Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-21
Circulation Every I NT0 9 .
Evening Yesterday Z & L OK
TUI IsDAY. DECEMBER 81, 10
Chester Engulfed in Debt.

The city Of Chester has discovered that
the Conlmission-Coun form Of govern
ment has not brought her the solution OF
municipal problem she had anticipated
and finds herself almost hopelessiy IN
debt Indeed, her emergency is so great
that the mayor has asked the advice 81
the business men and financlcrs 10 asS's'
the city out of the difficulty Among
other Of her Ills, she awakens - the iact
that she must spend SOL ,259 for urkeop
and overhead next year, while her income,
stretched 10 the limit, is but s5ll 800. ~
addition to this prospective discrepancy
between income and outgo, the city mas 3
floating Indebtedness exceeding Sl5o'Wh'
With tax rate 50 high it IS regarded as
impossible to raise more revenues through
,h,, channel At the suggestion q ihe
Council fifteen business men have neen
,nrainted to consider what course g pur-
.cin order 10 better the financial condl-
tIru Of the city.
While Chesters effort e operate hcr
affairs through commission torn q
government apparently has ialied' 7
v,o,ld he informing for our own clti7ohs
md TAXPAYERS to know if that pl"n '"F
fnunicipaI government is at fault or y '-e
application Of the system IN Chester 's
re.Donsible for the failure. Il has oeen
rcported. as Every Evening stated seVelai
davs ago. that the Commission form O
control had not come up to expectations ~
some Pennsylvania cities. We had u
mind that the places where It had falico q
DartialIv failed-cIties ike Chester ano
W,lke.- -Bsrre-are communities, like \
minUton. in control Of politicians \
nrobsblv il not tho method ot govern
ment that 10 in fault entirely At Chester
Ii. more likely due 70 the demoralizins
activities Of the partisans there and 'h'
hsnge-s-on.
While il has come out that the Com
rnission-Council plan Of city control Is 10
aIways satisfactory in reaching the eno'
aimed st. 1t Is probable vastly superior :
The old CITY Council method but stIu doe;
not begin to equal in efficiency the Soll
mission plan. or the Commission Manager
plsn, either.
As;tls important. at this tame, that W'
determine which Of the methods Of mum
,5psl government IS the best for our needs
we would insist that the men assenoiiLs
The draft of a new charter for Wilmington
With a. much outside AID as possible, FlV'
The different methods Of control detailed
consideration and adopt the best which
tbev seem inclined 70 do by favorlng tht
Commission plan. We could reach.
avail ourselves Of the experiences Of man.
cities and towns that are directed py IN
Commission plan, or the Commission
Manager control, and weigh that agalns
he experience. Of the Pennsylvania cltie
,,,dar the Comnission-CouncilT rule
We do not recall sn instance Of IN
Commission or Commission-Manager p-al
having failed IN any particular to come u
10 expectations, to have more than me
every anticipated need, or failed % nee
he appreciation Of taxpayers. On Z
Other hand, we have learned Of seveTa
instances where the ComInission-Counc
experiment has failed when applied Tha
me Commission system is superior to th
old one cannot be disputed for We hav
the mayor Of Trenton, Nj, telling US, ra
Gently, how much that city had grown an
,rnDroved IN administration during h
nine wears it has been under the Comm:
SION plan.