The Wilmington morning star., 1945-10-26
BeHamy Reviews Case
For City Extension Plan

Presenting the case for city lin
it, extension on behalf OF the Cit
zens' Committee for City Limit
Extension, Emmett Bellamy, we
known local attorney, spoke owe
WMFD at 7:30 o'clock last nigh
and in five minutes, reviewed tn
benefits to be derived by Whining
ton citizens under the extension
plan. His address, in part, was a
follows:
1.-THE issue Of the day in VII
nington is whether or not we sinai
expand out city limits to embrace
territory now used as a place O.
residence by persons who earn Nv
Ing in our city, call themselves WI
mingtonians and yet are deoarree
from participating in the affairs o.
our city government.
wilmington is the oldest munlc'
ipal corporation in North Carollna
entitled to be classified as a city
having been incorporated in l73s'
more than two hundred years ago
and for more than one hundred and
fifty years was North Carolina
largest and most important city.
What fate has befallen this once
proud Cape Fear metropolis, form
erly the center Of trade, banking
and commerce for eastern North
Carolina and for a large part OF
the state.
self sufficiency. satisfaction, 1e-
thargy, geographical, political and
economic isolation from the rest OF
the state, the severance OF the C..
F. and Y. ", the construction OF
the Wilson short cut. which nent
the removed of Wilmington from
main line of transportation. are
some of the factors that have caus-
ed us to disintegrate as city OF
importance. A. population increase
OF IS persons is our proud record
between the years 1920 and 1910.
While Charlotte, Winston Salem,
Durham, R lie g h Greensboro,
Asheville and High Point were 60
ing ahead by leaps and bou4-ds we
remained begged in the mire OF I'M
progressiveness and apathy.
with the advent of World War
No. 2 Wilmington received its
greatest economic impetus by the
location of shipbui1ding plant and
military installations, which caus-
ed millions of dollars to be put in
circulation and brought wealth to
much of our population.
Fort Bragg was abandoned two
or more times after World War No.
/, and yet, due to the perseverance
of its citizenship, it was retained
to become the most important per-
manent artillery post in America.
We must put every Civic Club, our
City and County officials and our
trade organizations behind an ef-
fort to retain Bluethenthal Air Port,
fifteen million dollar industry,
with it's many civilian employees,
and the North Carolina Shipbuild-
Ing Company, which has won the
Navy re" for manufacturing eff
cheney and which has demonstrated
to the world that Wilmington, with
it's favorable climatic conditions,
vast supply Of trained and content
ed labor, is one of the finest spots
in America for the construction and
repair of vessels Of commerce.
us city extension a cure all for
the various ailments from which
Wilmington has suffered for so
many years? Frankly, think the
glow of civic satisfaction which will
come from living in a city of more
than fifty thousand population and
Its psychological effect can scarce
ly be estimated, so great is its
value. With the extension of the
,ity limits will come a restoration
Of civic pride and a complete dis
appearance of civic i1feriority
complex which shackled us for so
many years.
IFS city extension fair to those
persons in the affected areas and
is it beneficial to them? The fol-
lowing are some of the services
which they will receive:
Fire protection; police protec-
ton; trash and garbage removal;
street maintenance; parks d
parkway maintenance; street
signs; water system and water
at city rates; a sewerage system;
a fire alarm system, street light;
and drainage.
"Are these facilities guaranteed?
They most assuredly are. Our City
administration has set aside large
sum OF money for the immediate