Evening star., 1932-09-20

Gen Anton Stephan. commander
Hoover, COMMUNICATING his 45 years {
william E. Morton, retired Secretary O.
ahead which correlateS physical neceS-
sitv with financial resources.
In February, 1881. Congress estab-
lished long-range planning of public
works as definite governmental func-
ton by creating a Federal Employment
Sterilization Board. With the assist
| snce Of a small staff ii is charged with
the duty. of bringing about six-year ad-
vance planning OF public work by all
construction agencies of the Federal
Government as well as the City of
Washington We have gone far enough
to demonstrate the usefulness of this
modern procedure"
City and Business
Discussing the question Can a City
Be Run Like an Efficient Private Bust
ness2' c. A Dykstra, city manager of
Cincinnati. declared:
The work Of Government and of
private business cannot be measured
by the SANE rules. Profit making and
public service are quite different things
they work by different means and
their achievements take different forms
"Whsn We speak Of applying busi-
ness methods to government We can
only mean the methods of good public
business. Unfortunately. American pub
! lie life is full of individuals who have
, entered it for what they can get out
OF it personally. In other words, they
have sought public places in the spirit
OF private business. and for profit. Such
an introduction of business methods
or business ethics into public life is not
in the interests of public service, or
the community at large"
At the annual business meeting of
the National Municipal League this
morning. Murray Seasongood. former
mayor of Cincinnati, was reelected
president.
Samuel Seabury, counsel for the Hof-
stadter Committee which sought the
removal Of Mayor James j. Walker of
New York, was elected vice president
of the council.
Strawn Demands Tax Cut.
Speaking on the question Must
Taxes Be Reduced?" Silas StrsWn. for
ner president Of the United States
Chamber of Commerce and honorary
vice president of the National Municipal
League, last night answered emphatic
ally in the affirmative, declaring:
ITO those who have made even a
casual study of the present fiscal con-
6ition of our governments, Federal,
State and local I submit there is but
one answer to Mat question, and the
answer Is not that taxes should be re-
dueed. il is that they must be reduced.
because. to use hackneyed phra2e. We
have reached the end CT our financial
rope. The people, generally. are rap
idly coming TO the realization of the
fact that the cost of all governmental
functions has reached a stage where it
is impossible to raise sufficient revenue
to meet it"
Mr.. Strawn spoke at a round table
dinner and evening session before the
National Municipal League
Another speaker at this session, Will
liam G. Carr. director of the research
division of the National Education As
sociation. saw danger to education in
the "hysteria of tax reduction"
"Almost everywhere public school
systems ere on the defensive, school
terms are being shortened, Summer
! schools are being discontinued, night
schools are being closed and children
are being sent home from kindergartens.
Special educational opportunities for
the crippled and other unfortunate
children are being denied. Some dis
tricts are refusing to purchase text
books.
And these things are being done in
the name of economy. Does this seem
like an unduly pessimistic picture? 1t
is neither pessimistic nor optimistic; 1t
is factual.
Good Teaching Needed.
There is one irreducible minimum
for effective education. That one re-
auirernent is COOL teaching. If the
schools cannot continuously compete
with ether agencies to secure the type
of teaching service the Nations children
should have, the most important single
clement of educational service Is Jeop-
ardized
ANY retrenchment in teachers SAL
aries should, therefore. be effected re-
luctantly and with a definite assurance
that such cuts are temporary ADJUST
! ments.''
Speaking on THE Cost of Keeping
Community Healthy" DR.. Carl E. NC
Combs of the Institute of Public Ad-
ministration declared:
mo matter what estimate may be
put upon their value. the total saw
! ing in life and health which haS been
| mace in the past 50 years by disease
preventive methods alone SO far out
weighs the millions Of expenditure for
this purpose by official and unofhcial
health eGeneies that one feels ALMOST
apologetic in offering suggestions for
reducing the cost of public health
work. But ! am convinced that 1t is
not only possible to maintain the pres
ent level of community health eff
cheney at less COST but also, along with
reduced cost. to make possible more
efficient public health service in all
communities.
This depends in each community
upon scientific STUDY of its own pecu-
liar conditions. and the adoption of an
economy program necessarily directed
toward the reduction of personnel
service costs, which represents com
monty over 80 per cent of health ex-
penditures. The only way that ex-
penditures for health personnel can
be reduced without serious loss Is by
reduction of numbers of health per-
sonnel, and not by salary reductions.