Evening star., 1947-02-22
Nation Is Urged
To Help Create
WorthyCapita|
Organizations Hear
Plea Thut US. Garry
Larger Financial Share

II
Larger Financial Shore
The 150th anniversary Of the Dis
trict in 1850 should serve to enlist
the country's help in solving the
problems which now stand in the
way of making Capital worthy
of the victorious American Nation"
This was the sense of dinner
meeting last night of representa-
tives of 10 national professional Or
ganizations, District officials and
members of the National Capital
Park and Planning and Fine Arts
Commissions.
The representatives Of the pro-
fessional organizations form the
Joint Committee on the National
Capital and their parent bodies have
been instrumental in making the
city what 1t is today.
The meeting was held at the Larz
Anderson House, headquarters Of the
Society of the Cincinnati, at 2118I
Massachusetts, avenue NV.
Three speakers, drawn from the
ranks of the Federal and District
governments, outlined the problems
which their help is needed to solve.
u. S. Pay IL Per Cent of Cost.
Commissioner Guy Mason ex-
planned the financial predicament
in which the District now finds itself
Every one, he said, wants to see
Washington a great National Capital.
But the Federal Governments con-
tribution to make it SO has dWindled
to II per cent OF the cost.
The national societies, he said,
must go to the grass roots" of the
country to get this situation changed.
Members of Congress, he said, are
frequently here only short time
and are hard pressed to do their own
work. At present, visitors do not
see the poverty and sickness which
go hand in hand with the grandeur
of the Federal city. Nor do they
realize that District revenues are
barely enough to cover operating
expenses alone.
ut is a case of a rabbit stew
Robert Woods Bliss, Joint Com
mittee chairman, summed up. The
District contributes the horse and
the Federal Government the rabbit.
Plans Are Economical.
Chairman U. S. Grant, III, of
the Planning Commission told Joint
Committee members that the plans
of his commission to make the
city a fine Capital and a model
community were open to criticism
because of this situation. But, he
maintained, the plans actually were
economical.
He said that while taX-eXempt
land in the District has risen per
cent in the last 10 years, the total
assessed values of land still in
taxation has risen 20 per cent.
He estimated that the planning
commission has saved the city
money IN highway development by
buying rugged land for parks where
it would have been extremely costly
to grade streets, install utilities and
build houses. The commission's
land purchases have been made in
many cases in stream valleys where
construction of storm sewers would
have been extremely expensive and
where the streams now can serve the
same purpose without being covered
over. ....-.- -. -
Sound city planning is always
economical, he said.
More Cooperation Needed.
1t. Gen. Raymond A. Wheeler,
chief of Army Engineers, said more
cooperation between the friends of
the city is needed. washington has
more to fear from discord among
its friends than from its enemies"
he said.
Gen. Wheeler, who is member ex-
officio of the planning commission,
presumably had reference to recent
differences of opinion what course
postwar city development should
take.
Gen. Grant said the history of
Washington development has been
like barbed wire fence-"it runs
smooth for a while and then a
rough spot it reached"
eve are in one of those critical
periods now," he said.
The 10 organizations represented
on the Joint Committee took big
part in the city centennial anniver-
sary in 1900. Pressure from their
groups was instrumental in re-
viving the Enfant plan and creating
the Planning and Fine Arts Com
missions. The group includes the
American Federation of Arts, the
American Institute of Architects,
American Institute of Planners, the
American Planning and Civic As
ISOLATION, the American Society of
Civil Engineers, the American
Society of Landscape Architects,
the Garden Club of America, the
National Society of Mural Painters,
the National Association of Real
Estate Board, the National Sculp-
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