The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1920-08-24
URCESPLANNJNG
Commission
FOR VERMONT
Major Smith Gives Instruc-
tive Outline of States
Needs

| Md1OI n. N. ID. Siliiliis loltDNSi "a
Political Science at Norwich Univer-
sity, and a native of the Green Noun
tain state who has made life study
| OF its economics and social needs,
| lectuled on the subject of community
planning at the 10 o'clock session OF
| the Redpath Chautauqua yesterday.
| The remedies which he suggested Tor
the needs OF Vermont seemed paftl-
cula1l' adequate.
| A planning commission authorized
| by law, Major Smith declared, should
be empowered to lay out the city or
town according to the best interests
1 of the people. Unless some unity or
action maintains, the town OF city
is bound to develop, in a mlscalcu-
/ lated manner, the undesirable loca-
/ tons which are sometimes to be seen
in various sections of the state. II
such a planning commission is sue
full il must be BIZ cked by the hearty
! cooperation of the community.
Major Flint devoted share OF his
remarks to the proper tunctionlng
of the Chamber of Commerce IN a
city Such body should contine its
activities to looking after the busl-
ness interests alone and should num-
Der among its personnel business men
as well as professional men and farm
er in the outlying rural districts,
anxious to work for the good OF the
city
The commission form of govern
ment from its inception at the time
of the Galveston flood, followed by
the Des Moines addition of recall and
referendum. and finally by the Lock
port plan, which provides for city
manager to be responsible to the
commission, has progressed with
leans and bounds. is in the city
manager plan that Major Flint thor
oughly believes, because he mann
tains that it is logical to conduct the
affairs of municipal government and
in the same manner that a big cor
poration conducts its business.
A plan which should solve the eco
nomic crisis which is impending upon
the state of Vermont would be
the planting of municipal forests. In
hundreds of communities in Europe
where there are municipal forests,
people are paying no taxes and IN
some cases no street cal fares are
being paid, while few cities are
actually receiving dividends from nu-
nicipal forests which have been plant
ed by far-visioned ancestors OF the
presen. inhabitants.
II is possible to develop such for
ests in Vermont asserted Major fhnt:
There are 5000 acres of waste land
which could be set aside for this
worthy purpose. AT the present tine
some communities are on the verge
of bankruptcy, and the people MI
grating from the state, leave fewer
people in the towns. Taxes continue
to increase with fewer left to pay
The final result points to universal
bankruptcy unless some means are
employed to put these towns on {
firm financial basis. The answer to
thi problem is municipal forests.
The lecture on yesterday after
moons program was given by Mrs
Lucia Ames Mead of Boston. Hel
subject was the New Education
| ana pcIIdlIlcI " tHC up oiiN~ ~
affairs since the close of the war ant
the problems which we have now to
face. She urged strongly that "a
much interest be put into the affairs
of the govepDhent as are put into the
manufactAfs of automobiles for eX
to material affairs while too little at
tention is paid to the intellectual life
Mrs. Mead referred to the Mexica-
problem in the course of her talk ant
entered a plea for the japanese IL
this country. She announced he
strong belief in the League of Ma
tons and said that if George Wash
ington were living today he would be
staunch supporter of the League
assuming different. view on ALLAN
ces with other nations, in the face c
|