Show Cites CEes DOYLE MILLER l CIt City Manager l Municipal administration is the art of taking the resources of a city and combining them to shape a community of physical beauty and convenience cultural excellence and economic ity ty This requires skillful recruiting recruiting recruiting re re- re- re training and directing of personnel coordinating their efforts with the efficient use of equipment and the latest scientific scientific and technical knowledge One of the most vital and dramatic things happening in our national life in recent years has las been the rapidly increasing movement of people into cities and metropolitan areas arca We Vve are arc told that about the year 1900 it required fifty per cent of the population to feed and clothe the nation Today only 15 per cent of our population is required for forthe forthe forthe the same purpose purpose purpose-a a statistical item of tremendous import to municipalities These population trends together with the literal explosion of our cities into metropolitan metropolitan metropolitan met met- areas have created many grave problems of local government and finances for American cities The basic impediment under which our cities labor is that our country including the states was organized as a rural nation The first census of 1790 showed only about Americans living in cities which some 3 3 lived in rural areas We Wedo Wedo Wedo do not deplore this early background background background back back- ground of rural strength indeed it was good for our nation in the lights of conditions of those times Today the bulk of American cities and towns t together gether form the great big golden goose o of taxation for all our states and the federal government With their superior powers and larger jurisdictions they leave the average city with few exceptions exceptions exceptions as the low man on the tax totem pole To sum up we are becoming an urban nation All our states state and our national government must be impressed with this thi fact The tremendous problems o of American r cities such as parking traffic metropolitan and fringe areas reas archaic tax and revenue laws and all the other responsibilities which growing populations populations ons entail arc are bound up Inthis in inthis this lis major problem of fair treatment treatment treatment treat treat- ment by both state and federal governments All across the nation there is need eed for modernization of state constitutions and general laws lawsto lawso to o fit the increasing complexities ties ies of municipal operations to provide more home rule and tomake to tol I make available sufficient revenues revenues rev- rev to operate our growing cities and towns Government at athe atthe atthe the he local level efficiency adminIstered administered administered ad ad- ministered and properly fInanced fi financed fI- fI financed is about the last stand of democracy in our country |