UC-NRLF $B 563 466 NOV 251913 ORGANIZATION and ADMINISTRATION of the CITY GOVERNMENT of ATLANTA, GEORGIA (EXCLUSIVE OF HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENTS) » '-Ai./P By HERBERT R. SANDS FOR THE NEW YORK BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH NOVEMBER, 1912 Reprinted for the Training School for public service, conducted by the Bureau of Municipal Research, 261 Broadway, New York City, Wm. H, Allen, Director Organization and Administration of the City Government of Atlanta, Ga. (Exclusive of Health and Educational Departments) Report of a General Survey Made for the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Committee on Municipal Research By HERBERT R. SANDS FOR THE New York Bureau of Municipal Research NOVEMBER, 1912 Appeal Pub. Co., Atlanta, Ga. 55 Col. Frederic J. Paxon, Chairman Chamber of Commerce Com- mittee on Municipal Research, 57 Whitehall Street, Atlanta, Georgia. Dear Sir: In accordance with your instructions, the Bureau of Municipal Research made a general survey of the city government of At- lanta, including the organization and business procedure of all the city departments. During the progress of our work we found much to praise in the methods and results obtained by each de- partment. A great deal of very excellent work is being done by the city's officials, all of whom were most cordial in assisting us to gain an insight into their respective departments. Our mis- "^ sion in Atlanta was to point out the places where the present structure is weak and where present methods are defective, and to suggest ways and means whereby such weaknesses and de- fects might be remedied. The report which follows is, therefore limited to criticisms of organization, methods and conditions as we found them, and to constructive suggestions. It relates to all city departments except health and education which were sur- veyed and are reported on by Mr. Lindholm. Respectfully submitted, NEW YORK BUREAU OF MUNICIPAL RESEARCH. By Herbert R. Sands. New York, December 14, 1912. 305323 ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA. This report is arranged under the following heads : 1. Summary of Criticisms and Constructive Suggestions. 2. Construction Department. 3. Park Department. 4. Police Department. 5. Fire Department. 6. Water Department. 7. Sanitary Department. 8. Inspection of Buildings. 9. Inspection of Weights and Measures. 10. Inspection of Licenses. 11. Comptroller's Office. 12. Budget Methods. 13. Passing Ordinances. 14. Purchasing Supplies and Materials. 15. Payment of Claims. 16. Bank Deposits and Treasurer's Balances. 17. Bonded Debt. 18. Assessing and Collecting Taxes. 19. In General. SUMMARY OF CRITICISMS AND CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTIONS. This summary is set forth under: I. Defective conditions easily corrected by slight improve- ments in administration. II. Defective conditions easily corrected without reorganiza- tion but requiring ordinance authority. III. Defective conditions easily corrected but requiring reor- ganization, for which ordinance authority is necessary. IV. Defective conditions easily corrected but requiring reor- ganization, for which statutory is necessary. V. Defective conditions easily corrected but requiring in- creased appropriations. VI. Other conspicuous opportunities confronting Atlanta's city government (exclusive of health and education) . VII. Immediate next steps for Atlanta's city government. Note: While the grouping which follows is believed to be cor- rect, if any part of the summary is grouped under wrong captions it is because lack of time prevented us from check- ing the report to all existing ordinances and statutes. I. DEFECTIVE CONDITIONS EASILY CORRECTED BY SLIGHT IMPROVEMENTS IN ADMINISTRATION. Construction Department. 1. The same thickness of pavement has been laid on residen- tial streets having very slight traffic as on downtown streets having heavy traffic. Many thousands of dollars might be saved annually if the city when building pavements would adapt the thickness of the pavement to the stresses it will be required to bear. All city pavement specifications used hereafter should be carefully reviewed by a pavement special- ist. (This work might be assigned to the New York Bureau of Municipal Research or taken up by the local bureau as soon as it is organized. 2. Sewer specifications on which contractors have been asked to bid have been so indefinite that neither the city*s nor the contractors' interests were protected. 3. Inspection work on Atlanta's streets has been extremely poor — particularly of repairs. Many inspectors have been incompetent, they have not been sufficiently instructed or equipped and there has been a lack of discipline. If neces- sary to secure a better grade of men, a higher rate of pay should be offered, they should be fully instructed and equip- ped, and when their efficiency records show poor work they should be dismissed on charges and made ineligible to re- employment. 4. There has been an insufficient number of inspectors during the work season and too many during the winter. This con- dition may easily be remedied if instead of providing in the budget for a fixed number of inspectors throughout the year there was provided to cover work which is seasonal, a definite number of months of inspection at so much per month. The flexibility thus afforded would enable the ad- ministrator to regulate his force according to the demands of the work. 5. Streets have been torn up for several blocks and allowed to remain long in an incompleted condition. If the city can enforce a time limit penalty clause in contracts for con- struction work it should do so. If not, then a law should be secured to permit it. Some of the city contracts have included such clauses but they have not been enforced. 6. The degree of energy with which all work of the depart- ment has been pushed in different parts of the city has been <:-o/]v,^ / 7 influenced by the ward system. A definite work program should be mapped out at the beginning of the season, author- ized and fully appropriated and strictly adhered to through- out the year — each job being taken up only in regular se- quence as it appears in the work program. 7. Approval of further changes in grades of streets, unless urgently required should await the development of plans of the newly appointed Atlanta city plan commission so as to insure the co-ordination of such changes with a general city plan. 8. Owing to the location of the department's stables at one side of town there is a tremendous loss of time and also of team energy in going to and returning from places of work. . Moreover, the hauling of perspiring convicts in open wagons V/ in cold weather tends to cause sickness among them. Fa- — ciltfcies should be provided for keeping part of the teams and wagons on the opposite side of town, at least during the work season. As long as the convict system is retained, the convicts might be transported by special street cars to and from points near their places of work. 9. The efficiency of city convict gangs is much less than that of the county gangs. 10. The water department does its ditching by department labor and the construction department by contract. One of these methods is undoubtedly cheaper than the other and the department using the more expensive method is there- fore wasting the amount of difference in cost. Which method is the cheaper can not be determined until adequate cost records are established. 11. The department has kept no records showing unit costs on any repair work or on construction work done by de- partmental labor, nor have any records been kept showing efficiency of employes. Such records should be established and used as a basis for administration. 12. No printed annual report has been issued by the depart- ment for several years. A report should be issued annually showing work done during the year, unit costs thereof, comparisons with preceding years, recommendations, etc. Enough money is wasted in the publishing of almost any one of the other departmental reports to pay for one for this department. 13. The physical arrangement of the department's offices is not conducive to efficiency. Suggestions for improvement are set forth on pages 27 to 29 of this report. Park Department. "^ 1. Piedmont Park is neither policed nor lighted at night and Grant Park has only one policeman and is poorly lighted. All city parks should be well lighted and policed, particu- larly during the first half of the night and during the warmer months. 2. Adequate cost records have not been maintained. ? 3. After insufficient advertising the board let park privileges on a six year contract. This is too long a period, because at the end of two or three years the privilege may have become twice as valuable. Police Department. 1. Complete efficiency records should be maintained currently of every man in the department. This has not been done. Neither have complaints coming to the department been made a matter of record as they should. 2. Greater endeavor should be made to inform the force rela- tive to men and property wanted. This may be done by giving them each a copy of the daily list or by questioning them relative to instructions given verbally. 3. Fingerprint equipment and a fingerprint operator should be provided. This is necessary in present day police work. 4. Card records of previous arrests are compiled but no real use is made of them. Those which relate to prisoners about to be arraigned should be sent up to court for the informa- tion of the recorder when determining sentence. 5. The uniformed force does not have a soldierly bearing. At the time men join the force they should be given "setting- up" exercises and a soldierly appearance should be contin- ually insisted upon. 6. The traffice squad should be further instructed in traffic regulation and be equipped with whistles. 7. The annual reports of the department should be improved. The 1911 report contains 78 pages and onehalf of it is de- voted to matter which has no value in a report. Much matter of value was omitted. Fire Department. 1. Each member of the department should be furnished with a book of the department's rules. There is no such book at present. 2. Although reports are submitted showing the location of each fire no compilation is made of the ins and outs of each company or the total fires responded to by each company. Such records are valuable as a supplemental check on the company's efficiency. 3. There are no published reports of the work of the fire in- spector. 4. While the department appears to have been fortunate thus far in its purchase of horses without a guarantee period the city's interests would be better protected if horses were purchased subject' to a ten or thirty day trial. 5. Fire hose is purchased according to brand and on a three year guarantee. A guarantee is of little value in saving property and life if hose breaks at a serious fire. The ad- vantages of purchasing fire hose on specifications approved by the national board of fire underwriters is suggested for serious consideration. Water Department. 1. If meters were read and collections made only quarterly in- stead of monthly as at present all of the reasons which make frequent reading desirable would be complied with, there would be much less annoyance to the consumer and less cost for meter reading and clerical work. 2. The present accounting system while satisfactory in most respects causes some confusion by permitting duplicate pay- ments. Suggestions for obviating this difficulty are set forth on page 46 of this report. 3. No statements are available showing a comparison of the quantity of water pumped with the total quantity consumed as indicated by the meter readings. Such statements should be prepared to aid in determining the quantity of water lost by leakage. 4. The published reports of water revenues and expenses indi- cate that consideration should be given to lowering the cost of water to consumers. Sanitary Department. 1. To secure cleaner streets an intensive study should be made of the kinds and conditions of streets, kinds of tools used, work methods and organization of the department as a basis for more efficient administration. Such a study might be conducted by a local Bureau of Municipal Research. 10 2. The day patrol system as operated at present stirs up a great deal of dust and should be supplemented by sprinkling. 3. The supply of receptacles for containing sweepings is in- adequate. 4. Streets which have a disintegrating pavement should be oiled. J'his has not been done. 5. Careful inquiry should be made relative to the feasibility of generating electricity in the new crematory. 6. The department maintains no efficiency or unit cost records whatever. There are not even any records showing areas cleaned each day nor quantity of garbage consumed in the crematory. Efficiency and cost records are very valuable as a basis for administration in a department like this aila should be established as soon as possible for street cleaning, garbage removal, flushing sewers, and cleaning catch ba- sins. Inspection of Buildings. 1. There is no record showing the name of the inspector mak- ing any particular inspection. It is therefore impossible from the records to fix any responsibility. A rule should be promulgated at once that each inspector turn in a signed report of each inspection. 2. The department files contain the records of several thou- sand buildings, the construction of which has been approved and the owners of which are therefore entitled to special discounts allowed by fire insurance underwriters for pre- miums on such buildings. Endeavor should be made to no- tify the owners of these buildings so that they may have the benefit of the reduced insurance premiums. Inspection of Weights and Measures. No record is kept of the work done by the inspector of weights. A system for recording such work currently is suggested on page 45 of this report. Comptroller's OflSce. 1. There is no uniformity of payrolls and none of them con- tain any certificates of facts as a means of fixing respon- sibility and as a basis for payment. Moreover the certifi- cates on payment vouchers for contracts and open market orders are also wholly inadequate. 2. The comptroller has no accounting control over any of the 11 financial stationery used by the city, i. e., licenses, permits, etc. Good business methods demand that such a control be established. 3. Although property accounts are maintained they need am- plifying so that they may be used as a basis for admin- istration. 4. A large amount of clerical labor is wasted in posting what is known as the police docket. A plan for obviating this work is described on page 48 of this report. 5. The only system which enables a city readily to ascertain its exact financial condition at any time comprehends the setting up as liabilities against appropriations and bond funds, of all contracts and open market orders at the time they are consummated or issued. By a slight amplification the present accounting system of Atlanta may be put upon that kind of a basis and thus by currently showing the unen- cumbered as well as the unexpended balances will prevent the overencumbering of authorizations. Budget Methods. The making of the annual budget is the most important govern- mental event of the year to the citizens of Atlanta and yet all of the work in connection therewith has been done se- cretively. Although budget making is public business the public has known absolutely nothing of what was going on. Large numbers of citizens are conversant with the commu- nity needs and are ardently desirous of bettering existing conditions. They can be of absolutely no assistance however, unless (1) the city officials inform them promptly of the amount of each departmental request for operating the sev- eral functions and activities of that department, (2) the city officials inform them promptly of the comptroller's rec- ommendations with respect thereto, and (3) they are given an opportunity by the budget making body of appearing before it and being heard in matters of increasing or de- creasing particular appropriations. Passing Ordinances. 1. It is customary to pass ordinances on their second reading at the same meeting at which they are introduced, notwith- standing the fact that there is a charter provision evidently intended to prevent just such a custom. It is a dangerous policy and should be abandoned because it does not give either the public or officials adequate notice of proposed leg- islation. 12 2. The city is now large enough and measures put through councils are important enough to justify printing the pro- ceedings in pamphlet form immediately after each meeting and making them currently available to council members, city officials and those of the general public who may be sufficiently interested to ask for copies. Purchasing Supplies and Materials. 1. At the present time a large proportion of the city's pur- chases are made with little regard for the kind, grade, style, etc., of equipment, supplies and materials best adapted for each particular need. To buy efficiently and economically everything which is susceptible of description should be de- scribed in specifications and all specifications should be standardized. 2. Supplementary to standardization of specifications and cen- tralization of purchasing power, the needs of all departments should so far as possible be anticipated a year in advance and contracts let for quantities to last the entire period. In many instances this has not been done. Bank Deposits and Treasurer's Balances. 