Perth Amboy Evening News

FOR UP-TO-DATE CHARTERS.

Over in New York the agitation is being started for a revision of the city charter. New York had a new charter at the time the greater city was created and the present borough form of government was established. Now it is declared that the charter, adopted as recently as that, is twenty years behind the times.
New York's charter is of special interest to Perth Amboy because of the legend that persists that Perth Amboy's original charter was one day older than New York's first charter. Those who have investigated this story declare that there is nothing to it. Still, it makes an interesting tale and it is likely to persist as long as the cities live.
But the feature that is of interest to Perth Amboy today is that New York, working under a charter that is of much more recent date than the charter Perth Amboy is laboring under, is thinking of scrapping her charter and getting a new one that will be more up to date.
In the meantime Perth Amboy is trying to forge ahead under the handicap of a charter adopted over fifty years ago when the city was a little country town of about 2,000 inhabitants. We talk about the wonderful things that is in store for Perth Amboy, of her future greatness and big development, but we fail to get down to fundamentals and give the city a real chance.
To start right Perth Amboy ought to have a new city charter. A few years ago Newark felt the need of a new charter and after trying for several years, during which time a commission worked out an elaborate plan for a city government at more or less expense, the whole thing was finally abandoned as impracticable and the citizens adopted the commission form of government which gave Newark a new and modern charter to work under. Newark has never regretted this step.
The city today is advancing as never before.
Perth Amboy refused to adopt the commission form of government last summer when the opportunity was offered. But something has got to be done to give the city a modern charter if real progress is to be made.
Eventually it will be found that the logical thing to do will be to adopt the commission form of government with other progressive cities. In the meantime, New York is starting an agitation for a new charter. Perth Amboy is doing nothing along this line.
The city cannot get very far under such a handicap.