Show by WALDON FAWCETT during tho past few years marvelous advancement has been made in the practical administration of municipal affairs in many of tho more progressive american cities tho bo ginning which has been made simultaneously in a number 0 different of activity haa undoubtedly been dua very largely to the popular agitation of the subject of municipal ownership the income of the city of new york from all sources now amounts to approximately a quarter of a billion dollars a year and that of other cities Is proportionately as great aa public citizens have come to realize to what an extent the management of the business affairs of a great urban community overshadows that of any private enterprise they have hastened to form organizations designed on the one hand to aid the public officials in discovering and securing the most advantageous utilities and on the other to watch over these cervania vanta of the people teat they commit errors of judgment or principle the growing tendency to divorce poll bics tics from municipal issues at all elections Is most significant in many cities powerful organizations of prominent and influential citizens have been formed with this avowed purpose thus in chicago the municipal voters league has rescued much of municipal machinery from the grasp of corrupt the voters of providence R I 1 have at six consecutive elec tlona chosen a nonpartisan non partisan candidate for mayor the democratic city of boston Is under the direction of a republican mayor and in new york cleveland toledo fit bouja and san francisco campaigns have been conducted solely on municipal issues state legislative interference with local affairs at tho dictation of factional politicians Is the greatest obstacle yet remaining to the adoption of liberal policy in the provision of municipal publeo utilities designed to contribute to the comfort and welfare of the people at large however a few demonstrations of the lengths to which this evil may be carrial car riad such as have recently been alva in tho beato of pennsylvania can bo depended upon to prove tho strongest possible argument tor remedial action and indeed leagues of municipalities have already been formed in california and other states for tho express purpose of guarding against in legislative action A movement looking to the placing ot municipal salaries on such a basis as to attract to the men of ability and experience in the business world haa gone hand in hand with the movement for public ownership of water and lighting plants and other municipal utilities on the generally accepted theory also that satisfactory work may only bo accomplished by means 0 arst class tools there Is manifest in this country at the present time a pronounced tendency to provide adequate facilities for municipal administrative work alie city hall at Is one of the most striking examples of the possibilities in this direction the construction st of this building extended over a period of 30 years it Is tho largest city hall in the world and cost over for the building alone the office furnishings entailing an extra expense ot halt a million dollars some idea ot the magnitude of the building may be gained from the tact that it Is equipped with 20 elevators paving is ono ot the questions regarding which there appears to be a wide divergence of opinion among the executive omeera of various american cities in the larger cities sheet and block asphalt Is the most popular material tor paving purposes and many ot the cities have introduced it on residence streets it Is a significant fact that of the larger cities of the cottry only one haa failed to make use of asphalt cobblestone has disappeared almost entirely from the streets ot the more cities but brick paving appears to bo rapidly growing in popularity particularly in the west blocks are of some advantages not to bo found in any other material and how largo a factor this substance forma Is evidenced by the tact that in the streets of new york city there are square yards of granite blocks as lens than halt as rouan aepha lt chicago detroit jasz keo and minneapolis are the only large cities which yet uso wooden blocks to any extent As indicative of comparative costs it may ba died that the 20 allea of asphalt pavane in the city of chicago has coat an aRBree ate ot about as compared with nearly which hag been paid for the 17 of brick pavement in that city an apparently matter but one which has baffled the authorities 0 many cities Is the problem 0 suitably designating the various thoroughfares 0 the city one hundred citizens 0 mew york recently petitioned the municipal assembly to pass an ordinance compel ling the owners of corner lots to puce of easily character on their properly giving the names 0 streets and avenues in buffalo and a number 01 oilier clelea allt ri has boon adopted a uniform system whereby there are provided neat iron posts surmounted by iron panels in some organizations patterned atter tho municipal art society of new york tiago taken up this question and arc endeavoring to secure the adoption of street corner signs and house numbers and the achievement of artistic in street lamps police and fire alarm boxes another excellent crusade in tho liro of Is ao by a class of organizations of which the new york tree planting association Is the pioneer and the object of