1. The city receives only 2 per cent, interest on its deposits in bank. It is probable that the comptroller might arrange to make time deposits for a definite number of months so that a higher rate of interest might be secured. 2. The city treasurer has on hand at all times an amount aver- aging over $50,000 and on which no interest whatever is received. This money should earn at least 2 per cent, on daily balances. Collecting Taxes. 1. A system of prebilling ah three tax installments should be designed and adopted. Such a system would do away with all congestion in the tax office caused by taxpayers waiting to pay their taxes, would be much less susceptible of error, and would involve less clerical work. 2. To facilitate payment of taxes, the cages in the assessor's office and tax collector's offices should be rearranged, or a carrier system installed. 18 n. INEFFECTIVE CONDITIONS EASILY CORRECTED WITHOUT REORGANIZATION BUT REQUIRING ORDINANCE AUTHORITY. Canstruction Department. 1. Although some laboratory tests have been made of pave- ment material by a local firm of engineering chemists the number of such tests has been entirely inadequate owing to the cost thereof. Such tests are always desirable to insure the delivery by contractors of the proper grade of material. It would probably be cheaper if the city established a testing laboratory of its own for testing pavement material and all other materials and supplies purchased by the city. -^ 2. Instead of burdening the current year's tax budget with the entire cost (city's share) of paving and repaving done during the year as is now done, it would be much better to pay it with the proceeds of ten year serial bonds because the cost would then be more equitably distributed over the life of the pavement. 3. The present plan of charging persons desiring to make cuts in pavements a fixed amount is bad because the depart- ment's workmen endeavor to keep the cost of repairing such cuts within the amount of the charge and poor work results. Every cut made in the city's pavements should be repaired in the best possible manner and the actual cost of the work plus a small percentage f or~overhead costs should be charged the person for whose benefit the cut is made. ^4. The department frequently does not extend all underground pipe connections to the curb line or compel public service corporations to do contemplated ground work prior to pav- ing or repaving. As a result pavements are continually torn up to do such work subsequently. Permission for this has been too easily obtained. A policy should be strictly ad- hered to that all sub-surface structural work be completed before paving or repaving or a waiver in writing secured from all parties interested, not to have such work done within a definite number of years. 5. Repairs of asphalt pavement and construction of lateral sewers are seriously hampered because reimbursements on account of work done are credited into the general fund instead of being credited back to the appropriations made therefor. 6. Personal sureties are accepted from some of those desiring 14 i to make cuts in pavements. This is a bad policy because the security may also be already pledged for its full value and the city might therefore suffer loss. A bond of a regis- tered bonding company should be required in each case. Police Department. 1. The present restriction that only members of the regular police force are eligible to appointment as detectives should be removed. Many good detectives might be barred out by such a rule. 2. Revolvers which are confiscated should be destroyed and not re-distributed by auction sale as at present. Fire Department. All employes in this department should be selected by com- petitive examination held under civil service regulations. At the present time the fire chief exercises absolute power of hiring and dismissing men. Inspection of Buildings. 1. Although the office of inspector of buildings is charged by ordinance with the duty of examining and approving plans for buildings there is not a graduate architect or engineer in the department. It is therefore problematical whether building plans receive adequate examination. In view of ' the size of buildings now being erected in Atlanta this con- dition should be remedied. 2. The ordinance relating to fire escapes leaves the enforce- ment thereof to the discretion of the building inspector. This is a dangerous policy and should be remedied at once. Inspection of Weights and Measures. The city is receiving very little protection from the use of short measures because the municipal code makes inade- quate provision for the inspection of measures. This also is a matter affecting every citizen and should have early attention. Comptroller's Office. 1. Authority should be given the comptroller to operate an unclaimed salaries and wages account so it will not be neces- sary to obtain authority from council as at present, every time a laborer returns for a day's pay which he has neg- lected to obtain on pay-day. 15 2. The comptroller should no longer be required to submit at each council meting a detailed list of warrants drawn since the previous meeting. It is unnecessary and causes consid- erable work. Budget Methods. Restrictions against over-encumbering appropriations should be included in the budget ordinance. Past budgets have contained no restrictions whatever. Payment of Claims. 1. The present ordinances and rules which require that several signatures be attached to payment vouchers delays payment and is of no additional protection to the city. More than three signatures on a voucher are of little or no value be- cause they are usually made only because other officials have already signed. 2. Dealers doing business with the city are compelled to go twice to the city hall before being paid for claims. Such a procedure militates against securing low prices and is unnec- essary, as set forth on page 55 of this report. Bank Deposits. 1. Personal sureties are accepted for each of the banks having city money on deposit. In each case these sureties are the officers or directors of the particular banks. It is suggested that it would be better business policy to require surety from registered bonding companies. 2. It is suggested also that the amount of the city's money which may be placed on deposit in any one bank be limited to a percentage of the capital and surplus of that bank and not be unlimited as at present. Bonded Debt. 1. The city has a bonded debt of $655,000 (December 31, 1912) for which no provision has been made for payment. To neglect next year and each succeeding year to set aside a reserve to pay 'these bonds when they become due, is not consonant with sound financing. Instead of waiting until they become due and issuing refunding bonds, which in turn must be paid by the next generation of taxpayers, plans should be adopted at once for the establishment of a sinking fund to which payments will be made each succeeding year, beginning with 1913. 16 2. When issuing bonds careful consideration should be given to the advantages of serial bonds over those issued on a sinking fund plan. Collecting Taxes. 1. If taxes were collectible only in semi-annual installments, instead of in three installments as at present, the amounts collected would be adequate to finance the city throughout the year without borrowing, the public would suffer less an- noyance and less clerical work would be caused the tax office. 2. The present ordinance which permits payment on install- ment dates of any part of the amount levied has no prac- tical advantages, unnecessarily complicates the bookkeeping and should be changed. Payments should only be accepted in definite units of 1-3 or 1-2 of the amount levied. III. DEFECTIVE CONDITIONS EASILY CORRECTED BUT RE- QUIRING REORGANIZATION, FOR WHICH ORDI- NANCE AUTHORITY IS NECESSARY. Construction Department. 1. To aid in a better coordination of the work of the depart- ment and fix responsibility all work pertaining to streets and sewers should be consolidated in two bureaus, the super- intendents of which should have special training and experi- .^ ence in such work. Like their subordinates, they should be selected by competitive examinations held under civil service regulations. Insufficient importance has hereto- fore been attached to the requirement of special training and experience for men employed in the construction de- partment. 2. The duty of operating the new sewage disposal plants should be transferred to the sanitary department because it relates closely to street cleaning, cleaning catch basins, flushing sewers, etc., all of which is done by that depart- ment. Moreover it is an operative function similar to the crematory and unrelated to the functions of the construc- tion department. Inspection Licenses. The inspector of license (salary $1,500) and his assistant (sal- ary $1,100) are little more than messengers. These posi- 17 tions should be abolished, the quarterly notifications sent out by the city clerk, and license inspections made by the regular police force. Purchasing Supplies and Materials. A considerable amount of purchasing has already been cen- tralized in the comptroller's office. While this is commend- able of the comptroller, it is contrary to good business or- ganization because it places the expenditure of money and audit of claims in the hands of the same official. Central- ization of purchasing should be extended because it means a large financial. saving to the city but it should be placed in charge of a purchasing agent, which office should be ap- pointive and separate from all other city departments. IV. DEFECTIVE CONDITIONS EASILY CORRECTED BUT RE* QUIRING REORGANIZATION, FOR WHICH STATU- TORY AUTHORITY IS NECESSARY. Canstruction Department. The head of this department being an elective officer the de- partment has been organized largely according to political expediency. As a result positions of responsibility have sometimes been filled by men who while well intentioned were not adequately trained for the duties given them to perform. The head of the department should be an ap- pointive official and the best man available in Atlanta or anywhere else in the United States should be eligible for appointment. Park, Police, Fire and Water Departments. Each of these departments has an executive head to whom the public looks for results and to whom they naturally attribute inefficiency. These executive heads, however, have but a limited power. They are responsible not to the mayor nor even to the council but to large unwieldy boards of com- missioners. These boards are unnecessary because: a. The statutes and ordinances being plainly written all that remains is to see that they are obeyed and the head of a department can do that unassisted. b. A single head of a department constantly on the job knows more of the conditions and needs of his depart- I 18 ment from an administrative side than any board of citizens can hope to know. c. The city already has a legislative body and committees thereof. The boards actually operate to deter efficient administration because : a. Being elected by the council they are a step re- moved from the city electorate and hence not read- ily susceptible to public demand. b. Being composed in most cases of a representative from each ward there is always a tendency to se- cure favors to particular wards. c. Not being in constant contact with the department they are not sufficiently familiar with the condi- tions and needs thereof and even with the best in- tentions may restrain effective work by the head of the department. Each department should have a single head who should be appointed and to whom the public might look for results and who alone would be responsible for inefficiency. Inspection of Buildings. The duties of the building inspector and his assistants are constantly increasing and might well be transferred and made a bureau of the construction department. The man in charge of this work should be appointed and not elected as at the present time. The best man available for the posi- tion might then be secured. Moreover an inefficient man could be more easily removed from the position. V. DEFECTIVE CONDITIONS EASILY CORRECTED BUT RE- QUIRING INCREASED APPROPRIATIONS. Construction Department. 1. The council has sometimes authorized new work but not ap- propriated enough money therefor. 2. There has not been an adequate amount available for re- pairing pavements. Park Department. 1. Park roads in other cities are used almost exclusively by automobilists. There are a large number of automobiles 19 in Atlanta but the park roads are in such bad condition that it may almost be said there are none. Automobile owners pay no license fee whatever to the city (and only a minimum fee to the state) . If a city automobile license wer^ required and the fees set aside for building park roads and then con- necting boulevards it would only be a few years before the city had a real park system. With the abolishment of the ward system of government these license fees might be put in the general fund because then the park department would receive more attention from those charged with apportion- ing the appropriations. 2. The city has provided no park facilities whatever for its large colored population. If property can not be secured otherwise bonds might well be issued for such a purpose. Police Department. The city needs at least two more station houses. They should be combined with fire stations and health department branches. Inspection of Weights and Measures. The inspector of weights and measures should be given more authority with respect to measure and then given assistance in performing his work. Assessing and Collecting Taxes. There is need in the assessor's office for a complete and correct tax map of the city. VI. OTHER CONSPICUOUS OPPORTUNITIES CONFRONTING ATLANTA'S CITY GOVERNMENT (Exclusive of health and Education). 1. To combine the city and county governments into a single efficient and simple form which will definitely fix respon- ^ sibility and be readily amenable to public demand. ^2. To establish a municipal civil service. 3. To standardize all salaries of municipal employes. 4. To consolidate the city repair shops. \^^. To purge the city of smoke nuisance. S© To develop the city's parks, including the establishment of a park for negroes. 7. To abolish barren strips along sidewalks. 20 8. To erect safety islands on heavy traffic streets. 9. To abolish overhead wires, at least to combine light and trolley on one system of poles. 10. To abolish grade crossings. 11. To prevent automobile blockades in the principal down- town streets. 12. To erect sufficient number of street signs. VII. IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS FOR ATLANTA'S CITY GOVERNMENT. 1. Establishment at once by the citizens of Atlanta of a Bu- reau of Municipal Research to co-operate and assist the local governments, both city and county, in doing the same kind of constructive work which has been done in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati, and other cities with the aid of similar bureaus. 2. Establishment of a simpler form of government and adop- tion of more efficient business methods. CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT. There appears to have been a long seated dissatisfaction throughout the city with the work of this department. The re- sults of the survey thereof are here discussed under (1) general organization, (2) field methods, (3) office methods, (4) methods of financing and (5) methods of selecting pavements. GENERAL ORGANIZATION. Should be an Appointive OflSce. Efficient administration of the office of chief of construction demands that it be filled by a high grade business executive se- lected solely on merit. It would be better were he to have a tech- nical engineering training also but this is not essential. [^Vhen men such as this position needs can be persuaded to serve the people in such an office the position must usually come to them by appointment without the strife, and often taint, of political contest. The head of the depariment charged with building and maintaining the city*s streets should be bound by no campaign obligations and have no political fences to ten^Hi And yet this is an elective office in Atlanta. Such work can not be mixed with politics without just such a result as Atlanta has experienced. It is logically to be expected. The chief of construction should be appointive and the best man available in Atlanta or anywhere else in the United States should be eligible for appointment. 