Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-02
MAYOR A|NsL|E URGES
GENERAL PLAN FOR CITY
Richmond Now Held Up by Engi.
neers ms Horrible Example OF
Unscicntific Methods.
PRAISE FOR HEALTH BOARD
Annual Message Reviewing Work Of
All Departments of City Govern
ment Is Sent to CounciI-City Is
Well Within Its Bond Limit.

In his annual report TO the City
Council. submitted last night, Mayor
Ainsl!e stresses again the need for n
competentiy prepared plan for the con-
troll Of tho growth and development of
Richmond.
The report is exhaustive. taking each
department by turn and in dctail, with
commendation for all and recommends
: tion for some. Especial mention is
| made of the Health Department. which,
| as II now separately exists and Is tnar-
aged, VIII on June Is lose its identity
and become merged with those depart
rien's OF the city government under the
exclusive control of the Administrative
BOARD. Concerning the public schools
) tho Mayor repeats the recommendation
made by him IN jal2--that is. that pub
lie education should bc financed hy spe-
cial levy.
For the direction and control of tho
Police Department there is no recon-
mendation. as thia department is within
: TWO months to go under the Mayors
| supervision and direct authority.
"AGED RECOMMENDATIONS AS
TO Use OF CITY TUG REPEATED
IN regard 10 the Fire Department. the
! Mayor repeats that the aged recon-
equipment for the Fire Alarm Dcpar,
mcnt and for fire pump on the citv
tuEboat pay their annual visit
again commend them to your considera
| tion. with the hope that we shall not
have to make the effort OF substituting
SORROW for safety" Tho Mayor also
gays that the recommendation of tho
Board of Fire Commissioners for the
providing ot better protection to the
Northstde annexed territory seem rea-
sonablc and the requests modest
However. the chief burden Of the
Mayors report is on city planning, anu
on this he speaks as follows:
During last year there was exhibited
In Richmond for five days the cclebra tod
citN-plannng exhibit of the American
City Bureau of New York This re-
markable exhibit gave ocular proof TO
the thousands of our citizens who saw
1t that convenient. useful, economical,
and beautiful cities are the results OF
plans OF competent planners. and that
in no instance do they merely happer
Another fact we should not ignore is
that literally hundreds of Americon n
cities are to-day spending untold mil
Mons OF dollars to rectify the ignorant
mistakes of previous city governments.
We are this very day making and con-
sldering large public improvements in
richmond each as an absolutely
isolated problem. without the slightest
study OF their relation TO each other
or TO the whole
RICHMOND NOW LISTED
AS A HORRIBLE EXAMPLE
We are buttinG our heads off and
talking ourselves hoarse on each OF
them, and / am convinced that no dis
interested and competent engineer can
isolate any one of them and saw with
confidence that IT will not hereafter
DC considered Il mistake. recently
read published article from the pen
OF an eminent American engineer. It
was unpleasant for me to find Rich
ihond listed among the horrible eX-
amples OF unscicntifc street arrange
ment. There has never been a time
when the principles OF city planning
were so much needed here. If we dupli
catt in the NV teerritory the biunders
that our predecessors made I'm the old,
Goa may forgive us, but the coming
generations will not, for these blundors
VIII. sooner or later have to be
remedied at their expense again
commend to your favorable considera-
tton the advisability of the adoption OF
competently prepared plan for tho
control Of the growth and development
Of Richmond"
In reviewing business conditions. the
Mayor writes that in 1915 the city ex-
perienced gratifying reaction from
the depression OF tho two previous
years, and that in both manufactu
Ing and tobbing increases were re-
corded. In tho review OF the clty,s
financial situation 1T is shown that the
outstanding bonded debt of the city.
Continued on Fifth Page,l