PAGE TWO
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1951
Marvin Arth
the editorial page
Do We Need A Change? —
County government is so confused that it has often been referred to as "the dark continent of American politics."
County governments are so loosely organized and supervised that corruptness, waste, and inefficiency have crept in. Citizens pay little attention to county affairs, and know more about happenings in their state and national capitals than they know about what happens in their local court house.
Already back in 1930 the county manager plan was mentioned as the answer to more efficient county government. The county manager plan is now being used successfully in Montana, Virginia, and other states.
No definite plan has been followed in the organization of the county government. There has been no consistent separation of legislative, executive, and judicial duties.
What advantages county manager plan have over the old fashioned county government?
There is the usual county board which has no definite relationship with a set of county officers. County government is not a government; it is a dozen governments loosely tied together. It lacks a responsible head.
Many present county governments are too expensive. In some states, elections every two years constitute about one-tenth of the total administrative costs.
County government has experienced the effects of centralization. Some functions as highway buildings, supervision of hospitals, and maintenance of mental institutions have been taken from the county by the state.
These county boards usually exercise nominal control over a few matters of policy and some control over a variety of administrative details, but little effective control over either.
The county manager plan is an emphasis on local government. From three to five members are elected to a board of commissioners to determine county policies. This board hires a county manager to carry out its policies. This setup would not eliminate county officers altogether. Each local situation would require a different setup. The county manager plan works best in rural counties where duties of officers are not too heavy, thus making it possible to combine offices.
To counteract this tendency toward centralization we must emphasize local government. When government tends to become complex, we must operate on the principle of putting a few individuals in power, but watch them very closely.
The manager would direct the county officers to carry out the board's policies. He would be a general supervisor of county government, directing the hiring of county employees, county purchasing, and supervision of county property.
Here's an example of what's happened in a county adopting the manager plan. In 1942 Petroleum county, Montana, found that something had to be done to remedy its financial difficulties. By adopting the manager plan, five officers were elected instead of the usual 13. A three-member board of commissioners, a county attorney, and a county manager were elected. In four years the county's finances were sound again. Administrative costs had been cut one-third.
The county manager plan shed a little light in Petroleum county on "the dark continent of American politics."—Marian Kliewer.
Francis Kelley
galley-west
\* \* \*
K. U. Senior Day, dead as it may seem on the surface, does have its more amusing moments. Unfortunately, however, these more amusing moments are so concealed as to remain unknown to the majority of students.
Take the Senior parade Tuesday afternoon, for instance. Although there was, much merriment as the line wound around to the donkey polo game, there would have been a great deal more had the plans of some of the journalism students not gone astray.
The journalism entry in the parade, an inane jackass named Elmer, was to have been ridden by the University Daily Kansan's society editor, Nancy Anderson, had not both Elmer and Nancy balked at the idea. Elmer balked simply because he is an inane jackass. Nancy had other reasons.
Some of the best planners in the journalism school had agreed that Miss Anderson would be a most eyecatching Lady Godiva dressed, of course, in used Daily Kansans. That's when the trouble started. The enthusiasm of the planners got out of hand and they instructed Miss Anderson to tear off bits of her Kansan costume along the parade route. She was to arrive at the donkey polo grounds with nothing remaining of her costume except the weather draped across a strategic part of her anatomy. Miss Anderson, good sport that she is, just couldn't see eye to eye with the journalism planners. Especially after seeing the weather news in the Kansan she was to wear. It read: "Weather: Fair and Warmer."
- * *
He couldn't keep his mind in the gutter.
If you are not yet 25 years old, this column is regretfully dedicated to you.
Regretfully Yours
Drivers in your age group make up well under 20 per cent of the total of all drivers, but last year, your group was responsible for more than 27 per cent of 1950's fatal accidents.
The fact that young drivers were involved in a smaller percentage of non-fatal wrecks is no consolation. To the contrary, it reveals the nature of your driving mistakes: excessive speed and recklessness. These are the errors that lead to head-on collisions and the violent crashes from which there is no escape.
Nearly 12,000 drivers your age took their own lives or the lives of others in 1550. The records show that in the heavy majority of cases, the driver was irresponsible, or inapt, or both.
Be honest with yourself: are you mature enough to abide by all the rules of the road? If you are not, you cannot be trusted with a car. And you are headed for trouble if you drive.
Do you know the rules of the road? Have you learned from qualified instructors how 'to drive correctly and safely? If you have not, you cannot be trusted with a car. You, too, are headed for trouble.
If your honest answer to these questions is "NO," then do something about it. Make up your mind to obey every traffic law, not just because they are laws, but because they are written and enforced for your protection. And learn to drive the right way from someone who knows the right way—R.I.P.
Yesteryears
All Hail The Poet
(From U.D.K. Oct. 19, 1921)
It is reported that the University of Michigan has hired a certain New England poet to live in Ann Arbor and let his artistic influence flow out over the campus and through the academic corridors of the University. "The student body will benefit immeasurable merely by contact with a great and loving personality," says the president of that institution.
Reward, probably in the form of letters, is to be presented to members of the Varsity cheering squad this year, at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Men will be given opportunity to try out at the first football game. If the letters are presented, one will be given to the Official Varsity cheer-leader, and one to each of his assistants.
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University Daily Kansan
Mall subscription: $3 a semester, $4.50 a year, (in Lawrence add $1.00 a semester postage). Published in Lawrence, Kans. every afternoon during the University Saturdays and Sundays. University holds classes from Entered as second class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at the Post office at Lawrence, Kans., under act of March 3, 1879.
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