21 Two Bureaus Recommended. The two main functions of the department comprise the con- struction and repair of streets, and the construction and repair of sewers and operation of sewage disposal plants. A recent ordinance intended as a basis for reorganization of the depart- ment provided for an assistant chief of construction, an engineer in charge of streets and another in charge of sewers. The latter two positions are necessary but assuming the head of the depart- ment to be efficient it does not seem that as a matter of organ- ization an assistant chief of construction is necessary. Such internal reorganization can at best but bolster up an illogical structure. As indicated above changes are basic. Need for Competent Supervision. The men at the head of the bureau of streets and the bureau of sewers should be men of experience and recognized standing xn street and sewer construction respectively. If they are also graduate engineers so much the better but the prime requisite should be experience. They might be designated respectively as superintendent of streets and superintendent of sewers. (The present position of superintendent of streets should be abolished.) Salaries should be provided for these positions adequate to at- tract competent men and they should be continued in office under civil service regulations. The former would have supervision of all street work both new work and repairing and including sidewalks and curbs. The latter would have supervision of all construction and repair of sewers. Other construction and re- pair work such as sewage disposal plants, crematory, etc., might be assigned to either of these two bureaus according to the judgment of the chief of construction or retained under his per- sonal direction. The superintendents of streets and sewers should be held strictly accountable for results and they ought, therefore, to be allowed to nominate their subordinates, appointments being made by the head of the department after a test of qualifications. Pending establishment of a civil service commission such tests might be conducted under temporary civil service regulations. Establish a Bureau of Buildings. It would be an excellent plan to transfer to this department as a bureau of buildings the work now done by the inspector of buildings. The head of the bureau would be known as super- intendent of buildings. In addition to enforcing the building code that official, under the direction of the chief of construc- tion, might also supervise the erection of new public buildings. 22 Transfer Disposal Plants. The operation of the sewage disposal plants like the new crematory, might well be placed under the supervision of the sanitary department. Overhead Divisions. A sufficient number of rodmen, levelers, axemen and draftsmen should be provided to do the work of the street and sewer bureaus respectively, provided for at the beginning of the year in the budget and enumerated in the department's work program. They should constitute a division, the head of which should be respon- sible directly to the chief of construction and be given assign- ments from the street or sewer bureaus according to the exigen- cies of the work. The accounting, bookkeeping, billing, granting of permits and statistical work of the department should be recognized as a sep- arate organization unit to be called the accounting division. It should be under the supervision of a chief accountant respon- sible directly to the chief of construction. FIELD METHODS. General Inspection Needed. There should be two general inspectors, reporting directly to the chief of construction — one covering the north and the other the south side of the city. These men would perform what is sometimes called a field audit, a checking up or insDection of the inspectors. They should be supplied daily with lists of all the various kinds of jobs under way in their respective districts, should have copies of all specifications in use and be posted gen- erally as to the requirements of all outside work of the depart- ment. They should be equipped with motorcycles and make daily written reports showing the time each job was visited, name pf inspector found there, condition of work, etc. These reports might be so arranged that one-half would relate to work of the bureau of streets and the other half to the bureau of sewers so that after being examined by the chief of construction the two parts might be separated and given to the heads of these bureaus respectively. Sub-inspection Should be Improved. The number of sub-inspectors on new work should be so ad- justed to the season's work program that there is an inspector covering each construction job at all times. The sub-inspectors on street repairs except on large jobs, are the drivers of the re- 28 pair carts. That they have done extremely poor work is plain to any one driving about the city. These inspectors are paid only $1.65 a day. It seems probable that if a higher wage was paid, that a higher class of men could be obtained, and better inspec- tion, and hence better work, result. When inspecting new work, each inspector should have with him a copy of the specifications for the work he is inspecting. This has not heretofore been done. Each inspector should also have with him the necessary equip- ment for the job he is inspecting, such as measuring tape, ther- mometers for testing the temperature of asphalt, instruments for testing the thickness of material laid, etc. Heretofore they have not always been thus equipped. Should Check Up Inspection Work. In addition to securing a better grade of inspectors, properly instructed and equipped, their work methods should be improved. A large prpportion of the time of repair gangs is directed to re- pairing cuts made for sewer, water, gas, electric light or street railway purposes. A detailed record should also be kept of the location and date of each cut repaired, and the name of the in- spector in charge of the work. Refills should be puddled as well as rammed. This is not done at present. A rule should be adopted that after the expiration of a stated length of time (to be determined upon by the chief of construction) each repair job would be inspected, and if a depression or ridge be found to exist, that it would be rated against him on his efficiency rec- ord, and after a third offense, he would be dismissed from the service. It is believed that a rigid enforcement of such a rule would secure better repair work, and prevent the depressions and ridges in pavements, hundreds of which now exist on the city's streets. Should Charge Actual Cost of Repairs. Another contributing cause to poor work consists in charging those who make cuts in streets a fixed amount on a cubic yard basis without proper regard for the varying difficulties of re- pairing the different kinds of pavement cut into, or the varying difficulties of refilling due to different kinds of soil. As the pres- ent system actually works out the inspectors always endeavor to keep the cost of repairing each cut within the amount of the fixed charge. While it is true that if the actual cost of time and material consumed in repairing cuts were charged, varying costs might result for repairing cuts of similar size and condi- tions; yet, if adequate efficiency records were maintained and discipline enforced as above suggested these variances should be reduced to a minimum. The present policy seems to have been adopted to please the plumbers and others who cut into the city's pavement. It is only by sufferance that paved streets are per- mitted to be cut into — not by any right of individuals, and when such cuts are allowed to be made the city's interests, which are the interests of the public at large, should surely receive primary consideration. Too Many Cuts Made in Pavements. Sewer, water and gas connections should be extended at least to the curb lines of each lot and all contemplated changes in street railways made prior to paving or repaving of streets unless the property owners and street railway companies waive in writ- ing the right to have such extensions made or work done within a definite number of years thereafter. When such agreements are made they should run with the land and bind the heirs and assigns. If the law on this subject is inadequate it should be supplemented and then enforced so as to prevent Atlanta's pave- ments from being so often torn up soon after they are con- structed. It is evident that permission to tear up pavements has in many cases been too easily obtained. Councils should adopt a stricter policy with respect not only to sewer, water and gas connections, but also to granting permission to street railways to tear up pavement. The granting of permits to make cuts in pavements is an administrative and engineering, and not a legis- lative function. A better co-ordination of work is also necessary between the construction and water departments. For example, an instance was cited to us where the water board began to tear up a pave- ment before the rollers used in constructing it were removed from the street. Such conditions must be charged direct to inefficient administration. Streets have been allowed to remain too long in an uncom- pleted condition. In this connection a definite legal opinion should be secured whether Atlanta can enforce a penalty clause in contracts when work is not completed on time. Such pave- ment contracts carry such clauses and others not. We heard of none being enforced. Personal Sureties Accepted. Persons desiring to make cuts in pavements are required to put up a bond of Jj>2,500. The ordinances permit personal bonds to be accepted although the city might find it difficult to collect thereon. A bond of a registered surety company should be re- quired in each case. Should Adhere to Work Program. A reason advanced by the department for streets remaining so long in an unfinished condition, and which appears to be well V" 25 founded, is the fact that the city council sometimes authorizes work on particular streets, but does not appropriate sufficient money to do it, although the council members from the wards in which such sti-eets are located insist on the work being begun. A gang beginning work on a particular street may be divided into two igangs so as to work also in another ward, and thus ac- commodate the council members from that ward but of course lengthening the time required to complete the street from which the labor was taken. Such conditions are but natural under a . ward form of government, and greatly hinder even an efficient ( street department. v^Jj A complete engineering survey should enable a work program for each year to be mapped out several years in advance. A defi- nite work program should be mapped out at least at the beginning of the season, authorized by the council and strictly adhered to by the construction department. Each job should be taken up in regular sequence as it appears on the work program, and fin- ished before other jobs are started. No job should be under- taken unless there is sufficient appropriation to complete it. This would, of course, demand that the head of the department refuse all requests of council members and politicians to take up work except in the sequence in which it appears on the work program. Efficient results are impossible in this department so long as political interference is tolerated. Inspection Force Not Flexible. Inspectors are kept on the payrolls throughout the year al- though your representative was informed that it was "almost impossible to find work of any kind for them during the winter months." If instead of appropriating in the budget for a definite number of inspectors and also calling others to be blanketed under lump sum appropriations a definite number of months of inspection were provided at a specified rate per month for work which is seasonal, the number of men might be adjusted during the year to conform to the work in hand. If foremen and inspectors were called together by the heads of the street and sewer bureau from time to time and instructed in the methods they are to follow in their work and rules to be observed it would tend to develop a better esprit de corps and better work. County Convicts More Efficient. Both county and city convict gangs were observed at work upon the streets. We noted that the former worked more rap- idly than the latter. Which is Cheaper Method of Ditching? Practically all of the ditching for sewer purposes is done by 26 contract. Another department — the waterworks — does all of its ditching by departmental labor. Since one of these methods is undoubtedly cheaper than the other, that method should be adopted by both departments. If the waterworks for any reason can do ditching cheaper than the construction department it would probably pay the latter to arrange with them to do its ditching and charge the costs against the appropriations for the construction department. Dirt Not Replaced on Streets. Due to the uneven topography of the city rain causes unpaved streets to become furrowed and gutted. It was stated by reliable authority that the dirt thus washed down the slopes and also dirt removed where grades are being changed is frequently dumped on private property to help bring it to grade level. A better way would be to place it on the nearest unpaved public streets which need it. Waste of Team and Convict Labor. The department stable is located at the city prison at the ex- treme edge of town, which causes the loss of an hour and a half to two hours twice a day in getting the teams and convicts to places of work on the opposite side of the city. Not only are the teams somewhat tired when they begin work but in cold weather, as your representative was informed, the convicts being covered with perspiration when they quit work in the evening, catch cold during the long ride across the city in open wagons and contract sickness. The loss of efficiency of teams and men is of course supplemental to the loss of from three to four hours of working time each day. It would be practical economy there- fore if facilities were obtained for keeping part of the teams and wagons on the opposite side of the city at least during the constructing season. As long as convict labor is continued ar- rangements should be made with the local traction company to furnish cars for transporting convicts from the prison to points near the places of work. Sewer Specifications Indefinite. The present system of requiring contractors to bid on sewer construction work without knowing the streets where the work is to be done is not fair to either the city or the contractor. Bids should not be requested until work has been authorized and pro- files and plans completed for each street where work is to be done. We were informed that this would be done next year. Changes of Grade Should Await City Planning. The city, through this department, is following a policy of 27 changing many street grades. Before approving plans for fur- ther changes of this character it would be wise to await the de- velopment of the plans of the newly created Atlanta city planning commission. No grades should be changed hereafter without the approval of that commission because only in that way can all public projects co-ordinate in the development and beautifi- cation of the city. OFFICE METHODS. Need for Unit Costs. While unit costs are available on contract work, because most contracts are let on a unit basis, no such costs have been kept on new work done by departmental labor, nor have unit costs been kept showing the annual cost per square yard for repairing each kind of pavement. The average amount which it will be necessary to expend annually for the up-keep of each kind of pavement should be currently available to the engineers when they are planning the construction of new pavements, because the cost of the pavement relates not to the original cost alone, but to the original cost spread over a period of years, say ten years, plus the average annual cost of up-keep. The sooner the department begins to compile such unit costs the better, because they become more valuable from year to year. Daily time re- ports are now obtained from inspectors. For this the depart- ment is deserving of credit. The present bookkeeper has also endeavored to use them as a basis for costs. He has not devel- oped his records logically, however, although he gives the im- pression of being capable and willing to learn. Need for Annual Reports. The unit costs of constructing and maintaining each kind of pavement should not only be compiled currently by streets but should be published in an annual report for the information of civic bodies, newspapers and citizens generally. Such reports should also include tables showing the extent and cost of all pub- lic improvements each year for a period of years, classified to show kinds of pavement, sewers, etc. The nearest approach to the issuance of an annual report for several years has been the preparation of a typewritten copy of work done during the year, and the submittal of this typewritten matter to the council, by which it has been referred to the city clerk and filed. Enough money is wasted in the publication of almost any one of th e annual reports of the other city departments to pay for pub- lishing an annual report of the construction department. 