Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-30
THE FIRST BIG JOE
THAT AWAITS MR.. MOORE
All the Bureaus Dealing With the Streets
Should Be Consolidated In the
Interest of Economy and
Efficiency

- director of public works 20 any fur
thor in the consideration Of the appoint
ment Of bureau chiefs it is Of the first
Importance that they consider the need of
rcnrganizng the whole Department Of
Public Works
That denartmcnt is cursed by a multi
ricity of bureaus. Each of the seven
bureaus has head at a salary ranging
from $4,000 to $4,000 year, and each has
an Office staff and a lot of inspectors,
many of whom duplicate the work of the
others.
IF there is to be economy and efficiency
in the conduct Of public business, the
three bureaus dealing with the streets,
for example, should be consolidated into
ono bureau.
The bureaus of highways. of street
cleaning and Of surveys are all occupied
with the opening, paving and cleaning of
the streets. One bureau can close a
street for repairs to the pavement or to
the sewers without consultation with
any ether bureau Conflicting orders may
! be issued bv different bureaus con-
tractor engaged on large building oper-
alton has to see a lot of INDEPENDENT Off
cials before be can ret the street orened,
the sewers laid and the gas and water
pines put down. He is nut to needless
expense end trouble and his work is de-
layed while he has to await the action Of
the different bureaus.
In any private business it would be
necessary to see but one man, who would
attend to the details and give the neces-
sary permits to ~0 ahead with the work
contemplated. This is because private
business is organized for the sole pur-
pose of producing results expeditiously
and economically.
Not ONLY does the present system COM
plicate the work of street onening and
building. but it provides three sets Of
INSPECTORS to go over the same streets.
each set inspecting a different kind of
work.
The men from the highway bureau are
riding over the city all the time, looking
for defects in the old pavement and see
ing that new raving is laid according to
specifications. The men from the street
cleaning bureau arc going over the same
streets to see that the rubbish is carted
away when it should he removed and
the insDectors Of the bureau of SURVEYS
trail the INSPECTORS of the other two de-
rartments, looking for encroachments on
! the building line, seeing that there is no
unauthorized variation from the estab-
| lisNed CITY plan and so forth
/ One set of inspectors could do all this
| work better than it is row done by three
sets 1t might be neCessarv-in fact
would be advisabIe--to nay larger sal
aries than at present, but even then at
least one-half Of the inspecting force
could be dismissed and the citv would
save money and get better service.
If this reorganization of the Denart-
ment of Public Works is to be made, it
should be undertaken before anv new
bureau heads are named by the director
and the Navor-eect, for the head of the
consolidated bureaus dealing with high
ways should be a man of very different
type from that which might be acceptable
as the head of any of the bureaus as at
present organized
With concentration of responsibility it
would be possible to attract a first-class
man to the new job who would devote
himself wholly to the maintenance of
the streets and to keeping them decently
in order. And if the city is to clean it's
own sweets after next wear the man at
the head Of the bureau should be of such
high standing that no breath of suspi-
cion could destroy public confidence in
the honesty of his purposes.
Mr.. Winston. who is to be at the head
of the department, is a successful bust
ness man. He is familiar with the meth
ods that must be employed if public bust
ness is TO be done with the same economy
as private business. The opportunity to
prove that the methods which succeed in
private enterprises will also succeed in
the conduct of public business is facing
him. And Mr.. Moore. who is pledged to
give to the people full dollars worth
for every dollar srent cannot ignore the
situation without disappointing those who
voted for him.
The initiative must come from Mr.
Moore He must be backed by Mr.. Win
ston when the appeal is made to the new
Council to organize the Department of
Public Works in the interest of economy
and simplicity.
The charter empowers the Council to
"organize any department of the
city government" AS the bill passed the
Legislature the power to reorganize was
also conferred on the Council, but by
some trick the word "reorganize," as it
appeared in the bill when it left the Leg
islature, was changed to "recognize" in
the bill as signed by the Governor.
But the "power TO organize" NAV
clearly be exercised by the Council, for
the assumption of the new charter is
that it is creating a new form of govern
ment for the city, 1t does not fix the old
form upon us
But even if there should be any doubt
about the powers granted to the Coun-
Gil. there is no doubt of the powers
,--T~,- ~ - hardr ~ tho dorartr,, o,t~.