第1048章

* Maintenance and repairs of these roads， the straightening， laying-out， paving， and drainage， the constructions and expense for sewers， quays， and rivers， and often for a commercial harbor；* the negotiations and arrangements with departments and with the state for this or that harbor， canal， dike， or insane asylum； the contracts with cab， omnibus， and tramway companies and with telephone and house-lighting companies； the street-lighting， artesian wells and aqueducts；* the city police， supervision and rules for using public highways， and orders and agents for preventing men from injuring each other when collected together in large assemblies in the streets， in the markets， at the theater， in any public place， whether coffee-houses or taverns；* the firemen and machinery for conflagrations； the sanitary measures against contagion， and precautions， long beforehand to insure hygiene during epidemics；* and， as extra burdens and abuses， the establishment， direction and support of primary schools， colleges， public lectures， libraries， theaters， hospitals， and other institutions which should be supported and governed by different associations； at the very least， the appropriations to these establishments and therefore a more or less legitimate and more or less imperative intervention in their internal management.

Such are the great undertakings which form a whole， which bear alike on the present， past， and future budget of the commune， and which， as so many distinct branches of every considerable enterprise， require， for proper execution， to have their continuity and connection always present in the thoughtful and directing mind which has them in charge.[29] Experience shows that， in the great industrial or financial companies， in the Bank of France， in the Crédit Lyonnais， and in the insurance， navigation， and railroad companies， the best way to accomplish this end is a permanent manager or director， always present， engaged or accepted by the administrative board on understood conditions， a special， tried man who， sure of his place for a long period， and with a reputation to maintain， gives his whole time， faculties， and zeal to the work， and who， alone， possessing at every moment a coherent and detailed conception of the entire undertaking， can alone give it the proper stimulus， and bring to bear the most economical and the most perfect practical improvements. Such is also the municipal administration in the Prussian towns on the Rhine. Then， in Bonn， for instance，[30] the municipal council， elected by the inhabitants "goes in quest" of some eminent specialist whose ability is well known. It must be noted that he is taken wherever he can be found， outside the city， in some remote province； they bargain with him， the same as with some famous musician， for the management of a series of concerts. Under the title of burgomaster， with a salary of 10，000 francs per annum， he becomes for twelve years the director of all municipal services， leader of the civic orchestra， solely entrusted with executive power， wielding the magisterial baton which the various instruments obey， many of these being salaried functionaries and others benevolent amateurs，[31] all in harmony and through him， because they know that he is watchful， competent， and top quality， constantly occupied with am overall view， responsible， and in his own interest， as a point of honor， wholly devoted to his work which is likewise their work， that is to say， to the complete success of the concert.