New Britain herald., 1925-04-22
CITY MANAGER IS
 SHOWN WAY OUT
Negative Side Wins Debate at Commonwealth Club Meeting

The annual meeting of the Com monwealth club was held last eve- ming at the Y. NJ. c. A. New offl- cers and executive committee were elected, these being the same as last year except E. o, Shjerden took the place of w. F. Fay as secretary and Miss Eleanor B. Yates as chairman of the membership committee, talk ing the place of Mrs. Bertha K. Tel lon, The officers and committee are as follows:
 President, B. B. Bassette; secre- tary, E, O, Shjerden: treasurer. R. H. Hubbard; chairman of lecture committee, Carl S. Neumann; chair man of civic committee, Elizabeth Leghorn; chairman of publicity committee, Beatrice F. Neal; chair man of membership committee, Eleanor B. Yates; chairman of dec orating committee. Bertha NJ. Hitch cock; chairman of social committee, Mrs. w. B. Montague; member of executive committee for three years Henry Hoar; member of executive committee for two years, Mrs. Clar- ence Derrick; member of executive committee for one year, Mabel Hib' bard.
 The club staged its first debate ir its active life of l7 years discussing the resolution: Resolved, That the time is ripe for the city of New Britain to adopt the city manager plan of government, the manager being answerable to an elected board of directors" Carl S. Neu mann acted as chairman of the de bate and Miss Beatrice Neal appear ed first for the affirmative side. Sht showed how the form of govern ment had been originally copied from English jurisprudence and hat come down to the present day witl little change. "The short ballot which features the city manage plan, is known" she stated "as th' peoples ballot as distinguished from the old form of long ballot known as the bosses ballot Th' .city manager plan has been adopte' 'bv over S2O cities in America, ant is in use all over Europe, including Germany, where they have develop ed the best governed cities in th' world" Miss Neal quoted from th' experience of many cities in Amer ica, such as Stratford, where the! killed off the old guard with result Iant great success; Dubuque. Iowa where the plan saved s10,000 in tel days; Dayton, Ohio, where lowe taxes resulted; Norfolk, Va, NeV London and many more.
 Mrs. Edward W. Clary was th' first speaker for the negative sld' land she showed how Norfolk. Va. .ouoted by the previous speaker, hat had only 1000 votes cast in a city o ,1oO,oOO people. which showed grea apathy under the new plan: oh' phase of the city manager plan glV on insufficient attention said th
 sneaker, "is that it provides for serv ice for the people rather than serF
 ice by the people" Mrs. Clary ere ated some amusement by qno'h the beginnings of democracy Tn th world in the prophet Samuefs day as described in the Bible, and con timed on through David's and Solo mons reign. "The expert" she as serted was a temporary advisor
 not an executive such as is proVid l cd in the mayor" , F. Shierdcn. for the affirmative l described how mayors are ordlnat iIv elected, i. Q. chosen by a point ,cal machine. He was not oppose 10 these. for cities must have ma
 cbinery for their elections; but tn , trouble is that machines do nc
 choose men for their ability but tc Dolilical considerations. By tn
 method. New Britain could not po' sibly spend $2,5oO,00O per year
 income with the efficiency that a expert would show with speci' training along city efficiency lines
 Miss Ilga r, Harvey, for the negi
 tive side, dwelt extensively upon II
 situation in Cleveland under the Gil = manager plan, and quoted senate i Copeland as proving that, while ell n manager plans might change u
 form of government, they had n