Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1951-04-05

upper section whose ancestors built
this county by thrift and hard
labor, we often voice a protest at
the seeming extravaganza of the
present county fathers. The
county has grown so fast and its
budget has SCARED so high that our
sense of values cannot keep up.
However, we can appreciate to
the fullest the second annual report
of County Manager Irving G. Me-
Nayr, compiled and edited by Rich
ard l.. Black, Research Assistant
The report is rich in historical
background and general informa-
ton about the county government
1t is what newcomers to the county
have been asking for for years
it is available to everyone for the
asking.
Called "a Look at Your County
Government" the report of SO
pages is in four colors, is attrac-
lively bound and contains much
useful information including a
roster of county officials and their
duties.
One learns that Montgomery
County occupies slightly over 500
square miles of land within a
roughly rectangular area north
west and contiguous to the District
of Columbia-seventy percent of
the area is rural and the remain
ing thirty percent is of an urban
nature-became body polite in
1776-County seat located at Rock
ville-is divided into 10 election
and 5 council districts-has II I'M
incorporated villages II incorpor-
ated towns and l city-population,
federal census 1900, 30,451; 1910,
32,089; 1920, 34,921; 1880, 49,2O6;
1910, 1892; 1850, 163,839 (pre-
liminary) beginning in January
1949 became the first county in
Maryland to operate under
"Home-Rule" Charter-one of the
very few bona fide Councilman
ager counties in the United States
is included in the 9th Congress
sional District.
The 4th, 7th, and 18th Election
Districts located in the lower part
of the County comprise more than
n per cent of the elementary
school enrolment, 70 percent of
the registered voters, nearly 83
percent of the total number of
property owners in the County,
and 81 percent of the total as
sessed valuation-Over ten ma
tionally important Federal agen-
cies such as the Naval Ordinance
Laboratory, Army Map Service
National Naval Medical Center,
Johns F., Hopkins Applied Physics
Laboratory and the National In
stitutes of Health are located with
in the County-Estimated total
assessed valuation of County at the
end of 1850 was approximately
S383,000,000-Total registration as
of November 7, 1850 was 57,675-
approximately IA percent or 42,552
registered voters cast a ballot at
the November 7th, 1850 election.
Highlights of 1850, pointed out
by the County Manager in the re-
port, include:
Survey Of Hospital Facilities
Advisory Committee completed;
Montgomery County Code 1850"
completed and distributed; Munic-
ipal Finance Officers achieve
ment Award" received; seven new
schools completed and opened for
operation; Bethesda Parking Lot
District created; Road Construc-
ton Code completed and adopted;
Department of Libraries author
lied; over seven miles of new or
reconstructed paving; six miles of
new curb and gutter, approximate
ly three miles of sidewalk, and one
mile of storm drainage completed
by contract.
Also fire code completed and
adopted; Upper Montgomery Plan
ming Commission formed; new
local health center established at
Viers Mill Village; housing survey
of County completed; Division of
Planning added to County Man
ayers immediate staff; County
named as one of the eleven
"All American" communities in
the United States; 26.6 miles of
new road constructed by County
road forces; centralized duplicat-
ing system established reducing
County printing costs; control and
administration of Veterans Hous-
ing projects assumed by the
County; 1880 road name signs
erected throughout rural Mont
gomery County; dog census Of
county completed.
Other accomplishments Of 1850
were: Women school crossing
guard system activated; 23.5 miles
of County roadway maintained
with Single surface" treatment;
control of Beantown Dump taken
over by County and site rehabiI-
itated through use Of Sanitary-fill
method; Accident Prevention Units
oct a hliehnh hu Division Of pnlicn