The American Municipal Association has called attention to a fire chief's recommendation that officials should delay at least 15 minutes telling television and radio reporters about major fires and disasters in order that firemen en route to the scene may not be delayed by swarms of curious motorists.

The fire chief of Elizabeth, N. J., said that traffic congestion at fire and disasters can sometimes prevent fire equipment from arriving at the scene or leaving on other calls. He said news broadcasters often break the news too soon, causing excitement-seekers to hurry to the scene.

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The American Municipal Association says there is a growing trend toward providing mayors with top-level administrative help but that this trend does not carry over into uniform names of these positions.

The association notes that within the last five years at least ten cities have created such a position and that there are nine different names for the job.

The cities and the title each uses are: Salisbury, Md., executive secretary; Los Angeles, Calif., city administrative officer; Philadelphia, Pa., managing director; St. Cloud, Minn., administrative officer; New York City, city administrator; Boston, Mass., director of department of administrative services; Newark, N. J., business administrator; New Orleans, La., city administrative officer; Renton, Wash., office controller; and Lincoln, Neb., city coordinator.

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Fifty years of unbroken activity are being marked by the Municipal Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. This organization is one of more than a dozen independent organizations devoted to public administration and housed at the 1313 center in Chicago.

According to a statement by A. A. Weinberg, past president of the association, "The advice, guidance and counsel given public officials through its numerous publications, reports and special services have contributed much to the improvement and increased efficiency of public administration and governmental services." The association has developed technical and ethical standards relating to governmental accounting, auditing, municipal debt management, budgets, revenues, financial reporting, and public employees' pensions.

The National Committee on Governmental Accounting, established under the association's

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FINANCE OFFICERS MARK FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
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sponsorship in 1934, still continues. Advisory committees representing eleven national organizations and agencies were set up to aid the committee, but technical services are provided by the association itself.

A research program which has produced some 300 publications as well as a technical inquiry service are among the major facilities. Other contributions include the survey on public employee pensions, recommendations on social security legislation which were adopted by Congress, and publication of the manual, "Retirement Plans for Public Employees." Annual conferences and standing committees dealing with problems in municipal finance are also part of the organization's services.

Urban areas and their fiscal "growing pains," federal influence in local affairs, taxation, continued work on pensions, problems of ethical standards and of leadership are typical of research mapped out by the association for the future.