New Britain herald., 1927-02-08
\ GOOD SHOW BUT X
 DISMAL ENDING,

in the city. The public cannot be blamed for taking them as seriously as screen concoction by Harold Lloyd or one Charles Chaplin. The comedy is just as good, although there may be less brains put into the productions. There is hope. how ever, for better results as time passes. If A. r. Leavitt does not finally reach Hollywood it won't be the fault of a certain natural aptitude for the calcium lights. What could be more ingratiating than his actions after publicly saying Cyril J. Curtin was an ef- ficient electrical inspector and a fine man for the job, that his sal ary ought to be increased, and then getting out the municipal apple pie and crunching it on the head of the unoffending inspector? The city hall is the place where Com- edy is spelled with the upper case "C" and Political Art with capital letters.
 LeaNitt tells the public not to pay much attention to newspaper criticism. The public won't thank him for the advice, especially as Leavitt's advice is not a good sub stitute. If Leavitt wants to find out what the public actually thinks let him start running for some office instead of basking under the easy "honors' of some appointment. That would be a fine way to discover how seriously the public takes it's city hall comedy.
 The electricians of the city, men who know what's what in electri- cal efficiency. are also people Of little account. according to Leavitt. Their petition was "untimely" note the exquisite use of this word. Leavitt's idea of a timely petition must be one which is submitted when there is no need for men tioning the subject, or three months after the machine politics have been played The petition not only was timely, but entirely too logical to answer in any other way than how Leavitt did it; that is to say, it wasn't answered, merely spurned.
 What the city hall gentlemen want to show the public is they can hire and fire the underlings. Curtin was charged with not maintaining proper office hours" The only people really in a position to judge were the electricians, representing that part of the public doing busi- ness with the electrical inspector. They knew they could call the in- spector on the telephone at any time before or after hours and receive service. The city hall crowd has given notice that no public servant is any longer supposed to have telephone in his house; let this busi- ness of serving the public get down to an efficiency basis-so many hours at city hall and not min ute beyond. candid appraisal of this system will show it means a very easy time for the salary-tak- CTS, and just as much salary for less work.
 The Curtin episode serves useful purpose, that of emphatically prov ing that any first class technician had best stick to his own business rather than harbor ambitions to serve the public under the aegis of the political machine as we know it. What is the value of being a puppet, being subject 10 the whims of such boards as the building commission
 The time is soon here. if it hasn't already arrived, when a job with the city" will be one of those things q man will fool with if he happens to need a meal ticket and only until something better shows up.
 Of course, the city hall does not play politics. Take that statement as seriously as one 10 the effect it never has done so. It not only plays poli- ties. but is quite firm about its technic.
 Curtin is to be congratulated upon his escape The public has been with him nearly overwhelmingly. Our ad vice to his successor is to stick to the office subscribing to numer- ous papers. periodicals and buying or borrowing plenty of books in or der 10 facilitate passing the time and then when the whistle blows beating it for keeps. That's the kind of clocklke efficiency desired. The city. however. in justice ought to pay for the reading matter consumed un- der this system.