MODERN SOCIALISM.

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 March 1911, Page 8

MODERN SOCIALISM.

.'OSITION IN THE UNITED STATES MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT WITHOUT COUNCILLORS. Mr C. E. Russell, Socialist candidate for New York State at last election visited New Zealand last week. Speaking to a reporter of the socialistic movement in the United States, le said that more attention was given lew to municipal government than to general politics, and the Socialists iad been remarkably successful in bringing about improvement in the nunicipalities. A remarkable change was coming over people's ideas in regard to methods of governing American owns and cities. The objct was to place L he citizens in the position of stocklolders in the corporation. Mayors, ddermen and city councillors, town •lerks, and other officers were swept iway. In their place there were comnissioners, each commissioner having i special department, for which •he done was responsible. He was eleced by the citizens, was controlled by hem, and was responsible to them. : 5e was, in fact, their manager or ;ervant, and carried out the policy they wished to put into practice. The system f government by commission, as it was called, had been introduced only within the past live years, but it was spreading rapidly, and seventy-two municipalities were using it, with satisfactory results. The system included the initiative and the referendum, and also the recall. The recall dealt with a Commissioner whose management did not meet with approval. A refei-endum was taken on the petition of a percentage of the registered voters. It was sometimes 5 per cent, sometimes 7, sometimes 10 and so on. At first it was predicted that the citizens would not be sufficiently interested in municipal matters to attend the polls in representative numbers." Experience showed that they were pleased to have an opportunity to express their opinions, directly. The system had abolished the evils arising from the abuse of the power and wealth of public service corporations, and also the old party system, and had made surprising improvements in the appearance and comfort if the municinalities that had adopted it. Milwaukee, he said, was now governed by Socialists, but under the old system. Before the Socialists secured the government, Milwaukee was a typical American city, down at heels, slovenly and unkempt. The first thing bhe Socialists did was to revive the city finances and place them on a sound foundation. They established a new system of bookkeeping, which enabled them to see exactly where the city stood. It was the first time the system :>f bookkeeping had been changed since the foundation of the city, sixty years ago. They searched the States for experts, and really set up government by experts, the best men obtainable being placed in responsible positions. They put an end to the bad old method of giving political rewards. They drew up a conqu'eheiisive scheme for beautifying :ho city. They made a great square in the ci'iitre of the city, and surrounded it with great public buildings, including a public library, a. college and administrative oflices, all built from a uniform architectural design. They rehoused the working population, caking over a suburban area through which a river runs, and renting cottages with adequate grounds. As a result of their work! ail classes of the community supported them at the rerecent elections, and elected them to office again. They had won the complete confidence of the citizens. The Mayor (Mr Seidel) was a pattern-maker by trade, • and a capable and earnest man of high integrity. All the other members were tradesmen, and all had demonstrated that men from their class, as well as from the professional and commercial classes, were quite able to govern a city. Some amusement was caused when the Socialists came to appoint-' the City Attorney. He was not a lawyer, but a. cook. He had studied at'the Wisconsin University and while carrying on his studies he had earned his living as a cook. He had proved to be an admirable city attorney. Mr Russell added that Socialism had no reason to complain of the progress it was making in both general and municipal affairs' in the States. He believed that it would not be very long before the two old parties, the Democrat and the Republican, would completely disapear, and that their places would be taken by the Socialist Party and the anti-Socialist Party. The imperialsitie snirit was not nearly as strong in the United States as in former years, and the people there felt that they had sufficient problems to solve in their own country without going afield for them. A great war was the only thing likely to give reform a notable set-back, and that might come in connection with the Japanese on the Pacific Coast.