9
New Ideas and Improved Methods
By D. J. McLELLAN
In the opinion of A rt Marquiss of the business machine services of the
she State Highway Department, it central payroll office.
A municipal high school teacher won
would be a good idea for the Oregon
State Employees Association to budget $ 5 0 for recommending that uniform
some of its funds for prizes for those text books be used for identical courses
submitting suggestions that would lead in all city high schools. Another win
to a substantial saving for the State of ner suggests standardizing street signs
Oregon. He calls attention to a bulle specifications to reduce cost of installa
tin of the Public Administration Clear tion and maintenance.
ing House, for May 15, 1946, which
A health department employee won
reads as follows:
$150 for the design and construction
DETROIT CONTEST SAVES
of a portable methylene blue milk
CITY $150,000
testing unit. The unit will enable in
Annual savings of $150,000 are ex spectors to conduct more accurate milk
pected in Detroit’s municipal adminis tests at receiving stations throughout
tration as a result of a suggestion made the city.
by a city employee who won the $500
The contest was conceived by the
grand prize in a novel $2,500 Civic Detroit Bureau of Governmental Re
Award Contest.
search and financed by an anonymous
The international City Managers’ As donor. It was approved by the mayor
sociation reports that 85 other cash and council and was conducted as a
prizes were awarded to Detroit muni municipal project. Preliminary judg
cipal employees for suggestions aimed ment of the entries was made by the
at improving efficiency and economy mayor’s Administrative Study Commit
of city services. More than 1,000 en tee. Final judges were trustees of the
tries were submitted in the competition Detroit Bureau of Governmental Re
for which some 35,000 city employees search.
were eligible. Only department heads
Closing date of the contest was set
and their assistants were excluded.
to make prize-winning suggestions use
The grand prize winner recommend ful in preparation of the city budget
ed centralizing the purchase and hand for next year. Each suggestion was sub
ling of the 400,000 tons of coal used jected to rigid practicability tests and
annually by all city departments. It is it is expected that most of the winning
expected that this practice will benefit recommendations will be adopted.
the city both by its getting coal at a
It also appears that the State of New
lower price and by eliminating consid York is in the market for good ideas
érable duplication of effort among city as A rt provides us with an excerpt
agencies. The suggestion was made by from the California State Employees
the superintendent of power production Magazine of June, 1946, which states:
for the public lighting commission.
The New York Legislature has ap
Several top money winners suggest propriated $5,000 for the use of the
ed other ways to improve administra civil service commission in awarding
tion by consolidation of effort in vari employees for unusual and meritorious
ous city departments. The $350 first suggestions and accomplishments. In
prize was given to an employee of the addition to outright cash payments, a
controller’s office who suggested ex special merit award board will issue
tending to all municipal departments
(Continued on page 10)