Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-26
HUGE GAIN SHOWN
IN PUBLIC WORKS
Largely Due to Demands of
Big Cities for Urban FaciIi-
ties, Survey Finds.

The marked increase in public works
IN this country. which had shown a
rise last year to, roughly, $4,000, 600 900
from somewhat less than, $4,000, 900, 900
In 1923, is largely accounted for by the
growth of our large cities. with their
demands for more schools for better
transportation, water supply, sewage
and other urban facilities, DR.. Leo VOL
man states in a survey made public by
the Committee on Recent Economic
Changes
The pressure foE permanent i'm
provements is bound to continue" OBJ
serves DR.. Wolman. and their adop-
ton is limited by the capacity of the
governments to pay for them"
DR.. Wclmans survey was made at
the suggestion of President Hoover by
the National Bureau of Economic Re-
search, with the assistance of the De-
partment of Commerce. The survey Is
q continuation of the one conducted by
the national bureau which was made
public year ago.
Though school building constitutes
generally the largest single item OF pub
lie work expenditures by cities, DR.. VOL
man points out that paving an. read
building, lighting, sewage and water
supply systems, tunnels. bridges, docks,
piers and water front developments &C
count for the major part of the rise in
the total expenditure for public i'm
provements.
Territory Widening.
I'm nearl every instance in this
country" writes DR.. Wolman, "the rise
of the large city has been followed by
the growth of population in surround
ing areas, with the result that these
areas have undergone legal or de facto
absorption. AS a consequence of this
movement, the standards of the public
plant and equipment tend to rise over
widening territory and to penetrate
constantly because of the habits and
standards of an urban population into
the rural areas.
THE prevailing level of wealth and
income is notably higher in our urban
than in our rural areas, and has tended
to become relatively more so. Munich
pal expenditure for public improvements
consequently has come to reflect the
mounting standards of living of the
population in these communities lor
whom the improvements are made.
Advanced standards of school build
ings and hospitals, improved sanitary
provisions, better lighting systems, the
widening and resurfacing of city streets,
extensions of park Systems-aH are
items in the expenditures of cities that
increase with the rise of incomes of the
urban population"
DR.. Wolman estimates that the ex-
penditures for public construction by
cities with q population of 10000 and
over now amount to more than one
fourth of the total expenditures for
public works in the country, and that
this proportion would be even greater
If expenditures for highways, financed
largely by State. county and Federal
governments, were taken out Of the
totals.
Centralized Planning.
working in the same direction is the
tendency throughout American local
government to create city and regional
planning commissions whose function
1t is, among other things. to plan the
future construction programs of public
agencies. For the most part these COM
missions occupy only an advisory posi-
ton. but their incorporation into the
administrative branches of government
would appear to be only matter Of
time. While the centralized planning
and execution of programs of public
construction should lead to great econ
ornies in administration all along the
line. the total effect of planned and
far-reaching programs Of public works
ahould be an increase In their gross
volume.
"A fundamental. factor limiting the
amount of expenditure on future prof.
ects Is, of course, the capacity of the
government to pay in many small
American cities, towns, and even States,
whose expenditures for capital i'm
provements have since the war been
large, future cutlays on the same or
higher levels depend OH a growing
population, expanding industry and
trade and q steady increase IN the
assessed valuation of property. This
condition, however, is not universal.
and where such growth is not found
the program of public works is more
likely TO be curtailed than expanded"