wn private occupation. Without special preparation of any
kind he attends council not oftener than once a week. Intelligent
action under such conditions is simply impossible. The only way this
council has of securing reliable information is from the heads of
the administrative departments. But even then responsibility is
still divided between the legislative and administrative branches.
This deplorable state of affairs has been synchronous with the
growth of the isolated council in America.

Is it any wonder that the old Des Moines council voted to construct
a bridge only to find when the work was completed that the city did
not even own the approaches, or that the old Cedar Rapids council
let a similar contract at an exorbitantly high price, only to find,
when the work was completed, that the contract called for no
protecting wings or abutments, and the city was compelled to spend
many thousands of dollars additional in order to make the structure
safe? Such nonsensical legislation is a direct result of the
isolated council. It fails to provide information essential to
intelligent action. It does not permit a proper co-ordination of
departments so vitally necessary in successful city government.

Lastly, city legislation demands unbiased representation. In this
respect a commission council is superior to an isolated council.

In the commission council each member represents the entire city.
Hence, there is no incentive to favor one ward at the expense of
another. In fact, any such an attempt could result only in disaster
to the commissioner himself. Furthermore, each commissioner is held
individually responsible for his department. Consequently he is
forced to insist upon an impartial representation of the entire
city. This is well illustrated by the present situation in New York
City. The Bureau of Municipal Research, admittedly the most
practical organization of its kind in the country, is conducting its
work along the line of effective competency in city departments. As
a result of its investigations, the citizens of New York have been
forced to the conclusion to which my colleague has already referred,
namely, that the ultimate solution of their municipal difficulties
will be reached only when they have disposed of their present
inefficient and useless ward council and created