28 Following Up Complaints. The stenographer to the chief of construction who occupies the room at the entrance to the department, should act as com- plaint clerk. He should open all mail upon its arrival, flatten out the letters, time stamp them, indicate thereon the word "streets" or "sewers" according to the bureau to which the com- plaint relates, fasten each of the two groups of letters in a bind- ing clasp, enter in a tickler (bound book) , the name the the person making complaint and place them on the desks of the superin- tendent of streets and the superintendent of sewers. This book should contain one section for streets, and another for sewers and the day and date be entered as center captions each morning. In answering letters of complaint it is not sufficient to state merely that the "letter has been received and the matter will be attended to." At the time answers are dictated, the original let- ter of complaint should be given to the stenographer so that he may file it with the carbon copy of the reply and indicate in the tickler the date of reply. The chief of construction at least once a week should examine the tickler so that he may note from the dates of the open items therein whether complaints are receiving prompt attention. (Note that 4x5 inch cards may be used in lieu of the tickler book. If cards are used, they should be removed from the active file to a "dead" file as the complaints are at- tended to.) All mail should be delivered directly to the complaint clerk through the door nearest the f roiit of the building. Telephone and Call System. The telephones in the main office are most inconveniently lo- cated being placed at a distance from any desks. It is not the particular duty of any one to answer telephone calls but some one always gets up and crosses the room for that purpose. The phones in this room should be placed on swinging arms attached to the wall between two desks, and it should be the particular duty of the employe^at one of these desks to answer all calls and, in his absence, of the employe at the adjoining desk. A similar arrangement should be made for the rear room. Both of these rooms should be provided with call bells from the office of the head of the department (chief of construction) and a system of signals agreed upon for the purpose of summoning the different employes to the front office. At the present time, the head of the department must leave his work and go the length of the build- ing when he desires to confer with his subordinates in the rear room. Too Much Interruption. There is much interruption to the work of the office by reason 29 of the public being permitted to circulate among the desks. This may be easily remedied by placing a secret catch-lock on the swinging gate in the center room. Those having business with the office staff would then transact their business over the low fence which is now provided there. Those having business with the department should first give an indication of the nature of such business to the complaint clerk so that if it relates to the work of the staff room, the visitor may be directed there and not interrupt unnecessarily the chief of construction. Such arrange- ment would also tend to discourage those persons who seem to have acquired a habit of drifting into the front office and seating themselves for a social smoke and visit. Better Filing Needed. All correspondence in this department is filed in flat files, which is commendable. There is not, however, an adequate subject classification thereof. Letters relating to many different sub- jects are badly bungled, and are not indexed. A more detailed classification should be worked out and all. letters, before being filed under such subjects, should be entered on 4x5 inch index cards, showing the name of the person writing the letter to the department, or to whom a letter is written by the department and the index code thereof. Large numbers of blue prints and other plans are kept in the department but are not yet adequately indexed. The new vault is equipped for the storage of these plans and for purposes of safety they should be placed therein as soon as possible — first indexing them carefully. This latter work might justify the employment of a special clerk for two or three months. It is probable, however, that a couple of the department's inspectors possess sufficient knowledge to do it or at least assist on it and they might thus be assigned during the winter months. METHODS OF FINANCING. Should Build Pavements from Bond Issue. The city's share of the cost of both original pavements and replaced pavements is paid out of the tax budget. The area of new pavements laid each year varies according to the margin which the tax budget will stand after providing for the contin- uation of the city's other functions and activities. Since pave- ments shoud have an average life of at least ten years, it would be more equitable to distribute the city's share of the costs of such pavements over a period of years co-ordinate with the life of the pavements, instead of including the entire amount as a charge against the budget of the year in which the pavement 80 is constructed. This principle is recognized to a certain extent by allowing abutting property holders three years in which to pay their proportion of the assessment. (Several cities permit such assessments to be paid in ten yearly installments.) The city's share of the cost of durable pavements might well be paid from the proceeds of bond issues, such bonds to be known as "street improvement bonds," and issued in serial form for a period of ten years. The real estate history of Atlanta shows that land values rise rapidly as soon as pavements are laid. The increased valuations thus added to the tax rolls each year under a bonding plan would bring in revenues far in excess of the interest charge on the bonds. It is of course contemplated that bonds would be issued only for what are recognized as "durable" pavements. Macadam, tar macadam, etc., are not included in this class. Should Make Repairs Promptly. "^ The old adage a "stitch in time" is particularly apt when ap- plied to street pavements. A rut or hole in a pavement if re- paired when it first appears, takes but little time and may be done at a minimum cost; if such holes are allowed to remain, however, vehicles continually drop into them, and not only en- large the hole each day but rebounding, strike the pavement be- yond with such impact as to start a second depression and thus a series of depressions result which become very expensive to repair. Good economy therefore demands that a sufficient appro- priation be made available each year to repair breaks in pave- ment at once they appear. Depletion of Appropriation for Asphalt Repairs. The appropriation for repairing asphalt pavements is consid- erably depleted each year by repairs made for street railways between their tracks. Although the cost thereof is reimbursed to the city it is not allowed to be credited to the asphalt repair account, and the amount available for regular asphalt repairs is therefore greatly reduced. This condition should be remedied by authority of council at an early date. Should be a Capital Account. The appropriation for construction of lateral sewers each year is mostly reimbursed by collection of assessments from abutting property owners. It might therefore be used as a capital account and several hundred thousand dollars' worth of work be done with an appropriation of but one or two hundred thousand dollars. Instead, however, the construction of lateral sewers has hereto- fore been limited by the amount of the appropriations re- 81 gardless of the fact that practically all of it is reimbursed and does not affect the tax rate. METHOD OF SELECTING PAVEMENTS. Factors to be Considered. The factors which should be carefully considered before deter- mining upon the kind of pavement to be laid upon a particular street, include: 1. Conditions to which the pavement will be subjected: a. Volume of traffic. b. Kind of traffic. c. Slope or grade of street. d. Character of district (manufacturing, residential, etc.). e. Presence of car tracks. 2. Qualities of pavements : a. Durability. b. Smoothness. c. Noiselessness. d. Slipperiness. e. Sanitary qualities. f. Cost. All of the above factors should be carefully considered by the official charged with the construction of a pavement upon each particular street. While it is desirable that, before finally deter- mining upon the kind of pavement to be laid thereon, public hearing should be held at which citizens having interest therein should be given an opportunity to be heard, the leaving of deter- mination of such matters to lay citizens is of doubtful value, even though it may mean the gain or loss of votes to a public official. The construction of a pavement is a scientific problem, and should be solved in a scientific manner. Atlanta's streets do not / give evidence that this has always been done. The city is a ver- itable checkerboard of different kinds of pavements. There is much commercial value in good pavements. Larger loads can be drawn, by the same power, over a hard and smooth pavement than over a rough one. Pavements which reduce noise to a minimum tend to increase the value of property, particularly in residence districts. Since street dust is now recognized as a menace to health, every effort should be made to build pavements from which the least amount of dust will rise and which are easily cleaned. Atlanta has constructed a considerable mileage of pavements which are continually disintegrating and filling the air with dust. Pavements which become slippery in wet weather should not be used on grades. 82 The kind of pavement also has a direct bearing on the cost of cleaning. A pavement may be constructed at a low cost but the additional cost of cleaning that particular kind of pavement may, in two or three years bring the total cost to an amount far in excess of the total cost of constructing a more expensive pave- ment, but one which is more cheaply cleaned. The same principle is true with respect to the annual cost of keeping the different kinds of pavements in repair. (For this reason this report em- phasizes the necessity of keeping unit costs on a square yard basis for repairing each kind of pavement each year and also the unit cost per square yard for cleaning each kind of pavement each year.) How Thousands of Dollars May Be Saved. Thousands of dollars may be saved to the city each year by designing pavements according to the stress which they are to bear. Heretofore in Atlanta, as in most other cities, pavements have beenlaid of uniform thickness on all streets alike, regard- less of the volume of traffic thereon. Pavements in the business portion of the city, on that portion of outlying streets alongside of street car tracks, and on streets which are the main arteries of entry into the city are all subject to heavy and constant stresses and should be designed to meet that condition. On resi- dence streets, however, where there may be an occasional coal wagon or other truck, but where the volume of traffic is other- wise light and intermittent, the stress is very much less and with the possible exception of sheet asphalt a thinner pavement will therefore meet the conditions equally well, equally long, and may be laid at very much less cost. Should Have Parallel Streets. The wear on pavements on the principal streets leading into and out of the city as well as the congestion thereon, particularly if the traffic is crowded to either side by reason of street car tracks, may be very much lightened by paving streets parallel, thereto, and thus diverting some of the traffic to such street. To Eliminate Steps at Crossings. A feature which is becoming popular in a number of cities con- sists in bringing the pavement up to the curb at cross streets. This has special advantages in the downtown business section. Specifications Should Be Approved by Specialists. No special examination of the provisions of the present specifi- cations was made in this survey. It is recommended that all specifications for pavements to be laid in Atlanta, be reviewed by 83 pavement specialists. The establishment of a city testing labora- tory should prove of great value in testing paving materials to determine whether or not they comply with specifications. PARK DEPARTMENT. Atlanta is fortunate in possessing parks of unusual natural advantages. They may be developed into places of great beauty and usefulness at a cost per acre much less than the cost to many other cities of park development. Well planned parks and con- necting boulevards and well located and equipped playgrounds are an asset of almost unlimited value to a city and yet Atlanta has only made a beginning in this direction. The city is fortunate also in having an efficient general man- ager of its parks. Both he and his cause are worthy of better financial and moral support in the development of a real park system. A park board is unnecessary and there is evidence that it has retarded park development. Privileges Granted for Too Long a Time. The privileges in Grant and Piedmont Parks were let by the board in 1910, after insufficient advertising, to a local politician for a five year period, the former being for $1,650 and the latter $350. As compensation to the concessionaire for erecting a field house, another year was granted him, making a six year con- tract. Inasmuch as no one can foresee the value of park priv- ileges for more than a couple of years in advance this contract should have been limited to a lesser term of years. Insufficient Lighting and Policing. Piedmont Park is not policed or lighted at night and Grant Park has only one policeman at night and is poorly lighted. It is suggested that such conditions are not conducive to the good of the community and should be remedied, particularly during the warm months. Moreover, the police assigned to park duty in the day time are members of the city force who are{physically incompetent to serve on street dutyfev As parks are often fre- quented by gangs of toughs, policemen should be assigned there who are able to cope with the situation. No Park for Negroes. The city is surely deserving of criticism for having made no provision for park facilities for its large colored population which perhaps needs park advantages more than the other classes. 84 Suggested Revenues for Road Building. The park department has no appropriation for building or main- V taining roads, and is compelled to rely upon the construction de- \ partment. £tFnder the present ward system the demand for work by the latter department is always on streets in particular wards and the park department receives very little benefit from this source^ Park roads in other cities are used almost exclusively by automobiles. There is a large and rapidly increasing number of automobiles in Atlanta. They have not used the local park roads much thus far because the roads are in such bad condition. Serious consideration might well be given by the council to a plan of charging a special automobile license tax, as is done in some cities. The proceeds of such a tax, varying from say ten to twenty-five dollars a year, might be set aside for building park roads, and later connecting boulevards. Other Conditions Needing Attention. The department has two stables but no repair shop. Horses are shod and repairs made at private shops at regular prices. It seems probable that the horseshoeing and repair work of this department might be done by the mechanics already employed in the shops of some of the other cityjiepartments. We were informed that this year[the department harvested twice as much hay as it can use but that other city departments prefer to buy hay from private dealers] The statement was also made thaCthe department might have put up twice as much hay as it did if the city would use it. This condition is particularly important because of the extremely high price of hay this year. In addition to wooded tracts in parks there are thousands of trees in the city's streets. They all need the attention of the park department from time to time and yet no equipment for spraying or moving trees has been provided. As in other departments nothing has been done in compiling unit costs of work done. ^ ) A Report Every One Should Read. The annual report of the general manager of this department for 1911 should be read by every citizen of Atlanta. It is not only replete with information of the year's activities but is full of sound constructive suggestions. It is the best annual report issued by any of the city departments for 1911. The following paragraphs are taken at random and included here to aid in bringing these matters to the public attention: "There is not a single park, not a swimming pool, not a recre- ation center, not a free shower bath, not a single place of free, wholesome amusement that I know of, outside of their 85 churches, for the negroes of Atlanta. Every human being will have amusement at any cost. We seem unable to exist without it. If a negro of Atlanta, man or woman, starts out in search of free amusement the only place it can be found (except for the churches as I said) is in a dive, a dance hall, a saloon or a pool room. It is true they can visit the city parks, but they understand very clearly that they are in the parks of the white citizens merely by sufferance, and that they are not wanted. I have known the negro race all my life, and I know as you know that the negro will not go where he is not wanted. For that reason you will very rarely find him in the city parks. If the city will open a park for negroes, conveniently located, will equip it with free baths, a swimming pool, a lecture hall, a playground feature, and will engage the local colored band to furnish free concerts, the places of vice for negroes will have to close their doors for want of patrons, and the effects will be noted immediately upon the records of the police depart- ment and in the homes of the white citizens of Atlanta/L, "A new shelter house and public comfort station is very badly needed in the north end of Grant Park for the accommoda- tion of the baseball players, the playground children, the tennis players and the visitors who are attracted by these features. You must remember that not until last year was the north end of the park visited by large crowds. Now that we have made it attractive to visitors it is absolutely necessary to provide for their health and