SON
A BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH
on the basis of whose revenm
Should druw #16,900,000 more pet
puvs #25,300 to or 201
Montres:l"
Boston
evning bods Hs ngainst
$:1,000, per annun
Our fire chef ani police chief recoi higher aalars
\merieun
Buffalo, Cincin
from 0 to the
the echiefs of mans larue
ties, notably, Boston,
nat Detroit, while the rank and file
of our police and fire departments
Much
vears to
drain pProportionatels less, hus
been done within recent itn-
prove our police force, and we are very proud, and justiv so, of our fire fight
ers, but We par these men altogether
too little when the hazard of their oc cupation and te service they render to the cominunitv are taken into nccount, aud from $150, to $400. per anthan American cities,
num less munv
Who is going to undertake the stand
ardization of thé immense salury list
which the cit, pays, aggrewating ${,-
== the
590,000 À vear? Who wil
pass on
fitness of the employees and the reli-
abilité of the svstem in each depart
ment ? Who will decide on the etfi
if our engineers and our entin-
methods?
It is because ji recounize the diffi
ilties in the was of real reform along
these Tines that EL have asked for ex
1) studs ou) admini Ï and
lize our salaries
our emplove this has
bo il ‘denied to mi
les in the citi indier-
+ho tit
we | methods <o
sueecess Tu followeil
tanv farge
\merican cities,
peur son thine oO!
HO fi: quaintei
Infrichcies ani details ot OUr muni
pal Mistrafion that {, who soc
for such relforms, do not pro-
ten] 6 put them into effect. l can
OI su frunkiv, to those Who are so
Unfanmilinr with atimo<pheri:
Hall as to
there is no
condi
tions at the Citx put such
ü question, that
Permanent
practical rolief possible under present
conditions, | ‘ope | do not have t
speak Hiore plainly,
As to
formation
the steps netessarv for the
of Such an Institute in this hu me that if
ocecured to one
our busitake comnunicating
Montreal,
lending organizations of
Hess Men, süch ans yours, would
the initiative, and by
With other publie bodies in
réquesting that à delegation from each
Should meet and discuss the formation
of such 4 Bureau, it might be the first step towards the aceomplishment . of
vhat is desireil
Torénto Went about it
rew p'ominent business
themselves to the task.
nl out how to obtain à t their civic administhe New
irent orsanization, of
with
cipal Research, to
allv fitted
men spec
réequirel were available.
Pli CONHHECTION Wit!
field
nominal sum,
WOrkK
Bureau b
dilhose © preail x !
\hat
ui be,
the financial
Started où
it 100 men,
n loronto,
ninistration of that
it busin
it
A BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH
ing endowed for
making their wo
possible,
the he
to obtain the subis: riptions|
xXt ste
support
thes
moveient
vhieh
Havi
the probable cost of
noueux
tounil
in tt
the good
rk as wide
ir learned
this survey
jp Wus to secure
sars. They
150, Thu
he City o
has changed the ad
eitv fr
om one do
<< with a deficit to the hap-
ter condition of
ni] S, li l
hi budwet
they h
busi
Het
ness
niv well
now approaches
with a sur-
begun.
veur, They had figured on spending
urs, Hit
FVenr
had t
the outbre
DETROIT, acanittedlv a well manag-|
ra it
tematizing its administration, The Bu-
eau of Municipal
v, has seen
for 4
o ch:
peri
in ft
of the we
the
od Gf five
their pluns|
ar,
nocessity Of sys-
Research
recently
med in that city will spend $50,000
IS vear
for ex}
ie internal and
on of Detroit,
s at our disposal, They h:
Helene nil :, svstematized accountin
tion, men
level Research EPUr AN CON rs of the New inuve placed
blie del
intordonartmontal €
who }
apps
pt verts
exte
and
rnal
bring
as other
muni
all t!
to examine into
administra-
it to the
ione fo
ation with
1éir resour
ve expert
budget mak
York office,l
æ Jiquida-
t, utilization of sink-
iave
the
opera
studied and are
best
principle
» | ureaus of |
sg
of European Municipal government to our American cities, the benefit of Whose ussistunce and advice is vours tor the asking, and ut a cost sufficient
for expenses onlv, They will tell vou
how to sveeure the funds for your orwnnuization and its upkecp, how to place Your institute where it will be a permanent bulwark of the rights of the people to govern for the people
Vo lauren speout #12,000, the first Vear of its existence, its annual!
budget now exceeds &100,900, Branches have been formed in PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, PORTLAND, Ore, DE TROIT, CINCINNATI and many other large American cities, as Well as in TORONTO, and new branches are be ing constantiy formed, They will hold a convention in the end of November ät Springfield, Mass, and the best proof of the success of the iden is its rapid growth.