which la to provide shade trees on streets that otherwise would bo literal canyons of brick and stone rapid strides have been mado in recent years in the street cleaning of american cities ahe provision ot power and hand street sweepers the introduction ot well drilled corps ot uniformed workers and the careful apportionment of city areas into districts to prevent any waste of time or energy are only a few ot the things which havo been accomplished shed in some places oil has been used tor spraying the streets to lay the dust and in tha city 0 cleveland there has been introduced a monster electrio electr lo sweeper which operates on all streets where there aro electric railway tracks and which performs the cleaning service at an expense ot just one fifth that formerly entailed the city of constitutes by reason ot the of soft coal there the most difficult city in america to keep dean and the force provided for the task consists of dver men aho vho operate 16 sprinkling wagons 20 street sweepers ISO patrol carts and empty wagons for catherine up tho there have been lately ta produced trod in tho city 0 washington hand street cleaners lh propelled by ona man which in general design and mode of operation are very nearly the counterpart of the familiar carpet sweeper the subject which has probably been given the most attention from students of municipal progress is that of smoke prevention perhaps the most unique plan of dealing with this nuisance has been adopted in the city ot cleveland there tha entire project Is under municipal control and under alie direction of a supervision engineer who Is in nowise to political influence this official has number of assistants and his plan of procedure has been to secure at the outset full and exact data regarding the density and amount of emitted by the chimneys within a prescribed district after a full record of the performance of a chimney has been secured covering quite an interval of time and supplemented it possible with photographs the owner Is called upon and moral suasion used to induce him to abate or at least modify the nul sinco in the interest 0 civic pride marvelous Marv clous results have been obtained hundreds of smoke consuming devices have been installed at power plants of various kinds and even tho railroads have manifested a spirit 0 operation cooperation co and contributed their share to the general betterment of conditions by in the firemen on to care in adding fuel to the furnaces the matter 0 municipal waste disposal Is as yet in its experimental ataee but many attempts have been made to discover the best method probably the city of boston Is to bo credited with the most notable achievement in this line prior to idys the alliea and refuse of that city were towed to sea whereas the garbage was sold as food for swine but there were so many objections urged against some features of the plan that within the past few yeara it lias been abandoned in favor of a superior method at present all the garbage which la suitable for the purpose Is manufactured into commercial products the remainder of the refuse being cremated the police and alre departments depart menta of american cities have been greatly improved during the past tow years over SO of the leading cities of america now have corps of bicycle police and nearly almany ire provided with mounted police in a dozen cities gymnasiums are provided in order that the may keep themselves la perfect physical condition and the polica dt apartments part ments in nine cities inace practice compulsory an a has been made in the remuneration ant tho guardians ot the peace anil la clues including the largest cities 0 country patrolman are now paid rate of or more a year j the general enthusiasm in the una park Is everywhere in ft pa 1 has test the city 0 new york abw area at the present time 0 devoted to parka in the area the cwb and ehla exceeds acres a ot boston baltimore and chicago g 2000 acres embraces more than parks perhaps Ier haps the most surprising gratifying features of ino on ty i kr disposition i in the or cy acles cal now possesses u acres ot parks or mass much as philadelphia lynn or as much as ay 2500 acres boore populous loua bisters and each NS boast otta M ct and columbus 0 bark area of over 1000 abresi bw have g free publeo bath bouses cities i many in inestimable beneat public 1110 chicago the three by have been used within a year aa than men women in dattalo there are seva 0 public bath housea which elot each A average Is ma towel a clean in charge to each bather a no philadelphia and boston 1 w t of charge la made tor buffalo the use all the t but in chicago and manay tree ties are absolutely notably new york and ana ch had have s free gnp beaches ana yd most nose extensively f y are patrolled patr oled by guards nu the city la order to PW voting by machinery Is in american cities siw sa w ent many devices having been tom y dc dEm which has been gali 0 bease this thoroughly accurate by ahn a citizen may by simply if ight i or pulling a fever et or ho can 1 vote tor each candidate go i these ingenious machines overs ai that a voter who aw record lne dev i the matlo reel his bof may by stably iivo w blaic I 1 in tha opposite dl recon and bo restored to hla pratus g I 1 lv hand the aPPt on tho other clepea li j 1 arranged as to prevent an unscrupulous 1 |