A leading Alderman and former Lord Mayor of Birmingham, who was himself strongly opposed to the municipalization of the tramways, says that the Ratepayers' Association of Birmingham has been of no practical use to them in the conduct of municipal affairs, because their view is limited to the one object of keeping down rates.

MUNICIPAL EMPLOYMENT.

Glasgow.

In all of the municipal undertakings examined the corporation delegates the control to standing committees. These committees vary in the number of members from eight, in the case of the Gas Committee of Birmingham, to twenty-six in the case of Gas, Tramways and Electricity in Glasgow. This figure is reached in Glasgow in order to give a member to each ward. The committees are usually divided into sub-committees. The Tramways Committee of Glasgow has a sub-committee on Finance and another on Stores. The Gas Committee has sub-committees on "Finance," "Works," "Accounts," "Contracts," "Applications for Pecuniary Allowances," and "Hire and Sale of Gas Stoves." The quorum is usually a very small proportion of the membership; e. g., seven of the above Glasgow committees and three of the sub-committees. The actual work of a committee is practically carried on by the chairman (or "convener" in Glasgow) assisted by the chairmen of the sub-committees. The sub-committees cannot act except as approved by the parent committee, and "all findings of committees must be submitted to the whole Council for approval, unless the Council has remitted the question to the committee with powers." (Glasgow.) The chairmen of the committee and the sub-committees are elected by the Council (Glasgow). They receive no compensation whatever. The committees meet regularly every two weeks, so that their minutes come before the Council every two weeks.

The General Manager, or chief executive officer, of a department is elected by the Council, but the selection and nomination is made by the committee. The following from the minutes of the Tramways Committee is the contract under which the present manager, Mr. James Dalrymple, is employed.

Excerpt from Minute Date 7th December, 1904.

The Sub-Committee further agreed that the appointment should be subject to the following terms and conditions: (1) The appointment shall be held during the pleasure of the Corporation; (2) The General Manager shall devote his whole time to the duties of the office; (3) The General Manager under the direction and subject to the control of the Corporation, shall have the full management of the Tramways Department; (4) The General Manager shall appoint and control the entire staff, and shall have power to suspend or dismiss any person employed under him, and shall be responsible to the Corporation for the good conduct of the persons appointed by him and generally for the efficiency of the department under his management: provided always that before appointing or dismissing the head of any of the departments under him he shall submit the name of such person to, and obtain the sanction of, Vol. III.-3.

the Tramways Committee; (5) The General Manager shall in such way and manner as the Corporation may direct keep regular and distinct books and accounts showing the whole financial transactions of the Tramways Department, and shall at such time as the Corporation may direct deposit all moneys received by him in bank; and (6) the General Manager shall also at such times as the Corporation may direct submit accounts and statements showing the entire working of the Tramways Department; and shall from time to time make such returns and reports as the Corporation or the Tramways Committee may require.

From this contract, it will be seen that to the General Manager is entrusted the absolute appointment, control, and dismissal of every person in the department, except that of the traffic superintendent, the chief mechanical engineer, and the chief electrical engineer, whose appointment or removal must be confirmed by the committee. With these exceptions, the subordinate service is entirely under the control of the General Manager, and this is the situation in all of the departments in Glasgow and other "corporations" (municipalities). In no case is there a civil service board or commission through which appointments must be made. from a list of eligibles, but the manager makes the appointments and removals on his own responsibility.

In the Tramways department of the London County Council all matters of importance in connection with the acquisition, construction, and operation of the tramways are settled by the Council itself. The Highways Committee of the Council, who consider and report on all tramway matters, meet and report to the Council each week. The Council has delegated certain powers to the Committee of a routine character relating principally to details in connection with the working of the undertaking. The following is a copy of the resolution of the Council under which the Highways Committee act in this respect:

"That, as regards the London County Council Tramways (i e., the undertaking transferred to the Council by the London Tramways Company), the Highways Committee be authorized until further order(a) to purchase horses and stores and other articles required, and to enter into contracts and to order the seal of the Council to be affixed thereto; (b) to act generally on behalf of the Council in all matters regarding the undertaking; and (c) to incur such expenditure as may be necessary in connection with the maintenance and working of the undertaking, notwithstanding the conditions contained in the Council's Standing Order No. 254 relative to estimates of expenditure; and that the Committee do report to the Council from time to time what has been done under this authority."

