Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-09-30
OBSERVE BIRTHDAY
OF N E N Ter At
ROTARY MEETING

The SOth birthday anniversary of
Or. +. c. Thayer. honorary member
OF the Waterville Rotary Club, was
observed yesterday noon at the
weekly luncheon in the Elmwood by
presentation of basket Of roses and
hne speech of appreciation of the
qualities Of the doctor as a citizen
by his lifetime friend, Judge Charles
r: johnson. Also honorary member
Of the club.
William c. Bamburgh, a member
OF brooklyn, n. T., Rotary Club. a
past governor of the 31st Rotary
district, past president of the Bos-
ton Rotary Club and vice president
| OF the National League of New York.
made short talk on Rotary princi-
Piles.
Rev. w. A. Smith was introduced
by Horace Muzzy as a new member
| and G. E. Glover. superintendent of
schools in Waterville, was introduced
! by Mayor Leon o. Tebbetts as q
: new member.
II. A. Brinkerhoff. city manager of
Portland, and Philip j. Deering,
; president of the Portland city gov
eminent. were guests of the Rotary
Club yesterday noon and both gave
short talks on their work, which is
: new III InlS state.
! Mr.. Brinkerhoff. the first speaker,
outlined his work as city manager.
, lie explained that his position was
achieved absolutely with no political
| pull" and that his work was done
In non-partisan manner. AS chief
administrator OF the city, the city
manager Is responsible only to the
| city council, which are in turn re-
| SponSible to the citizens
city manager. it was explained
| takes charge of the business of the
city and IL he does not prove salts
| factory. 1t Is an easy manner to dis
charge him and put someone else in
his place who Is capable of doing
the work. He is selected by the
council.
Mr.. Brinkerhoff, in his city. can
purchase machinery or other things
necessary to carry on city work
F, without consulting others. He ha.
liberty to buy from the concern
| which he knows will give him the
best for the city's money and in this
way a large advantage Is gained
over the old system.
Under the new system the Port
land police department was said to
have grown better in morale. The
speaker said that when he started
in with his new work there were a
| few who objected to the new sys-
tenn, but he said that after letting a
small number of men in the city
building, who were not very useful
go. the government officers began to
like the new methods.
| Another change which the new
| system brings is the method in
which repairs are scheduled for va.
/; rious streets or sewers. The streets
are classified according to their con-
| ditiOn by engineers and those ir
need of repair the most are taken
first. This does away with the many
calls for favors which under Other
! systems are ever coming into the
city government offices. ~
A purchasing department takes
care of the general buying for tbs
city needs and the purchasing agen,
makes a special study of wholesale
merchants in order to save money
In Portland the speaker declared 9
large amount was saved by this sys-
tenn.
Another addition which Portland
has made is a city laundry. which
does work for the City home, Cit!
hospital. fire department and later
! will include other departments.
/, Mr.. Deering, the last speaker. de-
clared that Mr.. BrinkerhOff had neg
! lected to name some of the more i'm
| portant achievements which he had
accomplished. He declared that un-
| der the new system. men were hired
/ to build streets who knew how tc
| build them and that all workers who
were hired to do city work must be
| qualified for their jobs.
Mr.. Deering has seen eight years
! of work in the administrative de-
| partment of the State and he de-
clares that Portlands new system
! is handled about the same way.
He explained how troubles were
J taken directly to the manager In
stead OF going through the process
! of calling a meeting of the city gov
eminent and he also mentioned the
improvement in the Portland traffic
| CySfpn