Evening star., 1926-02-14
CITIES WASTE MILLIONS.
BALTIMORE MAYOR SAYS
Jackson, Who Has Cut Taxes l8 Per
Cent, Calls Upon Municipal Leaders
for Sane Revenue Policy.

The first result of the investiga ton
was to recommend the reorganization
OF the departments of the city so there
would be cooperation. Under the old
system the accounting was antiquated,
equipment was ordered that was not
needed, equipment WAS frequently
duplicated at an enormous loss, re-
celptS and expenditures We're handled
in a slipShod manner. and the whole
arrangement was utterly unsatisfac
tory from the standpoint OF efficiency
and economy. The foundation of sue
ceSSful city government is economy.
The city is a unit of government that
does not have to attend to problems
that involve great intangible conSe-
quenceS like whether we shall or shall
not have prohibition, or momentouS
policies that should he debated with
infinite care The great work of city
administration is purely financial. and
in consequence only the application Of
business principles and a strict adher-
enCe to them can make for successful
city government.
The reorganization of the city de
partments was one phase of the work
of reform. The next step was to
supervise with care all appropria tions
and rrune down unnecessary eXpendi-
lures wherever possible. The careful
=
field for economy. Lastly in the work
of investigation it was found that
city administration had been in the
past so lax and inefficient that Sill
100000 was due the city by delin-
"fuent tax payers. The city solicitor
found 10000 cases against delinquent
taxpayers alone that had been filed
from time TO time III the city courts
but which had been allowed to die
without serving any notice on the
defendant. We got busy and soon
the delinquent taxpayers began to
form long lines 10 the city hall TO
avoid the expense of a suit
New Sources of Revenue
our assault on the delinquent tax
payer brought in $4,000 900 the first
year. We passed law prohibiting
those who had not paid their taxes
on their automobiles from selling
their ears until all tax assessments
We're cleared and this piece of Iegisla-
uon brought in hundreds of thousa nds
Under our re-orga niZation plan we
created Il central bureau of disburse.
ment manned by - persons. Under
the old system il took 1874 people to
pay off the city employees. The re-
suit Of all this was better respect for
the law. People no longer regarded
notice of tax delinquency as so
harmless that ii could be thrown in
Tue WaSteba Sket. And the most salts
lying results We're in lower taxes
which every one wanted and which
the commission of efficiency and econ
omy had set out to achieve
.. Tell me something about the
tax reduction effected?
A. When all this was started in
May. 1873, the city tax rate was 50 297
per 500. There was a deficit in the
city treasury of $l.130, 900. Up to date
TO have reduced the city tax rate 40
cents for every 800 assessed. That
means a reduction of Is per cent The
entire deficit has been wiped out and
Yet the city has planned and put into
operation pensions and disability bene-
fits that cost $1,000. 600 a year. Econ
olhy ana progress are perfectly pos
Sihle
Q. What has happened to the busi-
ness men who served on the commits
sion of economy and efficiency?
a. They are still working for the
city. When their immediate work is
finished they will stand ready to be
consulted at any time. | hope that
nave layed down precedent for en-
listing the services of the able men Of
the city in mapping out important re-
their good work reform would have
been impossible and if the city had
paid them what they were worth it
would have cost the city a pretty sum
tradition of public service is fine
foundation for good government
Right Men the Big Need.
q. Do you think that any partic-
ular form of city government is more
conducive to efficiency and economy
than other types? For instance. have
you observed whether the city man
ager plan of city government is in
trinsically superior to the mayor -coun-
ell type?
A. No. 1t is more often the type of
official that is in government and the
spirit that animateS an administra ton
that makes for good government than
the mechanical structure through
which the official functions. 1t is un-
wise to change the habits of people
unless absolutely necessary. If people
have been accustomed to a mayor
council type Of city government the
sensible thing to do is to try and re-
form the government from within
rather than scrap it completely and
introduce an entirely new type of gov
ernment. There is always economy
gained when the old can be repaired
and made to serve as effectively as
something that is brand-new and
which calls for an outlay of energy
and time to study how it works and
how it differs from what it supplanted.
No. 1t isn't the type of government
that you have that is so often at fault
as the more frequent fact that its Of
fetal operators are not awake to prog
reSs or are not possessed of the proper
public spirit to make it function eff