Show is isI THE DES DEB MOINES MOINES PLAN PLAN 4 I The citizens of the tM capital city of Iowa u concluded some time ago to change their j system of municipal government and try the tM commission plan The report of the city auditor which is I now nw in the hands hand F of the printer will soon be ready for 1 distribution The report shows that the thee e taxpayers have been saved the sum of as compared to the last year j of the old ward plan Ian which means a saving of more than S 1 each for tor every everyman everyman everyman man woman and child in the city in the theia i al ia cost oost of maintaining their city govern government i moot ment i The figures of the city treasurer show I i the condition of or the tINt current expense l 1 funds for tor the two years as follows On I H April 1 the old administration left lefta I lill Il a balance of in the treasury r when it retired to give place to the com corn commission comI mission pian plan Against that balance j 1 there was an outstanding indebtedness 1 J I of On April 1 of this year i I the balance on hand in that fund was wasI as I I II 1 I a difference of 15 The f J outstanding Indebtedness s against that W balance was only a difference 1 t of ot or a total difference of I 1 J 40 U in favor of ot the new rule ruleA ruleA 1 A correspondent In telling of the tae sue suc success I ii I cess of the Des Moines commission I H t shows show that not only has money been t f saved but conditions have ve been bettered in every respect He says ays I Are salaries and the wages ages of oC laboring 1 t men mea reduced Not by any means mean na A few I 1 4 months ago go the commissioners voluntarily I II d ily increased the wage of day da laborers laborer L I from IS S 3 per day to it 2 IS and the wanes wages of teamsters te from rom fl IS to Ue SIJA a day I because of the increased cost of living g The contractors in Des Dec pay 17 I I l I a B day for day da laborers and 4 for team teamsters 1 I stars for Cor a day clay while the city I j 1 pays Its Increased price for an h i 4 day Has It reduced the street force Coree or aban abaft f j i any Improvements Improvement Not at all 4 I The me commissioners are undertaking more puNic public Improvements than ever ver before beCore j il iL More men are employed in the street i gangs than ever before more policemen i i I are in the service and more firemen than fi J ever before beCore Every department has been n Ii tt made more efficient and has been I t I strengthened ln Instead tead of oC weakened The I streets are cleaner the health department Is more efficient the laws la are better en rii forced and the fire protection prot more ade adequate a t f i quate than in the history of Des Moines MoIne 1 And all this has be ben been n accomplished at ata ata 1 i a saving saing of oC over 2 and the tax levy 1417 for this year ar has been decreased by al almost i most three mills on the dollar 4 In addition the water rates rate and h ho light rates have been reduced more than 41 20 e p per r cent j Attention has bas been called to the tact feet that a committee of Salt Lake business businessmen bu bae a amen men visited l Des Moines to Investigate the new plan The members made mad a I canvass of th the downtown district They TIte 3 1 l went into the business houses stopped I people on the street went among the i it t I laboring men in the packing houses house ho and andI I factories and interviewed with printed questions more than 1000 I citizens It is said that the Salt Lake men found ji r only four citizens who objected to the Jl r new order of ot things a Socialist a wealthy weal h property owner who feared he be beL L would be taxed for tor public improvements j 1 i a saloonkeeper who thought it was a Sunday school movement and a poll poli politician who lost the fat job he held under the old ward system As to the saving effected we are told it was accomplished by the dismissal of ot useless officeholders the offices being being a Ushe Incidentally It may be remarked remarked that was paid by the city in a single year for political favors under und r the old plan In the mat matter matter ter of street lights alone haj hM been saved ved although the city has bas added sev lights and in addition to that MS tamps lemps that formerly burned on the moonlight tCO schedule now burn all aU night a gain of ot 1511 hours a year for each lamp S Des Dec D Moines is well satisfied with the experiment and other cities might pro profitably follow the good example set and transact their municipal business s upon a business basis |