comfort." "The lighting system of Grant Park ought to be changed. At present we are paying three separate contract minimums to the Georgia Railway & Electric Company, one for the men's public comfort, one for the band stand and women's building and one for the concrete pavilion. We are also burning twelve arc lights and a number of series lights all night long. We need more lights during the early part of the night and very few from midnight until daylight." "No feature of the Park Department's work last year was so popular with the people as the swimming pool in the lake at Piedmont Park. This enjoyable and healthful attrac- tion should be given to other sections of the city. A swim- ming pool could easily be constructed in Joyner Park at nominal cost. The waterworks department shop is located within 100 yards of the park, and in the shop enough water is used in testing meters to supply the pool. A swimming pool should be constructed at once at Grant Park. My suggestion is that the lake already there be utilized for the purpose. At a very small cost it could be made ready for the bathers. These two swimming pools would not only relieve the congestion in the Piedmont Park lake, but would give 86 three swimming places in three widely separated parts of the city." POLICE DEPARTMENT. Police Board Unnecessary. A study has been made of the powers of the police board as set forth in the code, the official minutes of the board have been examined and many questions have been asked relative to its operations. We are of the opinion that the board is not only unnecessary but tends to retard efficiency in this department. It is the duty of the chief of police to enforce the statutes and ordinances relating to his department. The laws are plainly written and no board is needed to interpret them. On the con- trary the board not being readily amenable to public demand may actually retard enforcement of the law. For example, the police board never formally directed the closing of Atlanta's segregated district although the sentiment of the community undoubtedly desired it. The chief finally acted on his own in- itiative. It is fortunate that the office of chief of police has a form of civil service protection. It would be better were there a regularly constituted civil service. More Station Houses Needed. Although the city now covers an area of over 25 square miles there is only one station house. This not only causes a consid- erable loss of time on the part of men coming and going from their beats in the outlying districts, but causes a congestion of patrolmen in the central station when men are assembled there prior to going on duty. The city has now reached a growth where at least two additional station houses should be estab- lished. When this is done careful consideration should be given to a plan for combining them with fire engine houses, and also providing room therein for branches of the health department. Select Patrolmen More Carefully. Patrolmen are appointed only after having passed a physical and mental examination, the former being conducted by the city physician, and the latter, which is written, by a committee of three appointed by the police board. At one time the exam- iners comprised principals of the local schools but the last ex- amination was conducted by the secretary and two newspaper reporters assigned to police news. The kind of men appointed by the police force of a city is a matter deserving of most care- ful consideration. It is one in which a permanent civil service commission might be of great help. 37 Present Restriction on Appointment of Detectives. Section 2003 of the municipal code provides that "detectives shall be elected from the force of patrolmen and supernumer- aries." This restriction might well be modified because it pre- vents the appointment as detectives of men who while posses- sing great ability as detectives might not be able to qualify as patrolmen. Inadequate Reports and Records. Each detective is required to make a daily written report to the chief of the detective bureau who summarizes them and, together with his own report, submits them to the chief of police. Reports for four or five days are sometimes received at one time. The value of reports under such conditions is largely lost. No efficiency records are kept of detectives' work other than the daily reports which are filed although sections 1995-1996 of the code directs that efficiency records shall be kept of all per- \j sons in the department. Detectives work in pairs, a poor man usually being assigned with a better man. Care must hence be exercised when efficiency ratings are begun lest both men receive the same marks. Records showing the number and kind of as- signments to individual detectives, the results obtained, length of time consumed, etc., should be established. The chief stated that he has this under consideration and expects to develop such records soon. An adequate record is maintained of the daily transactions of pawnshops, also of the daily operation of the police telegraph. Letters of complaint and complaints received over the phone against disorderly houses were referred to the chief of detec- • — tives, who assigns men to investigate such cases. No record is made of such complaints at the time they are received. The chief stated that there were not a sufficient number but that he could remember them, and require reports from the detec- tives assigned thereto. This is no doubt true but as the city grows more of such complaints will be received especially from residence districts. Instead of the chief being burdened with carrying them in his head, a system of recording the receipt of such letters and action taken thereon should be adopted. Men Should be Better Informed. No daily bulletin is printed by the department. Men wanted and property wanted, are listed daily on a typewritten sheet which is posted in the department and also read to the men at roll call. Upon inquiry it seemed doubtful whether the men re- 88 membered what was read them. They should be given copies of the daily sheet or interrogated as to their memory of what has been read them. Revolvers Redistributed. Among articles confiscated are large numbers of revolvers. Together with all lost and stolen goods which remain unclaimed for a considerable length of time they are advertised and sold at auction. They are bought up at comparative low prices, and even if sold to dealers are offered for sale at low prices so that they fall into the hands of many irresponsible persons and thus tend to increase rather than prevent crime. Authority should be given the chief to have all revolvers confiscated taken to a blacksmith shop at stated periods and in his presence broken up beyond repair. Should Take Finger Prints. Photographs and Bertillion measurements are made and filed. The department should also be equipped for taking finger print impressions. It is essential to good police work. Record of Arrests not Available in Court. A card record is maintained in the outer office which is in- tended to show the number of times offenders have previously been arrested. It is posted from the police docket of arrests. The recorder, however, is not furnished with the information contained on these cards. In many cases he of course may re- member whether offenders brought before him have been pre- viously arraigned. Since it is generally recognized that more leniency should be shown to first offenders than to "repeaters" it is suggested that when these cards are posted, that those showing the names of previous offenders be separated out and sent up to the court, so that the recorder may refer to them when the prisoners appear before him. This would be done at each session (twice a day), the cards being promptly re- turned to the files downstairs. Professional Bondsmen. We were informed that professional bondsmen do not thrive about the police court, as in past years, but that one or two of them were still plying their trade. TraflSc Squad Needs Improvement. The traffic squad does not appear to be sufficiently alert. Con- gestion was noticed when the officer simply stood and beckoned with his arm, whereas the conditions demanded that he use his 39 voice also to direct the traffic. Traffic officers should be equipped with whistles for the purpose of signalling the traffic when they desire it to stop or move because drivers in the rear of a line can not see the officer motion with his arm. Entire Force "Lacks the Punch." As to the general appearance of the entire force it does not appear "to have the punch'* or "snap" that a city always ad- mires in police and which is in evidence in many other phases of Atlanta's activities. A setting up training should be given when men join the force and followed by more encouragement to maintain a soldierly bearing and physique. The European military cap now used by the police in the larger cities would much improve the appearance of Atlanta's force. Should Improve Annual Report. The annual report of the department contains a great deal which should be omitted and omits much that it should contain. For example, in last year's report (1911) six leaves (not pages) are devoted to photographs of the mayor, chairman of the board, chief of police, assistant chief, chief of detectives and the secre- tary to chief of police. Three pages are devoted to location of signal boxes which no one uses but the police and the location of which they already know ; six pages to listing the equipment of the department showing the number of desks, chairs, etc. in each room; and fourteen pages to setting forth a roster of the department. None of the above matter should have been printed. Among the matters omitted and which would be en- lightening to the public may be mentioned: Growth of population and number of arrests per thousand of population for the last ten year period. Principal causes of ar- rests, grouped under offenses against (1) chastity, (2) public policy, (3) person and (4) property, reduced to percentages, during the last ten years (might be set forth in graphic form) . Disposition of cases, reduced to percentages, during the last ten years. Number of persons previously arrested and number of times arrested. (Shown also by percentages.) Record of com- plaints against members of the department. Record of crime by months (a one line graphic chart wherein the line over a period of years follows the month in which there was the most crime would set this feature out plainly). Amount of property reported stolen and amount recovered. FIRE DEPARTMENT. A One Man Department. As frankly stated by Chief Cummings this is a one man de- 40 partment. Under the present incumbent the plan appears to work satisfactorily but looking to the future it might easily make for demoralization rather than efficiency. The chief is responsible to the fire board, which consists of seven members appointed by the mayor from the city at large, also the mayor and fire chief, thus making nine members. The value of such a board is not apparent. The chief may dismiss a man when he wishes and while the board has power to pass in his dismissal he says it has never done so. There are no trials of men accused. The chief has power to levy fines but there is no regular scale of fines. The chief has absolute power of hiring and dismissing men. When a man desires to join the department he signs a blank. These blanks are placed on file, and when a vacancy occurs the chief is at liberty to appoint a man from the top, bottom or mid- dle of the list. Sundry Conditions. Firemen have three hours a day for meals, every sixth day of twenty-four hours and ten days annual vacation. This is ade- quate but not excessive. Sick lease is not allowed, although when a man is hurt in the performance of duty he gets full pay. Twice a year the chief sends his officers from all the com- panies through the buildings of the downtown district, to famil- iarize them with conditions. They go in squads of four on dif- ferent days. This is an excellent plan. The chief has a "fire inspector" to prevent conditions condu- cive to fires. He also has charge of enforcing the ordinances relative to storage of gasoline, fire works and other explosives. There is no published report regarding the work of this man but there should be. The repair shop has three mechanics who are also active fire- men and respond to alarms. There are no other mechanics than these firemen and they have turned out several wagons, rebuilt engines, etc. Hose is bought on a pressure test and time guarantee. Seve- eral cities (Chicago, Buffalo, Kansas City, etc.) are now buying on specifications approved by the National Board ot Fire Un- derwriters. This plan is suggested for serious consideration. Horses are passed on by the veterinarian when purchased but are not bought on thirty day trial. This is also suggested. There is no book of rules in the department, except the rules set forth in the city code. The promulgation of a rule book should assist in maintaining discipline. The causes of fires are kept on file in the department, but are 41 not published in the annual report, nor is any instruction given in the schools regarding it. Horseshoeing is done at two private shops, at regular prices. No central record is kept of the time out and in by each com- pany, nor of the fires responded to by each company. Reports are submitted showing the Tocation of each fire but these are not compiled by companies. This should be done and also time out and in shown as a supplemental check on company efficiency. It should also be included in the annual report. The 1911 re- port contained considerable useless matter such as the depart- ment roster, etc. WATER DEPARTMENT. The organization of this department is even more incongruous than that of most of the other departments in that besides the usual board elected by the council there is a general manager elected by the people. Quarterly Collections Sufficient. The entire city is metered. This is to be desired in every city. Collections for water used are made monthly. The annoy- ance thus caused to consumers, the extra cost of reading meters monthly, and additional clerical work involved all appear un- necessary. The reasons for frequent meter reading are (1) to get the money into the treasury when it has been earned so that current expenses may be met without borrowing, (2) to discover meters which may be registering incorrectly and (3) to dis- tribute the clerical work evenly throughout the year. All of these conditions would be met if meters were read and collec- tions made quarterly and the objections noted would also be avoided. The reading of meters and clerical work might read- ily be arranged so as to continue to distribute it evenly from month to month. Many cities collect only every six months. If a quarterly period were adopted a new minimum rate should of course be established. By applying a minimum rate only quarterly instead of monthly the marginal amount now gained on the other two months from small consumers would be a loss to the city but a saving to small consumers. Efficient management of public waterworks should endeavor to charge only the cost of service rendered; not to take any advantage of the citizen to make a profit. While a tax on bread would be quicker resented it would be no worse than a public tax on water. Losses from tenants moving would, if properly attended to, be confined to the few cases when tenants move away from the city during a quarter without giving notice. If they move 42 elsewhere in the city they of course must have water and the old account would be transferred to the new address. Persons moving away without paying the amount due should be black- listed so that if they return they may not be served with water again until the old account is paid. Defective System of Billing. The present accounting system while in most respects highly satisfactory evidently causes considerable confusion in permit- ting duplicate payments. All water bills are sent to consumers. The bill may be forgotten at home and two or more members of the family come in separately and each pay the amount due. The excess is of course subsequently refunded but the annoy- ance caused the public and the department ought to be avoided. It might be done by retaining the original bill in the office and sending a carbon duplicate to the consumer. As persons pre- sented themselves at the department cash window the clerk would at once look to see if the original bill was in his files. If so, he would detach a coupon, stamp the bill paid and give it out as a receipt. If the bill were missing it would be noticed that the amount due had been paid. General ledger controlling accounts over the customers' ledgers ought also to be established. Should Check Up to Determine Leakage. The last annual report (1911) shows the quantity of water pumped but not the quantity used as indicated by meter read- ings. If compiled and published this would be a valuable indi- cation of the underground water loss from leakage. Might Lower Rates. Taken as a whole the plant seems to be well managed. The last financial statement indicates that consideration should be given to lowering the cost of water to consumers. SANITARY DEPARTMENT. The main functions of this department, which is in reality a division of the health department, are cleaning streets, removal and disposal of garbage and cleaning sewers and catch basins. Dry Sweeping not Successful. While the smooth paved streets appeared to be kept compara- tively clean an intensive study of the work methods should enable the department to secure a much greater efficiency. The supply of receptacles for containing sweepings are inadequate and piles of dirt which the wind was redistributing on the street were observed in several parts of the city. The method of dry 4$ hand sweeping in the day time is also only partially successful. Much of the dirt escapes the broom and remains on the street and much blows to the sidewalks where it is again swept into the streets. The need of sprinklers was evident. On streets having a disintegrating pavement periodical oiling would be of great help in keeping down the dust which in some sections of the city is very annoying. Might Utilize Crematory Heat. The destruction of the old crematory plant before providing new facilities was badly advised. Investigation should now be made to determine what changes in construction would be nec- essary to enable the plant to generate electric current. Also the cost thereof compared with present rates. Stables and Shops. The stables appear to be well kept, a good grade of forage is being used, and there was no indication that it was being wasted. As pointed out elsewhere herein there is need for a reorganiza- tion of all city owned repair shops into a central shop. From six to ten mechanics are employed in the repair shop. Aside from shoeing mules they make much new equipment. Lack of Needed Information. The superintendent of the shop keeps an account with each kind of supplies and material received, and takes an inventory at the end of each year. He does not, however, keep any rec- ords to show the quantity or cost of materials going into any particular job — either repair work or new construction, nor has he any records to show the labor cost thereon. The department has no record showing areas of paved streets^ to be cleaned, or areas actually cleaned each day ; nor have they any unit costs on street cleaning or garbage removal. More- over, there are no records of even the quantity of garbage con- sumed in the crematory as a basis for determining the cost per ton thereof. No efficiency records are kept of the work of the men assigned to flushing manholes nor are any records kept showing the number of catch basins cleaned daily, much less the contents thereof removed. If such records were kept and used as a basis for administration the cost of keeping them should be many times offset by the increased efficiency secured. The present head of the department fully appreciates the need of such records and is desirous of installing them but lacks the clerical assistance. 