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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916 edition. Excerpt: ...honesty. The trend of the times, of course, is all toward efficiency in every field of endeavor, but the problem of how to obtain a form of municipal government that shall be highly efficient, and at the same time retain the virtues of the democratic form of government of the past, is hard to solve. New England towns are wedded to the town meeting, and most New England cities retain their aldermanic and common council chambers. These legislative methods have the virtue of democracy and are pliable to the will of the voters, especially the influential voter. Apparently this democratic principle appeals to the average New England voter, but no very efficient administrative methods appear to have been evolved from these democratic forms of government. In most cities there is not that centralization, of authority in the hands of the mayor (and in towns, in the hands of the board of selectmen) which the responsibilities of those offices and the efficiency of the administrative departments seem to demand. Municipal business in New Hampshire generally seems to be administered by heads of departments and boards of trustees, many of whom are not responsible to the mayor, and over whom he has very little, if any, real authority. Therefore, as there is really no authoritative head, the natural, result is that there is very little, if any, cooperation between the departments for the general good of the municipality as a whole. Each department usually strives to get a large appropriation for itself, even if it be to the detriment of some other department. Naturally, the accounting methods are usually on a par with the business methods. There is no uniformity of accounts or accounting phraseology, and in many cases the departmental reports do not...

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