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Show SECRET OF COMMUNITY GROWTH The Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nonpareil, in commenting on the record growth of that city in 1923 predicts greater progress in 1924. It cites the fact that local people by an almost unanimous vote extended the franchise of the local gas and electric company with the result that the company now has plans completed which will require re-quire an additional investment of $300,000 for increased service to the consumers. In discussing this expenditure, the Nonpareil goes right to the root of prosperity in any community when it says in an editorial: "What will this mean to the city? Growth and development. This money will be spent in wages and for materials. When new buildings and additional mains and lines are installed these instruments instru-ments will become assets of the city. "Flow many people appreciate their proprietary interest in a great many concrete property assets which they do not personally own, such as theatres, churches, schools, auditoriums, parks, stores, hospitals, clinics, street railways and electric light and gas service? We could not use these properties more to our advantage than we do if we owned them all in fee simple. "We are only casting bread upon the waters when we boost for our city. We do not need to concern ourselves about who holds title to certain properties. All instrumentalities which minister to the comfort, service and education of our citizens are assets of the city and its people." This editorial tells the secret of community building. Encouragement Encour-agement of citizens to go ahead and spend their money to furnish service, necessities and comfort for other citizens means progress and growth. It means increased taxable assets which proportionately proportion-ately tend to reduce the individual tax bill. This is just the opposite of the result that follows extension of political or government ownership owner-ship over industry with a resulting curtailment of individual activity and increased tax burdens resulting from tax-exempt publicly owned properties. The picture drawn by the Council Bluffs Nonpareil is typical of normal American development under a government which recognizes recogniz-es the right of individual growth and activity with a minimum of governmental gov-ernmental interference and restraint. |