Co‐ordination
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1932.tb02348.x |
| Published date | 01 January 1932 |
| Author | Sydney Larkin |
| Date | 01 January 1932 |
Co-ordination
By
SYDNEY
-IN
City
Treaswer,
Coventry
[Paper to be discussed at the Northern Regional Group Conference
at BuxtonD February,
19321
I.
Co-ordination of administrative effort appears to be such a
desirable
thing
that it would be surprising to iind that
it
is a subject
for discussion did we not know
that
it is strongly opposed by the great
majority
of
people engaged
in
administration. Co-ordination bears
some strong resemblances to economy and not the least
of
them
is
the attitude
of
officials and local authorities when, in effect, they say
:
"
Co-ordinate where and what you like but
do
please leave me alone.
The exisling system is the best possible, notwithstanding the fact
that it has grown up without any real deliberation and without any
intelligent plan."
2.
It
is,
however, natural in these days, when railways, banks
and other concerns are eliminating competition, that some attention
should be directed to the problem of doing away with isolated and
ineffective effort
in
what
may
be
called the local government of
this
country,
It
is probable that we are witnessing the end of some
branches of what is now
known
as local government and that the end
will be hastened by the recognition of the impossibility of democratic
management of the essential local services of the country.
It
is
interesting to note that Aristotle believed that
the
populations
of
great cities had neither the morals nor the intelligence required for
successful self-government.
3.
Local government senrices range themselves into
two
main
classes
:
-
(I)
services undertaken for the general benefit
of
the community
and
(2)
services designed to benefit a particular class or locality.
It may be that
this
division of services can be taken to correspond
respectively with those which are and are not suitable for co-ordinated
effort. Actually, however, the feasibility of co-ordination-as distinct
from its desirability-rests on the possibility of successful hancia1
organisation.
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