Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-04
STUDY OF PR OBLEMS OF NATION \
IN 1000 A. D. LED BY DELANO
Washington Man Heads
Group Planning Far Ahead
for This Country.
Disposition Of Lands and
Resources Chief. Concern
Of the Future,
By JOHN F. srNCLAIR.

By JOHN r. SINCLAIR.
NEW YORK, August 8 (N.A.N.A.).-
A number Of business men, headed by
r. A. Delano of Washington, former
president of the Wabash Railroad and
member of the first Federal Reserve
Board, have been giving considerable
study to the problems facing America
in the year 1000. A. D.
This group, beliving that there Is no
more important problem confronting
the future Of America than the proper
attempted to bring certain facts to the
attention of the American people that
have UP to this time been overlooked.
1t Is expected by the year 1000 that
the population Of the United States will
be In excess Of 200 million.
Then, the two questions to which this
business committee have addressed
themselves are: First will our land
area in the United States meet the de-
mands of our future population?
Sec0@d. how are Americans to de-
resources?
Studying the Birth Rate.
After taking up the physical resources
OF the United States, the problem Of the
birth rate is given attention and an
estimate Is made that the population
will not reach q stationary quota until
some time In the next century. The
figure is estimated at about 225 million
people.
The problem Of overpopulat ton In
connection with that Of food supply Is
given some attention. 1t is true that
England was more overpopulated' in
feudal times In the sense of comfort
than she is today, with five times the
number of people.
Industrial technique and commerce
have made this situation possible.
1t may be said that any country
will tend to become overpopulated II
improvements in technique Of control
over nature do not keep pace with in
crease of population.
The question concerning the effect
which prosperity will have on the popu-
lation is also considered. It may react
as the industrial revolution did In
England. Germany and Japan-to in
crease the population. Or 1t may check
the rate Of growth and give America q
stationary population, as suggested
above.
But It was upon the subject Of the
varied uses Of land utilization that the
study gave considerable attention.
Cities Growing Faster.
Cities are growing relatively faster
than the country. New land must be
made available to take care Of this
growth many years In advance. Many
cities are studying 1t very carefully.
Los Angeles County has an oflcial
regional planning commission to deal
with matters covering q metropolitan
area Of / 200 square miles Massachu-
Sets has conferred definite powers on
20 cities and towns around Boston.
covering an area Of about 400 square
miles, in an endeavor to tackle the
same problem.
New York, through a committee on
regional planning, has In mind an
area OF 5,528 square miles for its met
ropolitan area, covering more than
400 communities. This region Is larger
than the area occupied within the city
limits of all cities in the United States
over 10000
Definite. concrete, rational organiza-
ton of these vast areas, not only In
the cities mentioned. but everywhere
throughout the United Stats. should
be undertakn and space allottd for
streets. parks, stores, factories and
transportation arteries.
The matter Of water supply Is one
of the major problems. Los Angeles is
now negotiating for water from the
Colorado River, to be brought across q
high mountain range. New York gets
her water from away up in the Cat
skills. Chicago Is fighting the War De-
partment constantly on the amount of
water which she Is allowed TO take
from Lake Michigan. Yet all Of these
problems confronting the cities must
and will be solved, because the cities
are bound to move ahead.
Country Surveys Seen.
But the country, too, must be SUR
veyed and analyzed, in order that o
well balanced program be laid out. At
present the United States has 81 ma
tional parks, totaling 12.11S miles, In
Guiding 645 square smiles in Alaska
and 248 square miles in Hawaii.
The National Park Service is making
a special effort to preserve in natural
state as much Of the park area as Is
possible, without being spoiled by hotels
and automobiles.
In Northern Minnesota a move Is on
foot now to have set aside large nat
IraI park on the border between Can
ada and the United States by joint
agreement of the Canadian and Ameri-
can governmental authorities. It Is
being backed up by very powerful sup
port.
trict suggested for New York is about
IS persons per acre. Think OF q DELI
mite plan which includes every item Of
business. recreation and transport. deal
ing with population running well over
10000 900.
Yet the day Of hit-and-miss build
ing of cities Is gone. In its place has
come in every progressive city def
mite. well thought out plan Of city de-
velopment. This movement will con-
tinue.
Crowding in New York.
Look at Manhattan. Only IL per
cent of the area Is In public open
space. with only one acre to every
23l persons. Below Fifty ninth street
there Is an average day population Of
352 900 persons per square mile. The
Situation in Chicago is even worse.
In the loop district Of that city there
Is a daytime density five times that OF
| lower Manhattan.
And yet Chicago Is planning on al
lowing buildings to tower 40 feet In
the air before they are required to be
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