The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1921-04-21
PRES SMART MAKES PLEA FOR
ECONOMY AT FIRST MEETING

but as long as they, are on me statute
books they should be enforced.
The theory of the commission form
Of Is that anidsS !ne WORK into o, me
several departments. at the head OF each
of which is placed a commissioner This
commissioner is held responsible Tor the
work of this department. II we are
for his department we must give him
authority to select competent employees
who are in sympathy with the program
outlined. The commission as whole
will pursue will hold the several COM
missioners to a strict accountability and
will interfere with the management OF
the several departments only when the
commissioner devoates from the poilcles
laid down, or, in other words, fails to
get results.
On the question of public improve
ments. ] believe our policy should be
this: Under present conditions we
should not force permanent improve
ments on the public and we should be
very careful not to go ahead with large
expenditures except where they are alb
solutely necessary and in the case of
special assessments no work should be
done except in extreme cases of neces-
sity and emergency, unless the property
owners against whom the charges Will
be made petition for such Improvement
in writing. When financial and crop
to adopt a more liberal policy in this
regard.
Ex-Service Men
Minot has many eX-service men, many
of whom crossed the seas and fought on
Flanders field These men have won
to them q debt that we can never re-
pay. I sincerely hope that as you
commissioners select your employees for
the several departments, you will con-
c,,y1,
diers. Realizing that first of all you
must insist on efficiency, ] believe that
you should give the service men a
square deal and that their service to our
country should carry weight with you
in the selection of employees.
Boys and Girls
have Intentionally left the most inn
portant matter to the last. This is
the program that l believe we should
carry out for our boys and girls. In
we often think of economics and finance
as the matters Of greatest Importance
but this is not right. The greatest
asset that Minot has is not its brick
blocks, it's residences. it's paved streets;
it's waterworks system or it's financial
institutions. Our greatest treasure is
our boys and girls. They hold the
destiny of our city. and the future vel
fare OF Minot depends on how good care
we take of the boys and girls. If we
city expenditures. would it not be well
to invest "a part Of this in some con-
structive measures for the welfare of
the young. We commissioners have
not had time to think through these
various plans for boy and girl welfare,
but from the talk have had with all Of
you gentlemen. l am satisfied that we
can cooperate along this line to a splen-
did degree. A municipal playground
with a playground instructor or some
city assistance for paid Boy Scout
instructor as we'll as plan for super
vision of dance halls and places of
tions that we may well consider at some
future time.
Let US ever remember that Minot is
the best city in the world and that the
should be paramount at all times. Our
tasks are many and difficult but if we
undertake them in a spirit Of faith.
courage and enthusiasm. we cannot fail.