The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-02

| appointment or the SHdTteT CoHihiio- sion was the result. Our investiga-
 ministration. It ended on December
 31, 1929.
 "The overestimating of resources and the understanding of expenses were the causes of Waterbury's fi- nancial troubles. The tax collectors s office was in a bad condition. He l was merely acting as a receiver or money and was not pressing collec- tions.
 ADMITS MAYOR HAYES
 HAS REAL TAX COLLECTOR
 Since the time of our investiga- tion, of course, Mayor Hayes has cor
 rected conditions We have real tax | collector now"
 | MT Dow then went on to explain | the source of income the city has. | In Waterbury, he declared, 84 per cent of the city's income comes from real estate. The average in other American cities of Waterbury's size l is 63 per cent. Those other cities. he stated, place the burden on other shoulders instead of placing it so l heavily on the real estate owners as l is the case here.
 He explained that AT or 44S cities in the country now have city
 manager form of government. He then explained the method in which
 such form of government functions,
 with the people electing council of l five members, the council appoint ing the city manager and the city
 manager naming department heads
 and hiring and firing everybody in
 the municipality's employ. He ex-
 plained that the merit system would
 be used on all employees.
 NEW LONDON CITED
 1 AS SHINING EXAMPLE Referring to New London as an
 example of city having city man. ager form of government, MT Dow
 said that when the form was adopt
 ed 10 years ago the tax rate was
 30 mills. Now it is "A mills. He was 1 interrupted here by. MT Karpleman. Were talking about Waterbury
 and it's needs. Leave New London | take care of itself" he declared. ! MT Dow said he was merely using the city as an example. He informed the people at the meeting, though,
 that although the tax rate is "A mills
 the school system in that city is no expense to the municipality. It is
 run on endowments. In 1901, he said,
 the population of New London was | QUO, WHlIc tOQdy IL IS Z6,oII. III 1920 the bank deposits there were
 $25, 100000. The figure for 1926
 showed $39,000,000, he said. | In all, MT Dow stated, there
 would be 22 departments under the | city manager form of government. | Today he said, men are elected to run the city on their popularity and not on their ability.
 ''PAT CASEY AND ITALIAN
 BARBER" POPULAR FELLOWS Pat Casey is well known in
 Brooklyn" he said in giving an ex-
 ample. He was good ball player | in his day and has a fine following.
 He is elected. There is an Italian
 barber down the South End. He has
 q lot of Italian friends. He's elected" "
 There is the possibility of getting
 a poor council" admitted MT Dow. | William J. Pape asked why the
 commission decided on a council of
 five members instead of one of seven
 or nine and MT Dow said that the ex- perts figured that the smaller the | council the easier it would be to I watch and handle.
 | Stephen Crane, informed that any | body could be nominated for the council providing he presented pe- tition signed by 100 electors, asked
 why the 100 signers should not be restricted to taxpayers. Mir Dow ex- plained that it would look like too much segregation of power. We are all taxpayers, he said.
 How much would 1t cost to in- stall such an elaborate proposition 2" asked MT Karpleman.
 MT Dow replied that the system is not elaborate, but, on the contrary. simplifies the city government. The chart drawn by the experts showing the plan of government occupies just half the space taken up in the char. on the present form, he explained. WHY NOT SELL
 THE CITY HALL?
 Are we going to sell the City Hall. too?" asked MT karpleman. If the government is going to take up half the space we won't need the big City Hall
 "Mr Dow" he continued. you and I are of the republican party. There fore. don't like to quarrel with you, but isn't 1t so that if the republicans were in office in the city today you wouldn't want the present changes?' Mir Dow replied in the negative
 Continuing. Mir Dow said: We may as well be honest about the matter. All the trouble in which the city has gotten itself cannot be blamed on the Guilfoile administra- tion." There was great applause af- ter this declaration. MT Dow. ap- parently. was referring, also. to the Sandland administration. which started the deficit. MT Dow was president of the Sandland board of aIdermvn.
 I. R. Putnam e.sked If continu- ing council WOtIId uof tend to sta- bllize the city government. Mr Dow said that continuing boards are used lin many instances. A Miss Shanna.