44 INSPECTION OF BUILDINGS. Should be Reorganized. The building inspector is elected by the people. The office should be appointive. There are two assistants which the in- spector himself appoints. None of the three are graduate en- gineers or architects, although the ordinances provide that plans and specifications for buildings shall be examined and approved by this department prior to construction. It is therefore prob- lematical whether building plans receive adequate examination under such conditions. The suggestion is made elsewhere in this report that the building inspector's duties be transferred as a bureau to the construction department. If this is done, the inspectors of the street and sewer bureaus might, after instruction, be used dur- ing the winter months to make reinspections of all buildings in the city. This is desirable from time to time and might just as well be done in the winter. In fact the use of construction department inspectors for that purpose need not be contingent on any reorganization. Defective Fire Escape Ordinance. The wording of the ordinance relating to fire escapes is such as to leave its enforcement to the discretion of the building in- spector. This condition needs remedying. It affords too much opportunity for collusion between builders and the building de- partment. The desire of those who have some political power and who wish to avoid erecting fire escapes are liable to be de- ferred to at the subsequent sacrifice of life. Can Not Fix Responsibility for Inspection. Although a card system is maintained in the office showing the date of each inspection made during the construction of each building, the name of the inspector making the inspection is not shown thereon, nor is it ascertainable from any of the records in the office. It is therefore impossible to fix responsibility for any lax inspection. In the event of the collapse of a wall or floor of a building responsibility might easily be shifted from one in- spector to another. How Insurance Premiums May be Reduced. We were informed that the local fire insurance companies allow a ten per cent, reduction of premiums on buildings for which a certiffcate of approval has been issued by the building depart- ment. The files of the department contain the records of several thousand buildings the construction of which has been approved \ 45 by the department but for which no certificates have been issued. It is suggested that efforts should be made to ascertain the own- ers of such buildings and a certificate issued or the owners noti- fied so that they might take advantage of the reduced insurance rates. The aggregate saving of insurance premiums would un- doubtedly amount to a considerable sum and the taxpayers of Atlanta should have the benefit. INSPECTION OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Inadequate Protection from Short Measures. The citizens of Atlanta are receiving inadequate protection from the use of short measures. The municipal code makes pro- vision for an inspection of weights but says practically nothing about the inspection of measures. The criminal code (section 706) provides that "if any person shall knowingly buy or sell by false weights and measures he shall be deemed a common cheat and swindler, and shall be punished as for a misdemeanor." The burden of compelling an officer to prove that the violation was knowingly made would necessarily cause difficulty in securing convictions. Many instances were cited to us where short meas- \ ures were used, and there is little doubt but that the loss amounts ^ to thousands of dollars annually. Even though there has been a lack of authority with respect to measures the inspector of weights has at different times endeavored to prevent peddlers from using false measures. His report for the month of January, 1912, taken at random from the reports of other months, shows that of the peddlers whose measures were inspected, two-thirds were found short. There are indications that short measures are being used by many persons other than peddlers. Need for Records of Work Done. A card record was begun in 1910 in the office of the inspector of weights to show the dates when scales were inspected but was discontinued in February, 1911. There is at present no record whatever of scales which have since been inspected. It is sug- gested that a file of 4x5 inch cards be installed, a separate card being used to record the name of each dealer owning scales, that these cards be arranged by streets and street numbers, and that the date of each inspection be recorded thereon, and also condi- tions found and action taken. With such a plan an inspector, when starting on a route, might take with him all cards relating to that route, and note the entries thereon as he made each inspection, returning the cards to the file at the end of the day, and thus avoiding the necessity of any bookkeeping in the office. 46 Should be Given Assistance. The present inspector of weights seems very anxious to do good work, but it is utterly impossible for one man alone to in- spect all of the weights in Atlanta sufficiently often. It is there- fore recommended that he be given assistance when the next budget is adopted, and that his authority be increased to include the inspection of measures. The office is practically self-support- ing owing to the amount of fines imposed as a result of the in- spections, and would no doubt continue to be self-supporting with a larger staff. Frequent Inspection Desirable. A large portion of the inspector's time is taken in weighing coal and forage purchased for city departments. This might bet- ter be done by an inspector from the comptroller's office and thus give the inspector of weights more time to actually inspect scales. When scales are inspected and found correct, or found wrong and made correct, they have not been sealed. This should be done. Frequent inspection is necessary, however, because a seal does not prevent tampering with a scale. INSPECTION OF LICENSES. The license inspector (salary $1,500) is appointed by the mayor. He has one assistant (salary $1,100). Practically all licenses are payable quarterly. Just prior to the expiration of each quarter the inspector and his assistant deliver in person no- tices to all, licenses that renewal time has arrived. During these trips he notes any licensable businesses which have taken out no licenses. The office of license inspector is unnecessary. All notices should be mailed out by the city clerk, since the inspector is de- pendable for his information on the clerk's records. The regular police force should be used to locate those who have no licenses. This might be best done by setting aside a fixed date each quar- ter or each month on which date each officer would canvass his entire beat and report in writing the names and addresses of all those who should have licenses but who have none. COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE. The work accomplished by this office evidences a constant en- deavor by the comptroller and his staff to adopt modern account- ing and business methods. The bookkeeping is kept up to date and balanced with outside departments monthly, claims are audited promptly after reaching the office and a long step in the right direction has been taken to secure full accounting control 47 over all expenditures and revenues. Credit is also due for the work done on budget making and purchasing. The suggestions which follow are intended therefore not as criticism of what has been done but rather as a guide for contin- uing the constructive work so well launched. Payrolls. There is no uniformity of payrolls among the different depart- ments, nor do any of the payrolls contain certificates as a basis for payment. According to a statement by the comptroller's office, the only payroll which contains anything even approach- ing a certificate, is the police payroll. This, however, contains only the following: "Correct. Chief of Police. Approved. Chief Board Police Commissioners. Approved. Chief Police Committee." A new form of payroll should be devised and made standard for all departments. Careful attention should be given not only to the ruling thereof but to the form of certificates included. The manner in which payrolls are certified and the points cov- ered in the certificates constitute two of the most important features in payroll making. Every element of information nec- essary to establish responsibility for the integrity of payrolls should be covered and .certified to. Certificates should be signed only by persons having personal knowledge of the facts. When this rule is observed it will not be possible for signers of certifi- cates to make the plea so often resorted to under lax methods of procedure, namely, that they could not be expected to have intimate knowledge of every point covered by the certificates. The person who prepares the payroll should certify : 1. That ne has in his possession written evidence that each person named in the payroll was duly appointed and elected. 2. That there is on file a time record or report duly certified by persons having knowledge of the facts showing the kind and exact time of service of each person, and the further fact that on no day covered by the payroll was the number of persons employed under each budget line in excess of the number authorized by the line. 3. That the payroll is correct. The person who has knowledge of the accounts of the depart- ment should certify in substance: 18 1. That the several amounts are proper charges against the appropriation or fund accounts stated. 2. That the amounts mentioned in the payroll will not exceed the unencumbered balances of appropriations. 3. That no part of the payroll has been certified for payment in any previous payroll. The head of the department should certify in substance: 1. That the persons named in the payroll were elected, ap- pointed or promoted to the positions named in accordance with (civil service) law ana rules pertaining thereto and that the salaries of positions have been established in ac- cordance with charter provisions. 2. That except when granted leave of absence the persons named have been regularly employed in the performance of the appropriate duties of the positions indicated and have at no time during the period covered by this payroll been assigned to duties pertaining to any other position except as noted. 3. That the services were necessary for the proper conduct of the business of the department. 4. That any overtime allowed was due to an extraordinary emergency caused by fire, flood or danger to life or property. 5. Upon preceding certificates signed by persons designated by him to do so, the head of the department should certify that to the best of his knowledge, information and belief the payroll is correct. The payroll should then pass to the comptroller for audit and payment. A special form of payroll summary which would also serve as a voucher might be adopted with advantage. If so, then such of the above certificates as duplicate certificates on the regular voucher form might be modified or eliminated. Revenue Control. The comptroller has no accounting control over any of tne financial stationery used by the city, i. e., licenses, permits, etc. These documents are ordered from the printer by the city clerk and delivered to him. Without implying the slightest shadow on the present incumbents of the office of city clerk and tax collector the only real business safeguard over such documents is to establish a ledger control thereover in the comptroller's office. This would, of course, supplement the present plan of daily schedules. Property Accounts. The comptroller's office is to be congratulated on having a book 49 record of all property owned by the city. Real estate is carried at cost. At the end of each year an inventory of personal prop- erty is made by each department. These aim to show the actual value of the property at the time of inventory. During the year as purchases and sales are made the comptroller adds to or de- ducts from the inventories set up at the beginning of the year. The beginning thus made should now be followed up and these records used as a basis for administration. To properly admin- ister thereon the present form should be amplified. We have taken this matter up with the comptroller's office verbally. Police Fines. The recorder (police judge) renders daily reports to the comp- troller of fines imposed. These reports show number of case, name of individual, kind of case, and amount of each fine. The chief of police (through a policeman detailed in court) collects the fines, turns the cash over daily to the tax collector and makes a similar report of the collections. The reports of fines imposed when turned into the comptroller's office are there posted in the "police docket" which thus becomes an accrual register. As reports of fines collected are received each item is also posted to the "docket" thus liquidating the accrual. This "docket," in- stalled on the recommendation of an audit company some years ago, involves much unnecessary work. If the recorder's report contained columns to which collections might be posted, and were made in loose-leaf form, they might be inserted in binders in the comptroller's office and operated in exactly the same way that the docket is now operated, but eliminate the large amount of clerical work now involved in copying all of the detailed items to the docket. Liability Accounting. Since postings to budget and bond accounts are made from requisitions and liquified by postings from warrants, those ac- counts might readily be made to reflect unencumbered as well as unexpended balances. At the present time they show only the unexpended balance, although they do show some of the addi- tional encumbrances. The posting of open market orders at the time of issuance should be continued to its logical conclusion, and also an estimated amount of contracts outstanding should be set up as a liability. At the present time, no reserve whatever is made against appropriations at the time contracts are signed. Entries are made only from requisitions. Even on contracts which contain no approximate total, but are on a unit basis, it is practicable to set up an estimated reserve, and subsequently adjust the reserve when it becomes apparent that it is too large or too small. With but slight amplification the expenditure ac- counts might be put on a complete liability basis. This should 50 be done because it is the only system by which the real financial condition of the city may be currently ascertained. At each council meeting the comptroller is required to report all warrants drawn since the last meeting according to (1) de- partment, (2) warrant number, (3) name of payee, (4) amount. This involves considerable clerical work in the comptroller's office, must also be copied in full in the council minutes