Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-06-29
CITY HERE.

Perth Amboy a City Planning Com
mission would be an excellent thing
for our future development. This
movement is comparatively new In
this country, but it Is being taken
up by most of the progressive cities
and Is accomplishing a great work.
City planning mean the mapping
out of a definite program OF devel-
opment SO that as the city grows 1t
will grow in a n that will
harmonize, each improvement hav-
ing some connection with the other
SO that when we have doubled our
size, for instance, Perth Amboy will
be an all-around developed city,
with everything hat tends to make
up the ideal.
This Is not to say that we will be
ideal, by any means. No place on
this earth can hardly be called that,
yet under the city planning we car
grow to some purpose and become
a much better and more attractive
| place to live in.
1t does not cost the taxpayers
any more to follow a regular sys-
tenn in making improvements than
1t does to go about this work in a
haphazard, hodge-podge way. A
commission is appointed to consist
Of men Interested In the welfare CT
the city, and possessing the fore
sight necessary to see results TWEEN
ty-fve years hence and not live only
In the present. These men mako a
special study of the development as
best adapted for this city. They
take UP the more important prob
| lens that we have to solve and study
, them as to how to treat them col
lectively, that one solution may be
a part in the solution of another.
Perth Amboy has not a few prob
, lens that could command the at
| tention of such a commission. We
want more systematic work along
| the lines Of the healthfulness OF the
city. We need the pools Of stag
nant water filed up, a work which
the Board of Health is now trying TO
accomplish. We need to tackle the
mosquito and fly problem more In
earnest. We need a more up-to-date
method of cleaning the streets. We
should have better trolley transport
alton facilities, both for getting in
and out Of the city and while in the
city as we'll. This means a double
track and a belt line. We need two
precincts for our police force and
more men on the force. We need a
new union station for our railroads
and track depression through the
city. We need more Fairgrounds
and parks. We need a civic center
SO that when we build we will build
to some purpose. We need harbor
development with municipal docks.
Now, O City Planning Commission
does not mean that We are going to
have all these things or any OF
them, for that matter. 1t does
mean, however, that when we get
ready to spread along n n line,
the commission, having made a
study Of the situation. will be in a
position to tell us best how to pro-
coed in order to get the best re-
suits, and with an eye to further de-
yelopments along other lines in the
future.
Now is the time for Perth Amboy
to give serious consideration to
these matters while we are growing
and before our development be-
comes too permanent, We can dc
things now at the ordinary cost OF
doing them that would cost millions
more to do twenty years hence. Lei
us, therefore, do the thing right
while we are doing 1t. The City
Planning Commission Is appointed
for Just that purpose.
Perth Amboy is up-to-date ant
thoroughly progressive. We have
the reputation for doing things
This Is a good reputation to have
but when we do things we should d.
them right. They should be dom
with the idea OF what will be the eft
feet fifteen or twenty years hence
when Perth Amboy is three time