MUNICIPAL PROGRESS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1404, 26 January 1899, Page 33

MUNICIPAL PROGRESS.

AN AMERICAN MAYOR'S MESSAGE. WHAT IS BEING DONE AT TOLEDO, OHIO. A correspondent in the United States has ju3t forwarded us a copy of the Annual Message of Mr Samuel M. .Tones, Mayor of Toledo, to the Common Council of the City; and this is of such a comprehensive character, and so ably advocates the municipaiisation of public services and the provision of comforis for the people by the municipal authorities, that we make some extracts from the document, which is published in the form of a pamphlet of thirty- two pages AN EXTENSIVE programme. Those who profess to be alarmed at the ambitious nature of the schemes of reform for Wellington oittlined by His Worship Mr J. R. Blair, the present Mayor, may have their opinions modified by a glance at the following epitome of the reiorms contemplated in Toledo: The establishment of a city plant for the manufacture of fuel gas. The control and operation by the city of the electric lighting plant. The establishment of civil service in all departments of the municipality. The enactment by the Legislature of law 6 that will give the city suen a measure of Home Rule as will enable it to "bring out the best that is in its own people.” No grant or extension of franchise to private enterprise without the approval of the people. The abandonment of the contract system on all public work, such as paving, sewers, etc.

The compilation and publication of the city directory by the municipality itself. The establishment of kindergartens as part of the public school system. A larger appropriation for street improvement. The sprinkling of the streets by the citj itself.

The passage of the ordinance for the appointment of Building Inspector. A larger appropriation for public parks. An appropriation for music in the parks. The establishment of playgrounds for the children.

The establishment of free public baths. Improved facilities for those who market in Toledo.

The erection of a city building. The uniting of all the people to the end that the Ohiro Centennial may be made a grand success. The revision of the city license laws. The repeal of the ordinance licensing employment agencies in Toledo. The veto power to be abolished and the referendum to the people substituted in its place. LIGHT AND FUEL. Mr Jones advocates the city undertaking the street lighting by electricity, and the supply of gas to the inhabitants for domestic use as light and fuel. He says, " The city is now paying 90dols. per vear for each arc light; we should have at least one thousand at present. Superintendent Cook estimates that the light can e produced by the city under public ownership at a cost of 60dol. per light. This would mean a saving of 30dols. on each one, or 30,000d015. on the one thousand lights that we ought to have. The arithmetic of these figures is very simple. In six or seven years the saving in the cost of light alone would pay for the plant, interest, and principal.' On the question of the ability of the Corporation to undertake such matters he remarks: —" To say that we are unable to deal with a proposition of this kind, is to confess the failure of the institution that we call Government; to urge that the city is unable to employ men of such ability as a private corporation can find, is belied by our experience in the management- of such institutions as are now publicly owned. I refer to our public schools, our public library, our parks, our city waterworks, our police department, our city fire department, our city streets—all of these are publicly owned, and the popular argument that a certain property can be managed cheaper by a private corporation than by the city, is as applicable to any one of these as it is to the city natural gas department.” FREE KINDERGARTENS. All educators now agree (says the Mayor of Toledo) that very much is lost to the work of true education unless it is begun with the child. It is said that the seeds of fundamental truth that form the character of the future citizen must be planted in the child before he reaches the age of seven years. There can be no question but that the thing of greatest importance to a city is the character of its citizens; it then becomes the clear duty of a city 10 contribute in every possible way to character building, and, to act intelligently, it -8 important that the contribution should be made at the time when the " apprentice citizen ” is most ready and likely to receive correct impressions. This the city can do in one way and no other, and that is by establishing free kindergartens; in other words, making the kindergarten a part of the public school system. There is food for reflection in what Mr J ones says under the heading of THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I have ((he writes) nothing but words of commendation for this branch of the public service. With comparatively meagre equipment at their command, the record of our fire department is one of which we may all be justly proud. I trust that your honourable body may suppler-V. work by passing the legislation G < l.his department stands in need of. pi-aiding for the appointment of a buildine inspector. We have the melancholy evidence in the loss of the life during the post year that there are more ways than one of doing murder for money, and without a building inspector to supervise buildings, so that proper precautions are taken in a growing city like ours, there is increasing danger that such a calamity as befell the city in the loss of the life of brave Captain Wills, in the Dow-Snell fire, and the frightful destruction of life at the Union Elevator, may be repeated through the erection of buildings that, to satisfy human greed, are lacking in ordinary precautions for the protection of life. Unless the City Council shall do all that lies within its power in the way of providing such legislation and further sacrifice of life is the result of such neglect, I cannot see but the city itself will stand equally guilty with the greed of the property owner, which is the prime cause of the trouble. After dealing with other questions, Mr

Jones comes to that of employment agencies, urging the repeal of the ordinance licensing such agencies, and advocating the institution of FREE EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES. " The State of Ohio is,” he says, "unique in having a law providing for free employment agencies in certain cities, of which Toledo is on a, and the city bears the expense of conducting the office. The absurdity of licensing a private enterprise to carry’on the same class of work in competition with the citi r is apparent. But the infamy of this sort of business can only be understood when we reflect that our people do not g * to an employment agency to seek for v.\ :-k save as a last extremity, and that t e city should then license an individual ’ o make profit out of this distressed class of people is a flagrant wrong that should be stopped as soon as it is possible to enact the necessary legislation. The State has made a most commendable beginning ii the right direction by establishing free employment agencies. Let us supplement tits work by enlarging the field of their opr rations in every possible way, so that ail of the people may contribute their mite towards finding emj ployment for those who are in need of it.'