The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-09-28

thing IN our power to encourage
the building UP of the smaller
communities of the United
States. Today many people are
beginning to realize that there
is inherent weakness in cities
which become too large and in
herent strength in a wide geo.
graphical distribution of popu-
lation.
An over-large city inevitably
meets problems caused by over
size. Real estate values and
rents become too high; the time
consumed in going from ones
home to ones work and back
again becomes excessive; con-
gestion of streets and other
transportation problems arise;
truck gardens disappear because
the backyard is too small; the
cost of living of the average
family rises far too high.
There is doubtless a reason
able balance in all of this, and it
is a balance which ought to be
given more and more study. No
one would suggest, for exmaple,
that the great cities of Portland
and Tacoma and Seattle and
Spokane should stop their
growth, but it is a fact that they
could grow unhealthy at the
expense of all the smaller COM
munities of which they form
logical centers. Their health
lest growth actually depends on
a simultaneous healthy growth
of every smaller community
within a radius of hundreds Of
miles.
HITS MEASUREMENTS
Your situation in the North
west is in this respect no diff
ferent from the situation in the
other great regions of the ma
ton. That is why it has been
proposed in the Congress that
regional planning boards be set
up for the purpose of coordinat-
ing the planning for the future
in seven or eight natural geo.
graphical regions.
You will have read here, as
elsewhere, many misleading and
utterly untrue statements in
some papers and by some poll
ticians that this proposed legis-
lation would set up all powerful
authorities which would destroy
State lines, take away local gov
eminent and make what people
call a totalitarian or authori-
tartan or some other kind of a
dangerous national centralized
control.
Most people realize that the
exact opposite is the truth, that
regional commissions will be
far more closely in touch with
the needs of all the localities
and all the people in their
respective regions than a Sys-
TEN of plans which originates
IN the Capital of the Nation.
BY decentralizing as have
proposed, the Chief Executive,
the various government depart
ments and the Congress itself
will be able to get from each
region a carefully worked out
plan each year-a plan based
on future needs, a plan which
will seek primarily to help all
the people of the region with
out unduly favoring any one To-
cality or discriminating against
any other.
BALANCED BUDGET
In other words, the response.
bility of the Federal Govern
ment for the welfare of it's
citizens will not come from
the top in the form of I'M
planned, hit or miss appropri-
atoms of money, but will pro-
greSs to the National Capital
from the ground up-from the
communities and counties and
States which lie within each Of
the logical geographical areas.
Another great advantage will
be served by this process Of
planning from the bottom up.
Under our laws the President
submits to the Congress an an.
nual budget-a budget which,
by the way, we expect to have
definitely balanced by the next
fiscal year. In this budget we
know how much can properly
be expended for the develop
ment of our natural resources,
the protection of our soil, the
construction of our highways
and buildings, the maintenance
of our harborS and channels and
all the other elements which
fall under the general heading
of public works.
BY regional planning it will be
vastly easier for the Executive
branch and the Congress to de-
termine how the appropriations
for the following year shall be
fitted most fairly and equitably
into the total amount which our
national pocketbook allows us
safely to spend.
COSTS $51,OOO,OOO
Truly, in the construction of
this dam we nave had our eyes
on the future Of the Nation. It's
cost will be returned to the peo-
pie of the United States many
times over in the improvement
of navigation and transporta-
ton, the cheapening of electric
power and the distribution of
this power to hundreds Of small
communities within q great ra.