MANAGER v. BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Northern Advocate, 17 November 1919, Page 4

MANAGER v. BOROUGH COUNCIL.

AN AMERICAN IDEA

NEW PLYMOUTH LEADS THE WAY.

(By "Sylvius.")

NEW PLYMOUTH, Nov. 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 of the council's departments, which are increasing considerably as the result of the development of the town ) th c hydroelectric resources, tramways, etc, will fee .administered by the manager. Mr F. T. Bellringer Town Clerk was appointed to the position aY a salary of £800, rising to £900. \ This departure i s understood to be the first made in the Dominion. •- - One of the most obstinately achievements for a British commun-] ity, and in many instances, individuals, is' to break away from tradition. It has often been said, by Americans that "it takes a ton of dynamite to""shift a Britisher off the Ideas of hi s grandfather." That this i s true has been exemplified in a thousand instances i and only the quickening effect of the pinch caused by competition from the manufacturer, corporation, firm j or individual, has forced new methods and means into being with our people. In some cases such methods may be said to be almost repulsive to somthing bred in the blood and bone, and firms in the Old Country have been known to go down "with all colours flying" rather than yield to th c pressure of the new idea. As an instance, one need only mention the. policy of standardisation in engineering which was recently mentioned by Mr S. W. B. McGregor, British Trade Commissioner in Australia who stated that the British manufacturer was awa- ! kening to the necessity of standardising machinery of all kinds. This necessity has probably been born of war experience which has shattered so many ideals. Now comes Major R. E. Goddard, a commercial envoy accredited by the British Government, who says that standardisation i 9 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 followed had its origin in America, viz., th c appointment of a city manager, who will, in all save policy measures, direct civic affairs —an experiment which has proved a succes g 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, contraits, saloon control, and other activities, in which bribes to Mayors and councillors, or their American equivalents, became an almost accepted form of abuse. Companies dealing in tramways, lighting telephones, and supplies of all kinds needed in the work of city management openly set aside part of their capital for the purchase tof concessions or privileges, and not all if that ear-marked capital found its way into the city treasury. It may be argued that the same pernicious practices would obtain with a manager, but as that official, in most cases at all events would be selected for his probity as well as capacity, and naturally would be highly paid, th c danger would be rendered more remote. Fortunately in New Zealand the practice s referred to may not exist, but there ar e officials and councillors in municipal employ throughout New Zealand who can relate instances in which attempts had 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 the many comparatively trifling topic s which crop up round th c City Council table fortnightly to realise what a pernicious effect politics ha£ in matters which, in the hands of a strong, clear-seeing manager would be settled in the right way without allowing the matter to be clouded and twisted" by th c fog of politics. The best arbiters of that stat e of things would probably be the responsible officers themselves, whose actions are, under the present system > governed by council decisions. This is not to decry the. 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 remain s that there are many matters discussed at inordinate length round the council table which an able manager would deal with much more satisfactorily, promptly, and without bias. He would f to a great extent, have, to view th c city or borough under his control as a business, in which every ratepayer was an interested shareholder, and, if given an untramelled hand, results might often be obtained that would benefit the community generally. Much would naturally depend upon the calibre of the man selected for the job. In a country like New Zealand, where free criticism is as the breath of life, he 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 management of any business. Were any doubts to arise as to a course to be pursued he would—according to the New Plymouth idea—always have his "board of directors" (th e council) to appeal to or consult with.