They have reorganizcd the New York Department of Finance, they have so improved the system of collection ef water rates in that city as to increase
he revenue of that department by
#2,000 000 and thus avoided increasing the water rates, They have recovered ue
: + + IN } “jvr ? n° trom the Street Railway Companie
uearlv three quarters of à million dol-
in connection with streett pAVIn£, troducedl à new purchasing system, reOrL el Manhattan” Det rtn
ot Publie Works, arrested the steady
ESA RICOTORSE:
A Bureau of Municipal Research can
A BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH
give to Montreal elenner, better FTTA)
ettonent nel more effjetent nimini | tration of publie nffaisss it Wii be à latter dus Vigilance Committee who eV exXistenee Will wurn off profes “ional exploiters with whon we have become so sadiv familinrs it will «ti imulate our eitisens to the full exercise of their political Liberties, the right to vote and to see that their répresenta
tives do their dutvs it will afford to
the student of municipal government Î
facilities for broadening his kn iwledue of eivie uffnirs,
But it must not be forgotten that all political bias or affiliations must be Teil aside. The officers to whom the work of the Bureau will be entrusted must forsWeur all partisanship and all benefits to be derived from trans.
actions With the City, otherwise vour Institute would be a failure before
‘| had well begun.
The next decade will witness a great er and more important development in this country and particularly in the City of Montreal than any other simi lar period of our historv, With the cessation of the world's warfare, the runuiug of the two new transcontinental railways, opening up our rich, fertile areas to an expected flood of jimmi gration, Montreal, a< the natural head of ocean navigation and the financial centre of Canada, should hum like a
boehive.
Will we be prepared for our commer
cal, industrial and realts expansion?
With a depleted treasurv, an expan-
sive government, handto-mouth meth
os in our ordinurs, everv dus upkewp, What eitv could rise to her bext an
tullest development under such eondi tions! Supposing that on 4 conserva tive est,mate We double out popiilation in the next tWenty Veurs, HMpro\ cl traction facilities opening up sub urban properties will prevent cougesteil populaton of any district and give bet ter homes, but from where will the money come for publie works in these new areus? Where will we get the mones for boulevards and purks for the masses, and even if we are given the moncv for these, are we to proce” 4 iù the same blind way with our expro priations and annexations of adijoining municipalities without any general plan that will give us uniformity of
street Lines and building regulations.
AI this can be remedied by «a Bureau of Municipal Researeh, 1 am sure once the business men of Montreal are “onvinced of the power, scope and ef ficucy of à Bureau of Municipal Re search, vou Will find that this city will take to this genuine reform in civic vovernment With the same readi ness and success that has marked its foundation in every citv thus far.
Before closing ! wontd ïike to say a personal word of the administration that is at present endeavouring to improve the financial situation of our EYE l have shown vou how our in terest and sinking fund charges eat into our revenue, how even with a sal arv reduction beyond all reasonable expectation, we would still have insuf-
ficient funds to administer the city,
We ure giving most serious thought ul <tudv to the budget for the com if veut il we have been seel ng | outre of revenue to avoid the essits of increasing the realty tax, itul to endenvour to obtain from a| <ection of the population who derive all the benefits without giving an; thing in return, some contribution to wards the expenses of the City. No matter what the sins of our predeces <ors have bcen, there ïs at present an arnest cffort being made by your
“ivie officials to eliminate wasteful
methods,
Failing expert investigation the
re suits must be slow in appearing. If we
0 we
re-
real the
bave any
all
success,
ubove confidence of the
; A BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH
QU hival press interosts who to grind us to their will, as be
voen tmillstone, lomore harm to the publi by destroying their faith th tibministration, than they an pos-ibiv do to the admnistrators them.
sel\ We cannot be manipulated by
the howling of an organ to suit its fin uncial backers; we cannot follow
blindiy the policy of newspapers which would fix a tax rate for any public depurtment regardless of the debit and credit items in that department's account, or its deficit or surplus.
Pending à Bureau of Municipal Re search, and its results in our civic govcrument, L ask th#æt publie judyment be reserved until the full development ot
our plans for reconstruction.
