BOROUGH CONTROL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1919, Page 3

BOROUGH CONTROL.

THE NEW PLYMOUTH SOHEME, AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT. Commenting on the appointment of a general manager to control the New Plymouth borough affairs, the Auckland Herald says:—"An interesting experiment in municipal administration has been undertaken by the New Plymouth Borough Council by the appointment of its town clerk as general manager of the municipal interests and activities. This redistribution of authority and responsibility between the council and its salaried officers is an American plan that has frequently been discussed, but has ' not previously been adopted in New Zealand. It was strongly commended to the Auckland City Council some three years ago by Sir Robert Anderson, who advised that the council should devote its attention solely to matters of policy, entrusting full powers of control over the administration of the city's manifold activities to the 'general manager.' "The proposal was received with considerable favor by the council, but abandoned owing to the difficulty of securing an administrator with the necessary qualifications of commercial experience, administrative ability and legal knowledge. A similar scheme of municipal government was submitted to the New Plymouth Council some months ago by its town clerk, Mr. F. T. Bellringer, and the latter has now been given an opportunity to demonstrate ita value. "The advocates of the city manager plan contend that inefficiency arises because the council is required to devote to details of administration the time and attention which should be given to matters of policv and the general welfare of the public. Moreover there is a tendency on the part of officials, often encouraged bv th<> council itself, to postpone administrative decisions for consideration by the council. In order to avoid these disadvantages, some American cities have adooted commissioner control, which is Teally a modification of the council system, under which each councillor becomes a salaried official devoting the whole or part of his time dailv to municipal government. "Under the city manager plan it is proposed that the council phouM retain its legislative and financial functions and its power to formulate nolicies. but *ould place all responsibility for purely executive and administrative actions Upon its town clerk. The organisation Is in fact borrowed directly from the management system of a commercial undertaking, and obviouslv requires •larger qualifications in the town clerV than are Tontvved in the customary arrangement. The New Plymouth experiment will be watched with interest throughout the Dominion."