MANAGER V. BOROUGH COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 38, 8 November 1919, Page 3

MANAGER V. BOROUGH COUNCIL

AN AMERICAN IDEA NEW PLYMOUTH LEADS THE WAY

(By "Sylvius.")

New Plymouth, November 3. The Borough Council decided tonight to adopt a system of control of the borough by a general manager. The council will sit practically as a board of directors, who will decide on policy matters and control finance, but the whole working uf tho council's departments, which are increasing considerably as the result of the development of the town, the hydro-electric resources, tramways, etc., will bo administered by

tho manager. Mr. V. T. Bollringc, Town Clerk, was appointed to the

position at a salary of i'Boo, rising to XDOO., This departure is understood to be the first made in the Dominion. One of the most obstinately difficult achievements for a British community, and, in many instances, individuals, is to break away from tradition. It has often been said, by Americans chiefly, that "it bite a ton of dynamite to shift a Britisher off tho ideas of his grandfather" That this is true has been exemplified in ji thousand instances, and only the quickening effect of the pinch caused by competition from the manufacturer, corporation, firm, or individual, has forced new methods nnd means into being with our people. In some enses such methods mav be said to be almost repulsive to something bred in the blood nnd bone, and firms in the Old Country have been known to go down "with all colours flyins" rather than yield to the pressure of tlie new idea. As an instance, one need onlv mention the policy of standardisation in engineering .wh'ich was recently mentioned by Mr. S. AV. B. M'Giegor, British Trade Commissioner in Australia, who slated that the English manufacturer was awakening to the necessity of standardising; machinery of all kinds. This necessity has probably- been born of war experience, which has shattered so manv ideals. Now comes Major R. 13. Goddard. a commercial envoy accredited bv the British Government, who says that .standardisation is coming with respect to British motor-cars.

From New Plymouth comes the news of a radical change in the order of municipal control, and again the practice to be folluwco, had its origin in America, viz., the appointment of a city manager, who wijl. in all save policy measures, direct civic affairs—an experiment which has proved a success in many instances in America, and which will be watched with interest in all parts of New Zealand. Such a method of civic control was forced upon communities in America largely by the indulgence of objectionable practices in regard to concessions, contract, saloon, control, and other activities, in which bribes to Mayors nnd councillors, or their American equivalents, becime an almost accepted' form of abuse. Companies dealing in tramways, lighting, and supplies of all kinds neeued in the work of city management openly set aside part of their capital for the purchase of concessions oi privileges, and not all of that ear-marked capital found its way into the city treus urv. It may' lie argued that the same pernicious practices would obtain with a manager, but as that official, in most eases at all events, would be selected for his probity as well as capacity, and naturally would be highly paid, the danger would bo rendered' more remote. Fortunately, in New Zealand the practices referred to may not exist, but there are officials and councillors in municipal employ throughout New Zealand who can relate instances in which attempts have been made to "square" them to allow this or that to be done, which might or might not have been inimical to the public weal. One only has to learn of tho many comparatively trilling topics which crop up round tho City Council table fortnightly to realise what a pernicious effect politics has in matters which, in the hands of a strong, clearsecng manager, would be settled in the right way without allowing the matter to be clouded and twisted' by the fog of politics. The best arbiter's of that state of things would probably be the responsible officers themselves, whose actions are, under the present system, governed by council decisions. This is not to dcen the very excellent, and, at times, sacrificing work which has been done by many Mayors and councillors in New Zealand, often at personal'loss and great inconvenience to themselves, but the fact remains that there are. many matters discussed at inordinate length' round the council table which on able manager would deal with much more satisfactorily, promptly, and without bias. He would, to a great extent, have to view the citv or borough under his control as a business, in which every ratepayer was an interested shareholder, and, ' if uivch an untrammelled hand, results might often be obtained that would benefit the community generally. Much would naturally depend upon ihe calibre of the man selected for the job. In a flonntrv like New Zealand, whe'e.froo criticism is as the breath of life, ho would always be "on his mettle," so to speak, but the capable, fearless man need have no doubts on that point, as his work would be measured by results, just as they are with the mnnairement of any business. Were any doubts to arise, as to a course to be pursued he would— according to the New Plymouth ideaalwavs have his "board of directors" (the council) to appeal to or consult with.

hi a city as largo antf important ns Wellington, with its big trading concerns, the position of a manner would be one of immense responsibility, but given good subordinate officials, keen on their work, there would not he any reason to doubt that the result would be anv worse than at present, whilst the prospects of an improvement in certain directions must be advantageous in the lons run.