The Highways Committee consists of not less than twelve and not more than fifteen members, apart from ex-officio members, and is constituted afresh by the Council in March of each year. The Highways Committee has appointed two standing sub-committees who consider and report to the committee on prescribed division of tramways work. As regards the appointment and dismissal of staff the Council itself decides as to the employment and dismissal of all officials on the permanent staff, although they are subordinate to the chief officer. As regards the men engaged in the actual operation of the lines, however, the Council has passed

a resolution, as follows, which gives certain powers to the Chief Officer of Tramways in this respect:

"That the manager of the London County Council Tramways shall, until further order, have control of the staff exclusively employed in connection with the working, maintenance, repair and reconstruction of the tramways, and with the maintenance, repair and construction of the cars, omnibuses and other vehicles used in or in connection with the tramways; and he shall, except as regards officials appointed by the Council, have power to appoint and to dismiss any person under him, and shall be responsible to the Council for the conduct of the entire staff, and generally for the efficient working of the tramways and undertaking under his charge."

Rates of pay for all classes of the tramways staff are fixed by the Council itself, which also determines all questions of a general character relating to the conditions of service of all the employees in the tramways department.

The question as to whether the General Managers actually exercise their authority on their own responsibility or are influenced in making appointments by pressure from outside, and especially by pressure on the part of Councillors and committeemen, has arisen, especially in the case of the three undertakings in Glasgow and the Gas Department in Leicester. In these cases our inquiry into the facts has been made as complete as was possible in the time at our disposal.

The matter came up in a meeting of the Glasgow Corporation September 4, 1902, in reference to the appointment of relatives of officials, as will be seen from the following official report of the proceedings:

Corporation, 4th September, 1902.

Return of employees who are relatives of Councillors and officials.— Motion by Councillor Gibson.

Councillor Gibson, in pursuance of notice given by him on 7th ultimo, moved: "That a complete return of the number of relatives of members of this Council and the relatives of officials presently employed by the Corporation be placed beofre this Council. This list to include names of said members of Council and officials, together with the names of their relatives and the department in which they are employed." Councillor O'Hare seconded the motion.

Amendment by Councillor Wm. Martin.

Councillor William Martin, seconded by Councillor McCutcheon, moved the previous question as an amendment. Discussion.-Vote taken.-Amendment carried.

After discussion, a vote was taken, by a show of hands, as between the motion and amendment, when fifteen members voted for the motion and eighteen for the amendment. The amendment was thereupon declared to be carried.

The following is the substance of the discussion on the foregoing motion, taken from the Glasgow Herald of September 5, 1902.

Councillor Gibson said: "With a few exceptions, members of the Council were in the habit of finding comfortable, easy, wellpaid berths for their own relatives, In the Baths Committee this state of matters prevailed to an alarming extent, and

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it also existed in the Tramways Committee, the Electricity Department, and the Gas Department." Mr. O'Hare "had had complaints from the heads of departments as to the difficult position in which they were placed on this account." Mr. Martin maintained, that unless in certain circles known to Mr. Scott Gibson there was not the least discontent or dissatisfaction, and if they agreed to such a motion they would be doing their best to destroy confidence in the Corporation. He had no doubt that such a return as Mr. Gibson desired would show that there were a good many relatives of officials, but they had trusted heads, who were responsible for the administration of the departments, and he did not think that because certain members of the staff were related there was any ground for inquiry."

