Imperial Valley press., 1913-11-24
URGE ENDING WAR AND
MAKING CITIES BEAUTIFUL

Berkeley, Cal, November "a -
How to save the world the runious
cost of war, and of armed peace; and
how to prevent overcrowding in Amer
lean cities and make them beautiful,
convenient, comfortable, and fit places
for human beings to live and rear
families in-these two significant So
cial problems of the day were dis
cussed by two recent European vis-
itors at the University of California.
These men from across the Atlantic
were B. N. LangdonDavies of the
Garten Foundation of London,
brought from Europe as visiting lee
turer by the American Association
for international Cancellation, and
DR.. Werner Hegeman of Berlin, emil
rent authority in the new science and
art of city planning.
That every English household con-
tributes less than a dollar a week in
taxes toward military expenses was
the declaration of Mr.. Langdon-Da-
vies. And ten million people in Eng
land have sufficient food, he asserted
"a fourth of the population
Armed peace" he declared to be
hankrupting the world. He maintained
that in these days of the international
division of labor, of vast information
al trade, of a delicately adjusted in
ternational credit system, that the
whole world is vastly harmed by war,
non-combatants as well as principals,
and the winner of the war no less than
the loser. Japan, for instance, was
victor in two great recent wars-and
today, he asserted half the earnings
of the ordinary Japanese family go
for taxes, enormously increased be-
cause Of interest on war debt and the
cost Of maintaining armament. His
appeal is for general thought and dis
cussion and the formation of local
peace societies, in order to build up a
public opinion that will support dis
armament between nations, interna-
tional Cancellation and the use of war
power on some basis of an interna-
tional police force to lick the bad
small-boy country into good behavior.
He believes the great nations have
no conceivable sound motive for at
n Dnnthny. bat n
benefits would accrue to the winners
in such conflicts, and that growth of
understanding among kings, cabinet
ministers, and the rank and file of
mankind of the economic verities re-
garding armament and war is hasten
ing disarmament and ensuring friend
ly cooperation between nations.
That the, overcrowding in the cities
P6f the Old World is inconeaivably hor-
ribie, and now well-nigh irremediable
was declared in an address to the stu
dents of the University of California
by DR.. Hegeman, who has been living
on the campus for some weeks while
preparing a report on a City Plan
for Oakland and Berkeley. He said
! that in his own city, Berlin, more
than half a million people live five to
a room. Forty years ago Berlin had
/ 100000 inhabitants, today more than
four million. He predicted that child
rem now playing in the vacant lots of
Berkeley and Oakland would in mid
die age find themselves living in a
Greater San Francisco grown up at
some such rate.
SO DR.. Hegeman urged that the
cities and towns of California should
prepare for future larger than
even the sanguine are apt to foresee
and now while land is worth a tenth
or less what land similarly situated in
European cities is valued at, take
steps to provide ample room for trans
portatior facilities, for great traffic
streets, public harbor developments
adequate sites for schools and other
public buildings, park areas and link
ing parkways, and plenty of public
Fairgrounds, so that no child in the
future city need live more than half
a mile from an ample playground
where health, strength, and character
may be developed in the indispensable
activity of vigorous outdoor play.
California, he points out, still has
time to plan its cities so that over
crowding shall be forestalled, health
and well-being protected, and beauty
won-and to a city and its inhabitants
he declared, civic beauty is of enor-
nous financial advantage as we'll as
of inestimablc value for human hap
piness and contentment.