Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-12
MEN WHO WORK FOR
IDEAL WASHINGTON

This is the season Of the year when
the annual reports of the District gov
eminent officials are being presented
and published. They constitute an
capital conditions, but most Of all
they are important as disclosing the
needs of the local government in its
development toward that ideal of a
model municipality which is cherish ed
not only by Washingtonians, but by
Americans generally who take pride
in the seat of the federal organiza-
ton.
| Each head Of a District department
sets forth the requirements of his par
ticular branch of the service in terms
of urgent admonition that il they
are not met the community will suf-
fer. These men are specialists in their
| respective branches Most of them
have been in the District service for
! many years, have grown I'D in many
instances from the ranks and are
devoted to their tasks. Some of them
nave resisted temptation to go else
where for larger pay, preferring to
remain here for the sake of the i'm
portant work that is intrusted to
| them.
A less selfish and more public-spir-
tied corps of municipal workers is not
to be found anywhere, in this country
or abroad Whether they have to
do with sewers, or water supply, or
| street pavemehts. or fire or police
protection, or trees, or weights and
measures, or plumbing inspection, or
health. or refuse disposal, or building
| inspection, or construction work, or
| surveying, or assessment and tax COL
| lection, they are intensely concerned
Tor their own branches of the service
and for the general welfare of the
District.
| II the recommendations of these de-
partment heads, made to the Com
| missioners for consideration in the
| framing of the annual budget of es-
Inmates, were all adopted, the Dis
tr1ct would require an annual ap-
preparation of perhaps $25, 000, 900,
possibly more. Every year the Com
| missioners. limited in their estimates
to the estimated revenues and forbid
den to propose plans that involve ex-
penditures beyond those limits, must
select from meritorious and appealing
projects those that are most essential
and prune practically all that are
adopted.
Year by year these specific better
ments of the Districts equipment ac-
| cumulate. as the appropriations leave
even the Inmates in arrears, and the
department heads return annually to
those that have been discarded and
recfte them in patient hope that they
may run the gauntlet Of official ap-
prevail. Tho record thus, annually
stands as one Of rejection for the
many. and the selection Of the few.
A competition develops between the
department chiefs for tn preferment,
Each chief Of q District bureau puts
1 his case In the strongest possible
terms. hoping that he viii most
deeply impress the official and the
public mind with his claim for con-
| sideration. Tho public gets the I'm
preston that all are meritorious, and
| in this 1t is not wrong. Nor are the
commissioners unimpressed with the
necessities. They are put in an nm
comfortable position. of having to dis
crimfnata. when they know that the
welfare OF Washington demands al
prevail of all recommendations by
them and appropriations by Congress
for every betterment proposed.
kk
Public education presents the heavi-
est bill ,of requirements year after
year. The schools can for the major
share OF the appropriation. And even
With the largest possible amount al
terms OF insufficient buildings and in
adequate teaching force. Every year
involves a compromise between the
growing population and the more
slowly growing school equipment
Nor has the police force ever been
large enough to meet the needs of the
District. Nor the fire department.
Nor has the street cleaning fund ever
kbeen big enough. These are but ex-
amples Of the necessities that are SO
urgently presented year after year by
the Commissioner subordinate as
sistants, whose reports go to make I'M
the annual record of municipal activi-
ties.
1t behooves every washingtonian to
study these annual reports carefully,
to appreciate what a big business
this of running the District has be-
come, how diversified are the work.
ings Of the municipal government,
| Iio" 1AdoCQudtc are IIle T6SOuIGcS ana
how difficult are the problems that
must be solved continually by those
who are put in charge of the local
interests.
-
Few residents of the capital have
occasion to get in touch with the
municipal organization. Unless they
are affected by some special ruling.
or are touched by some misfortune.
they take the operations at the Dis
trict building for granted and go
their way unheeding. Owing to their
Acknowledgement they have no part
in the workings Of the administra-
ton. When the time comes for the
designation of a new Commissioner
they are interested. perhaps, for a
time until the selection is made, and
then they adjust to a brief watching
of how the incumbent is getting on.
routine work of the local government,
directing it's detailed activities, get
ting out the product, as the phrase
runs in the industries, there is little
consideration. These men remain, adj
ministration after administration,
serving under many Commissioners,
serving the District faithfully always.
whoever may occupy the higher posts,
and the District is in consequence one
of the best managed municipalities in
the world.