Evening star., 1961-08-06
METRO
Towes Gives Commission
Broad Study Directive

has recognized the made
quacies of local governments
in meeting problems which
have no geographical boun-
daries."
Public AwareneSs Crucial
Gov. TaweS said, "A crucial
part of any approach to the
metropolitan problem is the
matter of creating public un-
derStanding of the issues. The
whole population of the metro
politan area must be made
aware that the problem is a
common one that must be
jointly solved. -.
1T is obvious that any plan
for metropolitan development
must have an intimate relation
with fiscal and financial as
poets of State government"
The Governor told his COM
mission it should spend some
time"-and he placed no dead
line on its report-in examin-
ing the experiences Of other
large urban areas in the coun-
try.
I'VE may we'll conclude" he
said. that the Miami plan, for
example. puts too much arbit-
rary power in the hands Of the
central metropolitan authority.
We might equally we'll conclude
that the Los Angeles system
Of permitting each locality to
hire the metropolitan services
it desires Smacks too much of
a loose-jointed cafeteria sys-
tenn tending to encourage, ra-
ther than discourage, the
growth of local units.
I'VE might find that the
federation system, which has
united all of the local political
units in Toronto, is too all
embracing-at least at first
to be practical in the Baltimore
metropolitan area.
MY specific proposal would
therefore be that (the commits
sion) be charged with the
task Of examining the ways in
which the metropolitan con-
cept could be introduced into
the Baltimore area"
Answer Provided?
At Thursdays organization
meeting of the commission,
some members conjectured that
perhaps Gov. Tawes had, by the
last pronouncement, already
provided an answer before the
study began-that is, he had
already determined that there
should be a metropolitan gov
ernment.
William E. McGuirk. jr..
president of the Dawson Chem
ical Division of w. r. Grace g.
Co., said, Il wonder whether
the Governor hasn't already
given us our conclusion before
we start. He doesn't seem to be
mincing any words. This seems
a pretty clear statement of
what our conclusion should
be-"
But Chairman Miles regarded
Gov. Tawes' instructions as
broad.
Hes merely given us our
long-range general goal and
left it completely up to us how
to arrive at it," Mr.. Miles said
OF the II members who at
tended the meeting, all seemed
In agreement that Mr.. Tawes
apparently had given the sub
ject thorough study before de-
livering his message.
The Governor, after stressing
the Importance of preserving
local autonomy. added:
OF equal Importance with
the retention of local govern
ment units, I would place the
requirement that it is abso-
lutely necessary to assure citi-
zens Of a voice in the decisions
which affect them, whether at
their places of work, residence
or recreation :"
Two ways of ACCOMPLISHING
this, he said, would be by direct
election Of members of the
metropolitan governing body
and by representatives of the
local governing bodies serving
on the metropolitan unit.
Once these safeguards have
been set up" Gov. Tawes added,
we must make equally sure
that the metropolitan author
ity is given adequate powers to
carry out those tasks which are
assigned to it,"
$4,000 to Start With
rpbo AHa,Ys e.,