Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-07

L ne seventh annual convention or the
American Civic Association, to be held
in Washington next week. will be one of
the most important meetings of the year
| to students Of civic improvement and to
those actually engaged in the work The
activities of the association are not con-
fined to the United States alone but en-
brace Canada and our island possessions.
Representatives Of the hundrs SIS of cities
| affiliated with the parent association will
be present and large percentage of the
5000 individual members will also attend
in addition to special delegates appointed
| by governors Of the states.
The keynote of the program of the 1911
convention will be state and national
parks, to which the first days session
will be devoted almost exclusively. At
the evening session Walter L. Fisher.
Secretary of the Interior, will preside
and distinguished members of Congress
will participate. and at that session will
be presented the needs for a federal
bureau of national parks. ]. Horace Nc
Farland, president of the American Civic
Association, in his annual address will
answer the question: Are National Parks
Worth While?" and will urge upon Con-
Sress the creation of the national bureau,
calling attention to the fact that Presi-
dent Taft, in his last annual message.
impressed upon the House and Senate the
Importance of such a bureau.
The bill proposing to carry out the
recommendation will be presented and
considered at the convention, and imme-
diately following the convention the AS
ISOLATION will engage in directing national
attention to the Importance of it's pass
age. The bill will provide for larger
and more extensive administration and
exploitation of the national parks than
n
dollars are being distributed by Ameri-
can tourists in foreign countries, a large
part of which might be directed to the
national parks of this country, and it
will be when the parks are sufficiently
brought to the attention of the travelling
public and every condition provided for
easy access to them and for comfort
while in them.
In connection with the discussion of
national parks, emphasis will be given
to the part that
States Have Work the several states
in Creating Parks. t Sno0, creation am' and
maintenance of state parks. and reports
will be presented at the convention of ad-
vances that have been made in this di
rection during the past two or three years
The sessions of Thursday will call forth
valuable papers and discussion relating
to THE Communities We Live In and
will embrace addresses on new phases of
city planning for large and small COM
munities with particular reference to the
practical or business value to cities OF
comprehensive planning. Because Wash
ington, the Capital city, is the original
type of planned city in this country, 1t
has been selected for an address entitled
washington, Model City, by Maj.
William V. Judson, U. S. A., Engineer
Commissioner of the District of Column
bia.
In the same conference the smoke nui-
sance will be considered and discussed
from the economic standpoint by business
men who have demonstrated to their sat
isfaction that the emission of dense vol
umes of smoke represents an economic
loss to manufacturing plants.
The billboard as an Objectionable form
of outdoor advertising will be discussed
and the most recent progress for the
abatement of the nuisance reported by
those who have been successfully waging
battle against the billboard
Municipal progress in shade tree control
and in the extension and development of
peoples gardens, as illustrated to prac
teal advantage in Minneapolis during the
past summer. will be reported.
The house fly, against which an efficient
crusade has been directed by the Ameri
can Civic Association for two years past.
program and the mosquito and methods
of its elimination will be discussed.
One of the sessions that will be of
especial interest to men and women en-
gagged in the work of intimate improve
ment of the home and neghborhood will
he that Of Friday afternoon, which will
be designated as Experience Meet
ing, and at which there will be five
minute round table talks on Things
That Have Happened That session will
be a survey of new and effective methods
of Improvement along many lines instl-
tuted during the past year
*
1.
The American Civic Association for the
past eight years has been a recognized
national organiZa-
Better Conditions ton for the making
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America, especially in the Improvement
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