by the city clerk and practically is of no value. The contract ledger contains only memorandum accounts, there being only debit entries. These consist of the number and amounts of vouchers drawn in payment of contractors' estimates. The book if amplified might be made of much real value. Unclaimed Salaries and Wages. An "unclaimed salaries and wages" account should be operated in the comptroller's office so that special authority will not need to be obtained from the council, as at present, every time some laborer returns for a day's pay which he has neglected to obtain on payday. Annual Reports. The comptroller's annual reports while containing much useful information also contain a lot of matter which might better be omitted. BUDGET METHODS. Need for Publicity. The making of the annual budget is the most important gov- ernmental event of the year to the citizens of Atlanta. It is public business and should be done publicly and not secretively as heretofore. Newly elected officials take office the first Monday in January, and prepare their departmental estimates for the ensuing year as soon thereafter as possible. From these departmental esti- mates the comptroller then prepares a tentative budget for the finance committee. In the preparation of this budget the comp- troller, confers with department heads and adjusts the amounts originally requested by them so as to keep within the estimated revenue. The finance committee is furnished typewritten copies of the comptroller's budget and also confers with department heads relative thereto. The public, however, is not allowed to learn either the amounts requested by departments or recom- mended by the comptroller nor are the newspapers. After the finance committee has agreed on a budget, it is reported to coun- cil at the next meeting but not printed, each council member being supplied with a typewritten copy. Although the budget is readjusted in June and again in October the citizens' chances of securing budget changes at such late dates are comparatively 51 poor. Not only should the departmental and comptroller's esti- mates be printed and distributed to the press, civic organizations and the public but the tentative budget recommended by the finance committee should also be published. Moreover, definite dates when the public will have an opportunity of being heard should be set aside adequately in advance of passing the budget. Such dates should be widely advertised. Standard Form of Budget. It would facilitate accounting, auditing and reporting if the account titles of the several appropriations were standardized and codified as has been done with the budget of several of the larger cities. The purposes for which appropriations are made would also be more readily understood by the public if account titles were arranged for each department in groups according to functions and activities of the particular department. Fully as important as the segregation of appropriations into standard accounts is the phrasing of the text of appropriation bills. The accounts having been selected, grouped and codified for administration along certain definite lines, the text should clearly set forth the instructions necessary to secure such admin- istration. For example, a paragraph similar to the following, taken from the Chicago budget, should be inserted in the bill: "That the comptroller and the head of the other departments, bureaus and offices of the city government shall administer the amounts appropriated in this bill by accounts as speci- fied by code numbers, and they are hereby prohibited from incurring any liabilities against any account in excess of the amount herein authorized for such account and from changing any salary or wage item herein." There are no restrictions in the Atlanta budget relative to in- curring liabilities in excess of appropriations, the reversion of unexpended salary balances to the general fund, etc., in fact, not only the printed budget but the budget as it appears in the offi- cial minutes in the city clerk's office contains no resolution or text matter whatever. There is nothing in the council minutes to show official action except that it is listed on a page headed "Read and Adopted." The aldermanic minutes of October 10, 1912, contain the October revision of the budget but nothing whatever to show official action with respect thereto. PASSING ORDINANCES. The charter (sec. 98) requires that all ordinances before adop- tion shall be read twice at two different meetings, except that by a two-third's vote of the members present an ordinance may 62 be read twice at the same meeting and adopted. We were In- formed that it is customary to put through ordinances on their second reading at the same meeting at which they are intro- duced. This is a dangerous poHcy as it does not give the pubhc adequate notice of proposed legislation. Except in rare cases of emergency, measures should always lie over until the next meet- ing before being adopted. At present the public must rely on the press of the city to keep informed relative to city legislation. Atlanta is large enough and the measures put through councils are important enough to justify printing the proceedings in pamphlet form im- mediately after each meeting and make them currently available to all who are interested therein. PURCHASING SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS. Centralization of Purchasing Power. The city departments of Atlanta unitedly have a large buying power. If it were centralized the city might deal direct with manufacturers and secure wholesale prices. Manufacturers are not generally attracted by small orders such as must result when departments buy separately and such orders are therefore placed with middlemen with the result that middlemen's profits are paid. Even when small orders are placed with manufacturers the cost is nearly always higher than on large orders. Moreover, centralized purchasing makes it possible to maintain a better equipped purchasing plant, which is also conducive to obtaining low costs. The present purchasing procedure for the city contemplates that departmental officials will indicate on requisitions the kind and quantity of supplies and materials desired and forward the requisitions to the comptroller who will obtain bids thereon, fill in the name of the dealer from whom purchase is to be made and transmit the requisition to him as an order. A resolution was adopted by council January 15, 1912, which insisted on the en- forcement of the above procedure, it having been previously adopted as an ordinance (Sec. 889, Code of 1910). The comp- troller is therefore placed in a position not only to prevent over- expenditure of appropriations but is also made the city pur- chasing agent. Notwithstanding however the resolution and ordinance above cited, most departments continue to make many purchases direct and do not inform the comptroller thereof until the goods have been received and perhaps used. In such cases the comptroller is unable to set up a reesrve on his books to provide for the lia- bility incurred. While a considerable saving has undoubtedly been effected by concentrating the purchasing in the comptroller's office and that 53 official deserves credit for having taken the initiative in the mat- ter, it is contrary to good business organization because both the expenditure of money and the audit thereof is thus placed in the hands of the same official. It is therefore suggested that while the centralization of the purchasing power should be fur- ther developed, it should be placed in charge of an official ap- pointed by the mayor, and independent of all the city depart- ments. Such official should be selected solely on merit and should have had previous experience as a purchasing agent. He should devote all of his time to the work, and maintain complete ffies of current prices, trade catalogues, adequate telephone service, etc. He should also be required to keep records showing the names of all bidders on both formal and informal contracts, and the amounts of each bid. At the present time a large number of purchases are made over the telephone and with the exception of a few instances in the comptroller's office, no records exist showing the number, name or amount of bids which have been received on telephone purchases. It is therefore impossible to determine whether there has been sufficient endeavor to obtain competition and lowest prices, and whether the purchases have actually been made from the lowest bidder. One of the two rear rooms of the comptroller's office might well be set aside for the use of a purchasing agent. Before pur- chase orders are issued the comptroller or his representative should certify thereon that there is a sufficient balance of a duly authorized appropriation remaining unencumbered to pay the claim ; also whether there is an existing contract for the purchase of the commodity requisitioned. For this purpose the comp- troller's clerk charged with keeping the appropriation, contract and bond fund ledgers might be given a desk in the room as- signed to the purchasing agent or in the room adjoining thereto so that he might refer to his books and initial the requisitions without causing any delay. If at any time under the above plan a department official did find it absolutely necessary to make a purchase direct he should first call the purchasing agent on the phone and ask that a requi- sition number be assigned him. He might then forward the original requisition to a dealer and the carbon duplicate thereof to the comptroller thus enabling the latter to set up a reserve for the amount of the order. Standardization of Purchases. Most commercial organizations and some cities are awake to the immense savings which may be realized by standardizing their equipment, materials, and supplies so that only the kind, grade, style, etc., best adapted for each particular need will be purchased. Practically nothing of this character has been done by the city of Atlanta however until this year when the comp- 54 troller's office made a beginning by standardizing some of the city stationery and also recently took up one or two other sub- jects. Coal is bought on the British Thermal Unit and ash test basis but inasmuch as practically no deductions from payments have been made on account of the coal delivered not containing the required number of heat units, it is questionable whether the number of heat units and percentage of ash specified are ade- quate. This is a subject on which expert engineering advic© might be secured with advantage. All supplies and materials which are susceptible of being ac- curately described should be purchased only on specifications, and adequate chemical or physical tests should be made of deliv- eries to determine whether they conform to such specifications. At the present time a large quantity of supplies and materials are purchased on the sample basis. The original sample may be tested and subsequent deliveries are supposed to be equal to sam- ple but no adequate tests are made to determine such fact. In connection with the standardization of supplies and mate- rials, it is very important that the city should be equipped with an adequate testing laboratory. Such tests as have heretofore been made, have been made by a local firm of engineering chem- ists and the number thereof has been wholly insufficient. To test all purchases, including paving material, it would be cheaper for the city to operate its own testing laboratory. Standardization of objects of purchase and specialization might perhaps be best accomplished by a small committee composed of the comptroller, purchasing agent and director of the testing laboratory or their representatives. The committee would of course advise with all department heads and with manufacturers and dealers and would consider original costs of articles as well as relative efficiency thereof. Purchasing in Quantities. To purchase efficiently and economically the purchasing power of the city should not only be centralized and the objects of ex- penditure standardized but the needs of all departments should as far as possible be anticipated at least a year in advance and contracts let for quantities adequate to last the entire period. Sometimes of course a contract may be based on unit costs and equally low prices may be obtained without guaranteeing that the city will purchase any definite quantity. Exceptions to pur- chasing at the beginning of the year would of course be made in the case of fuel, forage, milk and other supplies which are of a seasonal natjure and for which lower prices may be obtained by making contracts during the year. The advantage which would accrue from contracting for an entire year's supply for all departments at one time is well illus- trated in the case of stationery, already referred to under stand- ardization of purchases. The comptroller's office recently ascer- tained from the several departments how much stationery they 55 would need next year. Bids were obtained on the total quantity, and a single contract was let. Letter heads were purchased at $2.95 per M, as compared with a former average cost of $3.60, and envelopes at $2.20 per M, as compared with a former average cost of $3.25. Centralized purchasing for an entire year does not necessarily mean that all supplies and materials must be kept in a central storehouse. Contracts may be arranged for periodical deliver- ies as needed at any number of delivery points, either to go into stores there or be used at once. There are certain kinds of sup- plies, however, which must be kept on hand anyway and if kept in a central storehouse a smaller inventory is required and hence a smaller investment, than would be necessary if kept in the storerooms of several departments. Space for such a central storeroom might probably be found in the city hall basement or attic or in other buildings ownea or leased by the city. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS. Many Signatures Delay Payment. Section 886 of the 1910 code requires that there be three sig- natures on each voucher, viz., the head of the department, chair- man of the council committee supervising such department, and the comptroller. The vouchers now used by several of the de- partments require four signatures, and some five; for example, the vouchers ot the water board must be signed by (1) general manager, (2> secretary of water board, (3) president of water board, (4) chairman of council committee on water, and (5) comptroller. The time required to obtain so many signatures tends to delay the transmittal of the vouchers to the comp- troller's office, and since claims can not be paid until they have been received and audited by the comptroller, and since cash dis- count can not be obtained unless claims are paid promptly, it is of considerable importance that the departmental procedure be so adjusted that vouchers be transmitted promptly. The prompt payment of claims is of much advantage in maintaining the city's credit on a good basis, and thus obtaining favor with a large number of dealers to whom city business would not other- wise appeal. Certificates Necessary to Fix Responsibility. More than three signatures on a voucher are of doubtful value because they are usually made only because other officials have already signed and it is therefore assumed that the claim is in all respects correct. Each signature should certify to facts of which the person certifying has definite knowledge. The vouch- 56 ers now used in the city departments of Atlanta simply read "Approved for $ " There is no evidence that the persons signing are familiar with any of the facts on which the claims are based. It is suggested that vouchers be signed in the depart- ment by only two persons: First, by a person who is cognizant of (a) whether the articles had been received, services rendered, or amounts expended for the city, (b) that the claim is correct as to price and amount, (c) that it was necessary for the proper transaction of the busi- ness of the department, (d) that it was incurred solely for the benefit of the city, (e) that all calculations and extensions have been verified, (f ) that the amount of the claim does not exceed the unencumbered balances of amounts duly appropriated against which the same is chargeable, and (g) that the amount of the claim contained in the voucher has not been included in or made a part of any voucher or claim previously certified by the depart- ment for payment. Second, by the head of the department who should certify that (a) the certificates attached to the vouchers and support- ing time sheets, invoices, etc., are made by persons designated by him to make such certificates, and whose signatures thereto are known by him to be genuine, (b) that to the best of his infor- mation and belief the claim is correct, (c) that the provisions of the charter and of the ordinances and resolutions of the council applicable thereto have been complied with, and (d) that the expenditure was necessary and was duly authorized and appro- priated. After the vouchers have been transmitted to the comptroller's office they should be signed by an auditor, who should certify to the comptroller that (a) he has examined, audited, revised and settled the claim for the sum of $ (b) that the expenditure was lawfully incurred, and that the charge therefor is reason- able and just, (c) that the warrant is correctly drawn and pay- ment may properly be made from the fund shown on the voucher. The