Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-10
WAR NEEDN'T STOP EVERY.
THING
The Lesson Philadelphia Should Learn From
the Public Enterprises in Prog.
ress Abroad =

- WV wig ~NNaNg
"A the impression prevails that war
must stop everything but fighting. Of
course, it is necessary to maintain the
armies and to organize industry for keep
ing them equipped. But the armies con-
stitute only a small part of the popula-
ton, and life must go on now and prepa-
ration must be made for better and more
convenient living conditions just as
though we were at peace.
We seem to have forgotten this in
Philadelphia. And the men in charge of
the war activities of the national Gov
eminent seem also to be unaware of it.
Nearly all public improvements have
been brought to a standstill. The sub
ways are to be abandoned until peace.
Only the imperative work is to he done
on the Parkway. The construction of
the city library has been definitely post
poned in spite of the fact that nearly all
of the money needed for it has been
available for years. We even hesitate
to pay the city employees a living wage
until forced to do it by their threat to
seek work where the pay is better.
The other warning countries are not so
sh~ortsighted. Australia, which has con-
tributed a much larger proportion of her
population to the armies than America, is
actively engaged in planning her cities
to be more beautiful and more sanitary.
She has time and money to give to the
subject. The English, hard pressed as
they are with the work of raising armies
and providing them with munitions, have
not forgotten their duty to the returning
soldiers and they ere planning great i'm
provements in living conditions. And
the French, with Germany invading their
land and almost at the doors of Paris, are
continuing their great public works
begun in peace times. A new subway
was opened in Paris in the summer of
1916. Great bridges have been built at
Versailles and Marseilles. Elaborate
plans have been drawn for rebuilding
Rheims. Insanitary areas in various
cities have been appropriated and the
tenements have been torn down. These
things, which nave no direct relation to
carrying on the war, nave been done in
addition to other things made necessary
by the war itself, such as extensive port
improvements and canal engagements
to accommodate transports and food
ships and to transfer freight inland.
Attention to some of these matters is
given in the twenty-ninth annual report
of the City Parks Association. just made
public. And the report calls upon Phila-
delphia to follow the example of France
and keep things going. The population
here has increased 175,OOO in the last
two years, or 5000 more than the nor
NAL number. 1t will continue to increase
during the next year by the advent of
more men engaged in the war indus
tries. They must be taken care of;
breathing places must be provided for
them; there must be schools for their
children and facilities for getting to and
from work must be improved. But we
seem to be thinking little about the i'm
portance of doing anything that is not
Immediately connected with the manu-
facture of munitions and ships.
II dIdiluOillHcib VI w WIN VII lht
Broad street subway is a calamity. We
venture the opinion that if Paris had
planned this transit line to make it
easier for workers to get to their employ
ment it would not have given it up in a
panic because money was needed to feed
the soldiers and pay for munitions. 1t
would have pushed it to completion with
all possible speed as a war measure. All
we can do is to complete the frankfort
elevated line. We have not the nerve to
insist that the Federal Government au-
thorize us to raise the money for the
other subways. Or we have not the
ability to convince the Government that
it is a mistake to suspend operation on
such imperative public works.
Our financial cowardice is costing us
m sums. Because we, are I'M
willing to raise the money needed to
keep the streets in repair verdicts for
damages amounting to $4,000 were
secured by injured persons in January
and February of this year. The injuries
were caused by holes in the pavements
WhiSh Souiu nave peeh iePoiieu iot q lie"
hundred dollars.
There seems to be broader financial
craftsmanship in the City Parks Associa-
ton than in the City Hall. Its managers
have constructive vision. They may not
be able to undo anything that has been
done, but if they keep at it they can
force decisive action on many important
public improvements that have been
hanging fire for years. Then work on
them may begin at the earliest possible
moment after peace is declared, if not
before. 1t is about time that this city
learned how to spend money to the best