Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-11-03
Pennsylvania Leads

dpliS bSN3SA'I
While the fifteenth annual con-
vention of the American Civic AS
sociation is giving up good deal OF
its time very properly to studying
the Philadelphia district as sort
of Exhibit A in the matter of up-to-
date emergency housing, parks and
parkways, zoning, urban and subur-
ban, it is to be feared, in the crush
of the wide range of subjects COW
cred otherwise relating to the coun-
try at large, that a tremendous ad-
vance step that has been made by
the State of Pennsylvania will be
overlooked. 1t is all very well to
discuss the everlasting virtues OF
Letchworth, England, a very much
overrated garden city, and to harp
necessarily on the contribution of
Boston and vicinage to municipal
progress; but, after all, the most
significant thing that has yet been
done by any commonwealth in the
interest of municipal planning and
the preservation of historic sites and
localities of great natural beauty
lies at the door of Pennsylvania.
To begin with, the possibilities OF
the Pennsylvania act of April 4,
1919, which enlarges the functions
of the Bureau of municipalities, now
under the jurisdiction of the Depart
ment of Internal Affairs, are only
just being realized by the state itself
and are comparatively little known
outside. And yet this bureau al
ready has a most creditable record
growing out of its activities when it
was a part of the Department of
Labor, since from the start it's work
has been marked by a sense of great
practically and utility without over
looking the eSthetic possibilities that
inhere in any planning for munlcl-
palities or for any housing project.
But now the new bureau, which is
the only bureau of it's kind in the
country. has been given important
functions, which are already making
/ it the most valuable agent In the
Improvement of municipalities that
the country has ever seen. Its actlVl-
ties and powers not only relate 70
what so many think is the dilettante
side of the city-beautiful scheme,
but involve all questions of the
proper commercial and Industrial
and civic development of towns, ana
the bureau is also in position 10
| give advice about municipal metn-
ods; and already the group or tram
| ed men, acting under the dlrect
| stimulus of Secretary Woodward,
have made such an impression on
| PENNSYLVANIA communities that they
are being turned to eagerly as true
guides, advisers and friends.
When it is remembered that pu'
recently the question of making a
paplx out of a primeval forest given
| by a generous citizen of Remove, OF
turning an ash dump into a pubic
park in Lewistown, are but rev
of the details of what might be
| called the bureaus routine WORK
! some idea of it's great usefulness Is
| given. And it also must be remem-
bered that when this new bureau gets
| down to it's real possibilities that a
signal era will dawn for Pennsyl-
vania. And, after all, this kind ol
actual accomplishment by an actua
bureau of the State is worth tons ol
rhetorical hopes and promises tha
the people of other commonwealth
have been fed upon in this matter
of municipal improvements just az
the law creating the Art Commits
sion for the State is far ahead o.
legislation along similar lines ha
has been attempted or suggested
elsewhere. With the Health Depart
ment cooperating from the sanltar!
and hygienic point of view ana Witi
the Department of Public Instructor
also playing it's part and the Ar
Commission acting with and aftel
the Bureau of Municipalities ha
brought city planning into the open
it can easily be seen that the mex
few years will make great differ
ence in those civic matters in Penn
sylvania whose improvement twent.
years ago seemed to belong to th'
sphere of mere theory; an indiscree
and ,patta ainab BILE dream.