Nothing further relating to this matter was considered by the Council until two years later, September, 1904. At that time the attention of Councillors was called to the appointment by the head of the meter-testing branch of the works of his son in a subordinate position. This son had neglected his work through dissipation, and his fellows made complaint unofficially to the Councillors over the head of their chief. The meter-testing branch is subordinate to the "Watching and Lighting Committee," and has no connection with the Gas Department. It has a small force of five men. On investigation the Committee dismissed its head, and he has not been employed by the Corporation in any capacity since that time.

Following this action the Council took up the matter and adopted a resolution, which appears as "No. XLV. Employment of Relatives," in the "Standing Orders of the Corporation of the City of Glasgow." The official report of the proceedings, and the form of the resolution are as follows:

Corporation, 15th September, 1904.

Employment of officials' relatives in Corporation Service.-Motion by Bailie O'Hare.

Bailie O'Hare, in terms of notice given by him on 17th September, 1903, moved: "That no manager, superintendent, foreman, or other official employed under this Corporation shall employ or continue to employ any relative in the department over which he has charge unless he has, previous to granting such employment, had the sanction of the committee in charge of such department." Councillor Kennedy seconded the motion.

Amendment by Councillor Steven.

Councillor Steven, seconded by Councillor Wallace, moved, as an amendment, that the terms of the said motion should be altered so as not to make it retrospective.

Discussion, vote taken, and motion carried.

After discussion, a vote was taken, by a show of hands, between the motion and the amendment, when the motion was declared to be carried-seven members voting for the amendment.

At the time when this resolution was adopted the Gas Department took a census of all of its employees, and it was found that there were twenty relatives of managers and foremen in the

department of 2,500 employees. This census, with the names of relatives and managers, was laid before the Gas Committee, which immediately sanctioned their employment without question. There was no relative of any Councillor in the department, nor is there at the present time. The Tramways Committee also made a careful inquiry throughout the department, and did not find an instance of a foreman or official having taken on a relative.

A broader aspect of this matter came up in a meeting of the Council April 5, 1906. The Labor members of the Council had in 1896 secured the establishment of a municipal Labor Bureau for the purpose of finding work for the unemployed. Ten years had shown that the bureau was practically a failure, both in the small number of unemployed who registered and the small percentage for whom work was found. In 1905 the number registered was 5,678, and the number who found work was 1,941, or 34 per cent. Of these, only 310 places were found for men and 1,631 for women, mainly as domestic servants. The number who obtained work with private employers was 1,903, including 1,631 women, and the number who found work with public authorities was only 38. The largest number who had been employed by public authorities was 183, in the year 1898, and this number had fallen off to 38 in 1905. In view of this evident refusal of managers of municipal departments to employ men recommended by the bureau, the Labor members introduced and supported a resolution: "That the heads of the several departments of the Corporation in future only take into the service of their departments persons who have applied through the Corporation Labor Bureau."

The resolution was debated, but was defeated by a vote of 22 to 13.

In supporting the resolution the Labor members made statements in effect as follows:

"It is the impression that in Glasgow there is no chance to get employment in the municipal departments without the recommendation of a town Councillor. This is the painful experience of a Councillor " (Battersby).

"The Labor Bureau was established for the express purpose of extending aid to those seeking employment, but not one hundred are placed through the Bureau. This notorious fact of ignoring the Labor Bureau offends the sense of justice in the outside mind" (Stewart, P. G). "The friends of foremen and officials get a preference. Promotion comes in some cases from outside influence while the lads in the offices are not promoted. Preference is given in the appointments to clerical positions of graduates of a certain commercial school" (Forsyth).

In view of these statements inquiry was made of each of the Labor members as to the facts to which they referred. Following is the substance of their replies:

"Of course, I was standing for the Labor Bureau, and we have to make strong statements to get what we want (Battersby).

"The impression does prevail among workmen that a man cannot get a job without influence, but the impression is preposterous. is no truth in it" (Stewart).

There

"The principal critics who are in the habit of making these declarations of favoritism are themselves men who have been applicants and