For ten years, Saginaw, Mich., spent a yearly average of $27,000 more on its city-owned cemeteries than the cemeteries earned.

Last spring, the city undertook a study of the whole cemetery situation—from the kinds of grave markers and coffins used to the prices set for burial services—in an effort to find ways to bring revenues more in line with expenses.

As a result of the study's findings, Saginaw's city council adopted recommendations that it is hoped will make the cemeteries self-supporting, the International City Managers' Association has learned. In the council's view, the cemeteries were a public convenience, not a municipal service, and hould therefore be supported by fees paid and not by tax money.

The study estimated that increasing the price of burial space and other cemetery services will raise revenues by more than $13,000 a year. In 1952-53, income from the cemeteries was $56,804.72. The estimated revenues to be brought in under the new system total $69,779.

Prices for burial lots will be about $.50 more for each square foot which used to sell for approximately $1. Burial service prices will be raised from $40 to $70 for adults, $35 to $60 for children, and $20 to $30 for infants. The cost for burial in a private vault will go up $20—from $10 to $30. Saturday burials will cost $15 instead of $10, and Sunday burials will cost $40 instead of $20.

Saginaw also hopes to bring in more money by advertising the cemetery services more widely and by hiring one person to be in charge of promotion and of all lot sales on a commission basis.

Reduction of maintenance costs was also urged to help the cemeteries earn their own way. From now on, the city will stress the advantages of taking out annual and endowed lot care plans and will enforce a forfeiture provision in the Michigan state law. Under that provision, owners who have failed to care for lots for seven consecutive years give up all rights to unused burial spaces.

It is believed that enforcement of the provision will awaken some lot owners to their responsibilities. The study showed that fewer than 5 per cent of the owners of burial space have in the past contributed to the care of their lots or graves. The city has had to pay for the care of those spots to keep up the good appearance of the cemetery. Enforcement will also aid the city in noting lots that are all but abandoned, so that the city can ease its maintenance problems with those lots by removing impeding plantings and markers.

As another step toward cutting maintenance costs, Saginaw will allow no more use of wooden boxes for burials. The ground was found to have sagged in places where wooden coffins were used, making it hard to mow the lawn there.

Another move that will make maintenance easier is the policy limiting all future grave markers to those that are flush with the ground. Monumental and other upright markers also interfered with mowing and other maintenance work. In addition, the city will replant or remove all bushes, trees, and hedges that now get in the way of power mowers.

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Milwaukee's city council has passed a new ordinance which prevents investors from improving land that the city plans to acquire for public projects.

According to the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, this is a new and effective approach to the problem that arises when cities lack power to deny permits to build on such land. Without this power, cities have to pay more for the improved land when acquisition time comes around.

At least seven states—Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Maine—have created art commissions, and their duties usually include giving advice on the design of public buildings.

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Two cities have installed telephone fire alarm systems, raising to nine the number of U.S. and Canadian communities that have given up old-style box alarms for new methods of reporting fires by telephone or radio.

According to the International City Managers' Association, Phillipsburg, N. J., population 18,919, and Solvay, N. Y., population 7,868, now have telephone alarms which can be used not only to report fires but also to report crimes and accidents and to summon rescue squads.

In Omaha, Neb., city officials are considering a similar step to replace the fire boxes that turn in alarms when their handles are pulled.

Miami, Fla., Rockford, Ill., and Sarnia, Ont., have also adopted telephone alarm systems. Four other communities in the Toronto, Ont., vicinity have given up the old-style boxes. They are North Bay, East York, York Township, and Etobicoke.

In Phoenix, Ariz., tests have been made on a micro-wave fire alarm system that would connect the city's ten fire stations but would not affect the way that citizens turn in alarms. San Jose, Calif., is experimenting with a ground radio system in which the antenna and sealed transmitter are buried

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MORE CITIES REPLACE OLD-STYLE FIRE ALARM BOXES
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to keep them safe from heavy winds, rains, or other disturbances.

Officials favoring other ways besides the box system of turning in fire alarms have asserted that the boxes do not give adequate protection, the association said. Generally, the boxes cover only a small section of any city, such as the downtown and industrial area. Furthermore, cities are finding that it would cost a great deal to put the box systems back into peak working order. For example, Solvay turned to telephone alarms when it found that to renovate the old box alarms would cost $150,000. A last objection is that frequent false alarms are turned in over the box system, while systems that involve some kind of spoken communication discourage such practices.

Phillipsburg will have about 72 telephones and will pay a yearly rental fee of $8,500. In Solvay, there are 43 telephone boxes, for which the annual charge will be $3,168.