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ized as “haphazard,” and bookkeeping as “fragmentary, unsystematic.”

While many features of the South Caro- lina picture are substantially similar to what the lens of the political pathologist has been revealing with significant uniformity in other states, one stands out as unique to South, Carolina. That is the extraordinary inter- ference, often amounting to domination, of the county’s legislative delegation in the con- duct of county affairs. The appropriations for each of the forty-six counties are made by the state legislature, mainly according to the wishes of the various legislative delegations. Thus, the control of county affairs is scattered among the local administrative officials, the board of county commissioners, and the legis- lative delegation. One cannot well challenge Mr. Andrews’ conclusion that South Carolina county government ‘‘is as completely free from responsible headship as any government is ever likely to be.”

In the final chapter the author outlines in some detail his recommendations for re- organization. Among these are the con- solidation of counties to reduce the number by about one-third, the creation of a respon- sible head for county government with authority to appoint department heads, and the establishment of a system of state super- vision over finances modeled after that in North Carolina. In order to curb the habit of legislative tinkering with county govern- ment, Mr. Andrews proposes that the main features of county organization be written h t o the constitution. It is certainly to be hoped that this suggestion is not followed. A far more desirable method of restraining the legislature’s propensity for meddling in the affairs of individual counties would be by re- stricting it to the passage of genera1 laws of uniform application to all counties and op- tional laws subject to local adoption. As an addendum the book carries a statement by M. A. Wright of the South Carolina Council outlining a second plan of reorganization, which includes an optional county manager form of government.

The book provides a thorough and well written analysis of county government in South Carolina and constitutes a useful ad- dition to the literature on county government.

Ohio Institute, Columbus. R. C. ATKINSON.

Minnesota Yearbook, 19s. Minneapolis, League of Minnesota Municipalities, 1933. 519 pp. $5.00.

The 1933 Yearbook carries on the tradition of the three previous numbers in affording in a single, compact volume a great wealth of invaluable information on the government of Minnesota. The government of the state and its various subdivisions is not only de- scribed in clear, general terms, but also with pages of interesting statistical data. The Yeur- book is almost twice the size of last year’s and contains a great deal of new as well as up-to-date material. The section on public utilities, for instance, contains not only elec- tricity, water, gas, sewage treatment, and cen- tral heating, but also telephone rates and information. There is a new section on fire insurance ratings, with a description of the methods used in Minnesota and the classifi- cation of its municipalities.

The current volume, however, is particularly outstanding for its comprehensive treatment of taxation and finance. There is an excellent and detailed analysis of tax rate limits in Minne- sota. Tax rates and yields are given for cities, townships, villages, and counties. Levies for education and highways are also given. The finance data has been utilized to make statis- tical tables so that by profile technique, rank orders, and percentiles, it is possible for each municipal unit in the state, or others interested, to compare its status with all other munici- palities in the state. Tax delinquency is also tabulated. The indebtedness figures of the state and its various subdivisions are given.

The foreword expresses the intent of the book to present and preserve facts and infor- mation on government in Minnesota, and the hope that it will offer a guide to an under- standing of the behavior of state, county, and local governments. This is a modest expres- sion of its achievement. *

The Evolution of Municipal Organbation and Administrative Practice in the City of Los Angeles. By Burton L. Hunter. Los Angeles, Parker, Stone & Baird Co., 1933. 283 pp. $3.50.

This handbook traces the development and expansion of the administrative structure and functions of the city of Los Angeles from the simple pueblo stage of its existence through its present complicated organization under the home-rule charter of 1925. Each step in the