desires it was necessary that public
spirited citizens would have to in
itiate action and work the matter out
in detail and pass the same to the
council Failure on the part of in
dividual citizens or organizations to
spare the time necessary meant that
no building would be obtained, or this
service rendered to the people, while
if city manager was employed it
would be his duty to take the fnitatory
steps and to determine how the same
could be obtained, and prepare the
CONTINUED on page four.)