New-York tribune., 1912-03-10
UNOCCUPIED LAND
Taxation as a Means of Precipitating
Good Things.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: Connected with the discussion Of city
planning, one often notices suggestions in
favor of restrictions upon the kind OF use
made Of lands abutting upon public streets.
significant of a tendency to enlarge upon a
not very important phase of the relation
Of the people TO the use Of city or suburban
lands Now, It IS all very fine for home
owners and others TO object to improve
ments not so high class as theirs, to fac
tories or stables; for some with aesthetic
tastes TO feel that government should con-
troll the shape or style or color Of build
ings, and even for editors to contend that
we need more comprehensive plans and less
makeshift methods I'm building upon or i'm
proving lands; bLt. first things should be
first and the really important problem may
be how to get city and suburban lands into
active and productive use. Much may he
forgiven those who actively use land they
hold. since human. prosperity must neces-
sarily closely depend upon the freedom with
which access can be had TO lands and the
brlskness with which locations are used,
not only In the primary processes, but also
In those processes OF production involved
IN manufacture, exchange and the rehder-
ing of service one 10 another.
live on the main street in our country
town, near two railroads, one trolley pass
Ing my door and others connecting within
few minutes walk. Adjoining. or very
near me, are acres upon acres OF lands
not used at all My office In New York is
on a main avenue, within few minutes
walk of the new Pennsylvania station Ad-
Joining and near the building containing
my office are vacant lots and numbers or
buildings which should be torn down ana
replaced with more adequate improvements
In the boroughs OF New York city, II is
said 80 per cent of the parcels OF property
assessed are unmproved, and PROBABLY
another third Of the parcels have only IN
significant improvements. The same IL
true OF all the territory near the metrop-
oils, and probably OF every urban and SUD
urban district in tho United States.
The Englishman who said that the three
essentials In city planning are the public
wellbeing. economy and beauty. rightly
enough placed beauty last and the we'll
being Of the people first.
II city planning should include and en-
phasize tho consideration OF the extent to
which lands are actively used-if this con-
sideration is really the most important one
I'm the whole problem-what can we In the
city and suburbs do to suggest methods
for bringing about the desired results? We
cannot. as Peter Van Stuyvesant Is said
TO have done. by public proclamation call
upon landholders to build and improve or
take the consequences involved IN an en-
nual fine Of so much per cent But we
ought to do something to increase the use
OF lands-to increase employment, business
profits savings, comfort-those things
which should distinguish populous centres.
What real objection can there be TO our
trying the plan of using taxation as
means of encouraging the production end
accumulation Of good things, and discour-
aCing theNwthholding OF locations from ac-
tive use? In other words, why not tax land
values more and labor-made values lessE
GEORGE WHITE.
Hackensack, y. j.. March I. 1912.