Evening star., 1934-02-04
Landscape Architects Told
Capital Plan Inspires u. S.
Broad Social and Physical Derelop
ment of Nation Under Ne,U Deal
Described at Contention.

telligent and orderly planning; that
great wastes in the present way of
doing things shall be eliminated
among the greatest wastes at present
being the wastes of frustrated hopes
and ambitions of people who find no
fair chance at life. A controlling
purpose should be that our great
wealth and resources shall be fully
used for the benefit of the whole peo-
pie, and not for a small part of the
people at the expense of the rest.
Another principle to be constantly
kept in mind is that any social plan
ming must keep the future in view
as well as the present. We must
recognize that the whole end of in
dustry and of planning is that we
shall create reasonable expectation
for the fulfillment of reasonable
hopes; that young people shall be able
to look ahead to lives of interest and
adventure; that honest work shall re-
ceive dependable compensation; that
age shall have reasonable security,
and that ability. genius and whole
some ambition shall have opportunity
for expression.
Two Methods.
Social planning can be Of two
kinds: In the Russian pattern, plan
OF society is formulated in advance
and imposed on population. This
program has accomplished wonders
in Russia, but at great sacrifices OF
personal freedom. Time will also
demonstrate that it may produce a
certain monotony and that life will
be less interesting than where greater
freedom and variety of effort and in
terest are allowed.
Another method Of planning is to
attack each particular issue which
arises and to try to solve it in Such
way as to insure the human values
l have mentioned. The latter is our
method in the Tennessee Valley. For
instance. there is the matter of water
power development. The Tennessee
River system drains 40 900 square miles.
If the entire system can be developed
according to one unified plan. includ-
ing power sites on the main river,
where no storage is possible, and
power sites on the headWaterS, where
excellent storage and regulation can
be secured, the cost of power may be
not more than half what it would be
with a number of unrelated smaller
Developments The enormous social
waste of isolated developments must
be eliminated This means unified
planning on large scale.
Erosion Check Sought.
AIM Al. ..o.lar ,oea ua ),aya tho
problem of soil erosion in the uplands
of the South. Already large part
of the fertile farm lands have been
wholly destroyed by soil erosion, and
have gone out of use. Unless that
process can be stopped within a rela-
lively short time. the region Will be-
come like a desert. Here it is neces-
sary to provide for the future by
stopping this destructive soil erosion
and by building up the fertility for
future generations as we'll as for our
own.
That can be accomplished partly
by persuading farmers to give up
ploW crops of corn and cotton in
favor of grass crops. for dairy prod
ucts, cattle and sheep Since most
of the marketing facilities are now
related to corn and cotton, it is neces-
sary to develop new marketing posi-
bilities with the use of farmers CO.
operatives. Thus the prevention OF
soil erosion necessarily leads to eco
nomic and social organization.
Much very steep hill land is now be-
ing farned A large part of this
should be taken out of cultivation and