Evening journal., 1919-01-17

70 III special cars. In feDrudrr
we also entertained ON an inspection
Trip and at dinner forty members OF
lle American City Planning Institute.
we are glad to be able TO report thar
only one OF the recommendations CON
talned In your secretarys report last
year has been carried out by another
agency, namely, the State Council OF
. DEFENSE. A thorough going study and
survey OF Wilmington city government
Is now being made by the Municipal
hesearch Bureau. The report TO be
compiled by this bureau should give
} us scientific data on which TO base pro-
posed changes in our city government.
! During the year with the aid Of an
expert membership secretary we were
able TO add over one hundred. new
members. During 1919 it Is our hope
10 make the work appeal to an even
larger number Of Wilmington business
men.
1t is with regret that we announce
the loss Of two members Of the office
stan; John E. Krause, the assistant sec
retary and Clarence NJ Dillon, publicity
secretary. Mr. Krause. who was q par
ticularly efficient and popular office sec
retary, had been with the organization
since 1915 His place will be hard TO
NIT. Mr. Dillon, while connected with
our Office only short time, had proved
a very capable assistant in all lines.
Recommendations.
Aside from the many obvious COM
munity tasks that await performance,
industrial expansion, education prog
ress, traffic readjustments, civic better
ments, governmental reform, a few
problems above others seem TO demand
quick solution
4. Wilmington should have a paid
Fire Department and that quickly. The
transition from a volunteer TO paid
basis should be accompanied by abso-
Lutte fairness and justice TO all con-
cerned. There is no more reason why
city the size Of Wilmington should
| expect volunteers TO fight its fires than
! it should expect volunteers to collect
its garbage or police its streets. A bill
TO create paid department has been
drafted and this bin impressed your
rdirectors as being so fair IN all its
provisions that they have endorsed it.
We ask that every roember Of the or
ganization support measure with
every means in his power after it Is
presented at Dover.
2. We sincerely trust that the pres
ent legislature will create a commission
that will devise means OF eliminating
the marsh and lowlands that hem in
parts OF our city on the south and east
Aside from sanitary features valuable
industrial sites await reclamation.
State action is necessary because much
Of the land lies outside the city limits.
3. Scarcely some commission or
other body should be appointed TO
make special study Of additional
sources Of revenue for our municipal
government. 10 Is not reasonable to
suppose that on top Of high county
rate a much higher tax rate can be i'm
posed on real estate. II the city is 30
provide the services it should for its
citizens. new sources Of revenue will
have TO be foundh. Many unprejudlced
observers are convinced that inade4
quate revenue is really at the root OF
most Of our municipal Ills.
4. Some action should be taken look
ing toward the creation Of a Plan Com
mission for New Osstle County. With
Brandywine Hundred especially being
built up very quickly some public body
should have centralized control Of the
location Of streets and public utilities
and of the development OF suburban
real estate plots. Otherwise the rank
est sort Of confusion will result IN a
very few years.
3. One Of the imperative needs OF the
city is a convention hall or audito-iUm.
It is lamentable to consider that our
largest public halls with the exception
Of theatres, regularly in use, will seal
only a few hundred. Other cities find
their large auditoriums are used fire.
quently for concerts, community sing
ing, conventions, lecture courses, mass
meetings and gatherings Of a highly
educational nature. Wilmington should
have such a building. If a memorial
is TO be erected 10 commemorate the
heroism Of Delaware soldiers who par
In the world war, would NOT
an auditorium be as appropriate a me
mortal as could be devised7 We GER
tainly believe so and hope that move
ment to erect such a sorely needed pub
lie structure will take definite form
quickly.
Respectfully submitted,
CLARENCE C. KILLEN,
Secretary.
The report Of Treasurer Josiah Mar
vel follows:
Gentlemen: am presenting herewith
The sixth annual report Of your treas
urer, showing receipts and disburse-
ments for the year 1918.
You will note that there is a balance
On hand in bank at the close OF busi-
ness. December 81. 1918, aggregating
s4,S7297. OF this amount, s9O625 Is 1919
iues paid in advance, leaving a net
balance for 1918 Of S3,966.72 as against
l balance Of si,733.56 at the close Of
1917.
Receipts.
on hand
January /. i9is.... si,735.56
Dues .S1o,o4t.SO
Dues 1919 paid in ad-
vance .............s yOoS9
Housing survey-con-
tributions ......... 10000
at banks .......... ie52s
Merchants Institute;
Contributions ..... 26000
canadian War Pic
lures; Contributions 95333
'ale OF paper ....... 2.22
)ollar Day sales-net
proceeds .......s.. 6t.2b
Total receipts for
1918 .............. sisis56s
Total .sss..s...s.. SZz,5SS.1o