Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-11-20
LEAGUE CLOSES
MEETING HERE
Recommends City Reorgani-
cation on New Lines.

Organization of Metropolitan Areas"
was the general subject for discussion
at the closing session at the Claypooi
Hotel Of the twenty annual meet
ing of the National Municipal League.
Essentials in the Political Integra-
ton of Metropolitan Areas" was the sub
ject Of a list of tentative suggestions
prepared for the session by Professor c.
c. Maxey Of Western Reserve University
and among the suggestions were the fol
lowing: That counties in each State
should be classified as rural and urban.
with generally uniform types Of organi-
zation available for each class under the
optional plan: that urban counties should
be so organized that all functions of
local government Of the county may be
performed by one set Of officials; that
whenever there Is a population OF 10000
or more In a metropolitan area, whether
the same be organized as one or more
than one city, such metropolitan area
should be detached from the rural
county or counties Of which It is part
and should be erected into a separate
urban county. but not until all of the
separate cities, towns or villages cont
posing such metropolitan districts have
been consolidated as a single entity for
purposes o. municipal government; that
the so-called borough plan or Fedora,
Plan OF organization is fundamentally
unsound except in certain unique in
stances where typographical and eco
nomie conditions are such as to demand
administrative differentiation as between
districts OF a metropolitan area that adj
MI nEss~- 49, l.
mount object in the consolidation OF con
tigious municipalities and the detach-
ment Of urban areas from rural conn
ties, should not be sacrificed in order
to secure loose and unreal Indignation
1t was pointed out by George c. Skies
Of Chicago that the great need OF metro
pOlitan communities Is thorough going
reorganization on the basis OF unity.
simplicity and 1he short ballot; that
within city areas county government
should be abolished and county func-
tons should be vested In the city govern
ment, and that to these propositions COM
paratively little opposition is offered, so
long as the propositions remain general
in form.
Il further was pointed out by Mr.. Skies
that when It comes 70 the elimination Of
any particular governmental agency,
through consolidation, the officials Of that
government with one accord begin to de-
wise excuses for inactfon.
Various other features pertaining 20
cIty-c0Unty consolidation were touched
upon by speakers st the meeting.
resolution was adopted thanking
the indianapolis Chamber of Commerce,
snd particularly Robert Z. Tracy, di-
rector of the Bureau of Municipal Re
search of the chamber. who had charge
OF the local arrangements for the meet
ing, and wroSe work in that connection
was deeply appreciated by the conven-
ton.
Preceding the afternoon session, at 4
joint luncheon OF the league and the In
annapolis Chamber of Commerce. there
was n talk on city planning by George
B. Ford Of New York. who, after telling
OF some Of the work in city planning that
be had done in France, touched upon
city planning in this city.