signature of more than two persons in any department, and also the signature of the chairman of the council committee should be dispensed with. The certificates above described are of adequate insurance to the city of the fact that the claims should "be paid and subsequent signatures can afford no addi- tional protection to the city. In the case of chairmen of council committees, it takes considerable time to obtain their signatures, inasmuch as they are men engaged in various occupations in dif- ferent parts of the city. Too Much "Red Tape" in Paying Claims. The comptroller's certificate is unnecessary on vouchers. It should, however, be attached to the warrants. At the present time dealers doing business with the city are caused much 67 annoyance by being compelled to go to the City Hall and sign receipts for claims due them, and then go again for their warrant when it has been prepared. This inconvenience to dealers tends to restrict competition, and undoubtedly causes the city business to be undesirable to a number of reputable firms to whom it might otherwise appeal. Moreover, the procedure is entirely unnecessary. It is suggested that after the vouchers have been certified, as above described, that the warrants be prepared for payment and the mayor's signature obtained thereto. If the claimants were then notified that the city was ready to make payment, the comptroller might countersign each warrant as claimants present themselves at the city hall. In this connec- tion, it is further suggested that the present title of "Chief Clerk" in the comptroller's office should be changed to deputy comptroller, and that he be authorized to countersign warrants in the comptroller's absence. If a combined form of voucher warrant were adopted, both the documents might be prepared in the departments by one writing. We have already conferred with the comptroller and his representatives on this subject, and a form of voucher-warrant has been prepared by him which is recommended for adoption. BANK DEPOSITS AND TREASURER'S BALANCES. Bank Deposits. As required by the charter, the city's cash is kept partly in the city treasury and partly in four local banks. Bids are invited from all local banks to determine which will pay the highest rate of interest. The fact that it is customary for them all to bid the same might indicate that an understanding exists between them with respect thereto. They pay the city only two per cent, interest. It seems probable that if the city would place definite amounts on time deposit for a definite number of months, that a higher rate of interest might be secured. That it would be possible to so plan the financing of the city so that amounts might be placed on time deposit, is evidenced by a test made by us. The following tabulation shows the lowest monthly balance in the four banks from October 1st, 1911, to June 1st, 1912 : October 1st, 1911 $410,000 November 1st, 1911 950,000 December 1st, 1911 730,000 January 1st, 1912 680,000 February 1st, 1912 630,000 March 1st, 1912 460,000 April 1st, 1912 160,000 May 1st, 1912 460,000 June 1st, 1912 220,000 68 The balance on deposit in bank October 1st, 1911, was $410,000. This was the minimum amount on deposit at any one time during the next five months, and even at the end of six months the bal- ance was $160,000. Moreover, this latter amQunt immediately- increased in the seventh month to $460,000. It is suggested that these banks should burnish surety com- pany bonds, instead of personal bonds, as at present. We note that the personal sureties of each bank were in each case the officers or directors of that bank. It is possible to conceive how personal bonds given in such cases might have a limited value, particularly when the banks were all National banks, as are those in which the cash of the city of Atlanta is deposited, be- cause the liability of stockholders in National banks is doubled Business prudence would also suggest that the amount of the city's money which may be placed on deposit in any one bank be limited to a percentage of the capital and surplus of that bank, and not be unlimited as at present. Treasurer's Balances. The city treasurer for whom a salary of $1,000 is provided has on hand at all times a considerable amount of money for which no interest whatever is paid the city. It is probable that the city might arrange to secure two per cent, on the daily bal- ances of this account. That the amount of interest, which is thus lost under the present plan, would be worth saving, is indi- cated by the following daily balances which we drew off from the city treasury ledger account in the comptroller's office for two typical months, i. e., October, 1911, which the comptroller designated as a "heavy" month, and August, 1911, which he designated as a "light" month: October, 1911. August, 1911. $21,000 $11,000 32,000 84,000 19,000 72,000 54,000 65,000 21,000 67,000 49,000 68,000 48,000 68,a00 76,000 66,000 37,000 67,000 61,000 68,000 14,000 68,000 78,000 68,000 30,000 64,000 98,000 58,000 51,000 43,000 72,000 47,000 32,000 44,000 59 43,000 46,000 49,000 44,000 55,000 153.000 50,000 149.000 50,000 149,000 46,000 150.000 33,000 150,000 34,000 145,000 132.000 113.000 BONDED DEBT. No Provision for Payment. On December 31, 1912 (comptroller's report) the city had a bonded debt of $655,000 for which no provision had been made for payment. These bonds were issued in 1877. Their maturity and rate of interest is as follows: Maturity Rate Amount 1915 5 % $ 52,000 1916 4/2% 116,000 1920 4 % 124,000 1922 4>4>4 289,000 1927 4 % 74,000 $655,000 Some bonds similar to the above mentioned have been refunded and it is planned to refund the $655,000 as it becomes due. To thus throw the entire burden of payment onto future taxpayers is no more equitable than for those who issued the bonds and used the proceeds to neglect all amortization and shift the bur- den of payment onto present taxpayers. To neglect next year and each succeeding year to set aside a reserve to pay these bonds when they come due is not consonant with sound financing. As a general principle bonds should be issued only for capital assets and the life of the bonds should be as nearly co-ordinate as possible with the probable life of the asset. If the present plan is continued the next generation of taxpayers will be com- pelled to retire a debt (refunding bonds) without enjoying the benefits created by the proceeds thereof. While this may be true to a certain extent if paid by the present generation of tax- payers, it is nevertheless false economy for the city to deceive itself by keeping down the present tax rate in such a manner. Serial Method Better Than Sinking Fund. Sinking fund provision is made for the remainder of Atlanta's debt. Throughout the country sinking funds are becoming obso- lete as a method of paying indebtedness. Both cities and states each year are becoming more committed to the serial method. 60 The following excerpt is quoted from a report (April 15, 1912) , of a special investigation made by the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics, of the indebtedness of all cities and towns in Massa- chusetts. It is typical of the best present day thought on the method of retiring bonded debt: "A sinking fund, however well it may be administered, is at best a cumbersome means of accomplishing the desired end, since it involves not only the obligation to keep the funds properly invested, but complicated, mathematical computa- tions to insure equitable assessments upon the taxpayers during the period of the loan in order that the debt may be paid at maturity ; and the evidence is abundant of the estab- lishment of sinking funds by our Massachusetts cities and towns, doubtless in good faith, to which proper contributions have not been made from year to year, with the result that upon the maturity of the loans these funds are found to be far short of the amount necessary to pay the debt, with extension by refunding as the inevitable result. The serial method of paying debt, on the other hand, not only obviates the administrative requirements of the sinkinsr fund method, but it has been demonstrated to be cheaper than the latter and it, therefore, imposes a lighter burden upon the taxpay- ers, in the long run; not the least of its advantages also is the fact that its operation is so simple as to be easily under- stood by the ordinary citizen." The report includes the following definite recommendation to the Massachusetts legislature: "That the authority to establish sinking funds be repealed and that all cities and towns be required hereafter to provide for the payment of funded debt by the serial method, so called.'' ASSESSING AND COLLECTING TAXES. Both real and personal property is assessed annually. Real estate is not assessed according to any mathematical rule, as in many cities, but each lot is viewed and valued independently of adjoining lots, land and buildings being separately valued. There is need in the assessor's office of a complete and correct tax map of the city. Two Installments Enough. Taxes are payable in three installments, April 1-15. June 15-30, September 1-October 15. The change from collection once a year was made so that tax money would be available for meeting cur- rent expenses during the early part of the year and avoid the necessity of paying interest on short term loans. Even though 61 one and one-half per cent, discount is allowed for payment of sec- ond and third installments in advance and seven per cent, interest charged on delinquent payments, the comptroller's records show that only about one-fourth of the amount of taxes are collected on the first two installments combined and that nearly three- fourths of the total collection does not come in until the third installment. In view of these facts the suggestion is made that if taxes were made payable twice instead of three times a year as much money would undoubtedly come into the city treasury on the first installment as there does now on the first two; the public would suffer less annoyance and less clerical work could be caused the tax offices. Should All be Prebilled. It seems probable that a system of prebilling all three install- ments might be worked out similar to the new system in New York and Buffalo (and planned for Pittsburg) . Prebilling under such a system would do away with all congestion in the tax office caused by taxpayers waiting to pay their taxes, and would also dispense entirely with the clerical work now involved in making duplicate tax rolls in the comptroller's office. It would also be much less susceptible of error because whereas the amount of taxes, discount, etc., is now entered three times on the tax bill, again on the comptroller's duplicate roll, and still again on the post card notice sent to taxpayers, the suggested method would make all five copies at a single writing. It would all be type- written and hence much clearer than long hand, and lastly it would be cheaper. It would of course be necessary to change the present ordinance which permits payment on installment dates of any part of the amount levied. The payments should be in definite units of one- third and one-half. This change is desirable anyway as the present way unnecessarily complicates the records. To facilitate payment of taxes even under the present plan the cages in the assessor's and tax collector's offices should be rearranged or a carrier system installed. This is contemplated by the present officials and snould be put into effect without delay. IN GENERAL. Mayor in Name Only. The city elects a mayor to be the head of its government but inconsistently gives him but little power with which to adminis- ter the government. The real power is vested in sundry cum- bersome and unnecessary boards, an unwieldly dual legislative system and large inexperienced committees. 62 Atlanta has a population of approximately 150,000 and an annual tax budget of over five and a half million dollars. Both population and budget are increasing rapidly and the securing of a simpler, more efficient form of government which will defi- nitely fix responsibility and be readily amenable to public de- mand should have serious and immediate^ consideration from every citizen. Consolidate County and City. The city and county governments of Atlanta should be consol- idated. Only in this way can duplication of administrative cost be prevented and service equitably distributed. For example, there are two sets of tax officials in Atlanta — county and city, and the taxes for each are payable at different places; there are both county gangs and city gangs engaged in building the city's streets, and the city has no idea whether it is getting all the street work it is entitled to from the county or not. Smoke Nuisance. While en route from New York to Atlanta the representative of the Bureau of Municipal Research was informed by a couple of commercial travelers that "Atlanta is a nice enough place but I don't think you will like it because there is a continuous fog of smoke there which gets in your eyes and lungs and is disa- greeable generally." It does not behoove any city to be thus ad- vertised. There has been enough agitation of the subject in Atlanta. What is needed now is efficient correction. Overhead Wires. Many of Atlanta's residence streets with their beautiful homes and lines of fine trees are badly disfigured with two or three sets of unpainfed wooden poles of varying heights and angles and a network of overhead wires which are a menace to life and prop- erty. While it would of course be expensive to substitute under- ground conduits for transmitting the electric current required by street railway, electric light and telephone service, nevertheless, if the city's policy were changed now, the cost would be only a fraction of what it will be when the city is ten times larger, as there is indication to believe it will be. Underground street railway conduits, moreover, have the advantage of preventing destruction of a city's water pipes by electrolysis, whereas the single overhead system in use is a direct cause of it. Combination poles should at least be used for street lights and trolley wires and thus eliminate one set of poles. Light placed 68 on the poles or suspended by arms would also eliminate many wires. Grade Crossings. The circuitous route of railroads entering the city cause them to cross streets a great many times. Many of the crossings are "grade" crossings and very dangerous to life. Through promi- nent portions of the city the railroad is not even fenced off from the street. Elevated or subsurface structures are the only proper solution to this condition. Automobile Blockade. The narrow downtown streets having double car tracks down the center afford scant room for traffic and when banked with automobiles on both sides progress is often difficult. Definite regulations ought to be adopted and enforced to remedy the pres- ent condition. Unsightly Strips Along Sidewalks. All over the city between the outer edge of the sidewalk and the curb exist unsightly strips of bare ground. On one street this area was turned over two or three years ago to the park de- partment and sodded. It was the only street we found so sodded and even there lack of care had almost destroyed the grass. A united and systematic effort on the part of the civic organization and the school children of Atlanta could undoubtedly change these barren places into beauty strips. Street Signs. Nothing helps to make a visitor feel comfortable in a strange city more than a street sign on every corner to aid him in arriv- ing at his destination. Moreover it is frequently a time-saver to permanent residents. In many parts of Atlanta there are in- sufficient street signs. Street Obstruction. Building contractors have been allowed to obstruct too much of the streets. One instance was noted (Peach tree and Harris) where the contractor fenced off an entire half of the street. If the sidewalk alongside a building in process of erection or recon- struction is substantially bridged over it is unnecessary to ob- struct either foot or vehicle traffic. Safety Islands. There are some street crossings in the city where the auto- 64 mobile traffic is so dense that lives of pedestrians are endangered when crossing the street. The city should construct safety- islands six or eight inches in height in the center of such places which would each be surmounted by an ornamental light post. Repair Shops. The construction, water, sanitary and fire departments each operate repair shops. The repair work of the park and police departments is done at private shops. Investigation should be made to determine whether it would not be cheaper to establish a central repair shop to which work would be sent from all city departments. A similar situation exists with respect to horse- shoeing. Some departments shoe their own horses and the horses of other departments are shod at private shops at regular prices. An investigation of this subject also might disclose a means of shoeing all city horses with a single gang of horse- shoers. For example, no good reason is apparent why park de- partment horses should not be shod by the horseshoers already employed by one of the other departments. Salary Standardization. There is need for standardization of salary rates throughout all the city departments so that each employe in the city service will be paid on the basis of duties performed — not more nor less. 30589'^ JO ^^4. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY