The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-14
SATURDAY, DECEMBER IL. 1sia.
GENERAL EXPANSION roACY.

GENERAL EAPANSlON foAdCAs
The recommendation of the chamber Of COM
merce that there be no piecemeal annexation.
but that a general policy of annexation be
considered was wisely adopted by the council
committee on ordinance, charter and reform
nj its meeting Thursday night The appoint
rent of a special committee to study condi
tons. to hear representatives of the suburban
sections and to prepare q plan for the exten-
sion of the citys limits means that there viii
Re no annexation for some months. but II
means also that when annexation does take
place 1t will be following q weil-considered
and weli-defned policy.
There are number of outlying sections
which are really part of Richmond, whose
residents have their business interests in the
city and who, bound to the city by ties OF
friendship and acquaintance with Its people
and Its traditions, would prefer to be mum
bered among its citizens and secure the ad-
vantages such citizenship carries with II. They
give of their energy and brains to the develop
ment of Richmond and would like In return
10 share in that development.
To annex these sections little by little would
be better than no annexation at all. but there
is no legitimate reason why all the territory
desired by the city and whose residents de-
sire to become part OF the city should not
be taken in at once. Time and trouble would
DC saved by performing the whole work at
once. 1t will take more time and more care
full work to prepare a plan OF general annexa-
ton than to take in one single section, but it
all sections at once than to take In all Sec
tions by
1t has always seemed to US, however. a
short-sighted policy to wait until section OF
the territory surrounding city has developed
before taking steps to secure its annexation
Houses in the suburbs are built without any
general plan. usually. and when the territory
In laid out for development 1t is without re-
gard to the development of the city near which
1t is located and without regard to the plan
OF city growth Houses grow up without
derby arrangement and sometimes without any
plan whatever. Streets are not laid Off and
II so are laid off in violation of the plan pur-
sued by the city. Often sanitation is neg
lected the streets are too narrow or too broad.
the territory has developed and population has
Increased and the residents begin to talk OF
annexation with the city we have q town or
village badly arranged often and arranged &C
ccrding to the plans of the city seldom. Streets
run In every direction and the new section,
instead of being a continuation OF the old city
is new city grated onto the old. The con-
sequence is that In the course OF time we have
= large rambling city with the residence
streets winding and twisting like so many cow
paths.
Julian Gums suggestion that suburbs be
annexed before they are subdivided 30 that
the city can supervise the laying of Of streets
Is good one. 1t makes little difference that
the population In certain suburb is small.
" 1t is zen that growth Ia inevitable II would
pay the city to foresee annexation and do the
work at once. The suburb could then be con-
nected with the city, its streets could be laid
of according to plan. the erection of build
ings supervised and all arrangements made
against the time when the section should be-
come thickly populated. When that time came
further annexation could be considered.
Annex the sections that are destined to de-
velop instead of waiting until that develop
ment has taken place, no matter II the an
nexed territory Is sparsely settled.