Show e B a n iva P GERMAN CITY IS SOVEREIGN not hampered as a are american cities in every movement for material development one on of the addressee addresses delivered at the very first ees ot of the city pica congress in philadelphia discussed the handicaps and difficulties that have to be met in every american city in carrying out plans of better betterment pent and frederick C howe secretary of the national at lonal progressive league showed that the fundamental theories upon which government in america Is based operate continually to hinder and embarrass american municipalities in every attempt at ma aerial development and improvement in realizing plans german nrman cities proceed upon fundamental theories that are directly op opposite to those fol lowed in this country and in explain ing this difference mr air howe iowa andl bated the extraordinary difficulties 1 in the ay iy r of making over the ameri amerl can city the german city la Is sovereign it controls the landowner and the build er in the interest of the community it Is endowed with ample power for the regulation of both persons and property and governs itself absolutely it Is not like the american city CRY un 1111 der the thumb of a state legislature the german city has always been a landlord on a large scale even ger man villages own forests and other land in common which hare have been so held for centuries and modern german cities buy and sell land or hold it for a speculative rise in price the same as individuals berlin owns altogether nearly two and one half times as much land as Is included in the municipal bounds frankfort owns nearly forty nine per cent of all the land within the city limits the policy in german cities la to to acquire large tracts and to hold them or if it they are sold in parcels the city prof its in the business transaction the german city ts Is initially in position to do pretty much what it pleases in way of betterments in american cities it Is the custom to condemn land tor for particular uses and just so much land Is taken by them as will be at once used and no more the costly municipal improve ments generally enhance immensely the value of ada adjacent cent lands prom from this increased value the american city derives only an indirect benefit but the german city get gets the full benefit because it has taken the precaution to own the adjacent land out but cheth er tho the german city owns the adjacent land or not it own owns completely the building plans the german city Is to not cot obliged to grope and flounder when it undertakes to do things GARDEN WORK AT SCHOOL various cities feel the need of work that will turn children to the country every city that has done school garden work has studied its own needs in that direction and has followed the subject la in the way that will be most beneficial the point of view from which washington tort approached the work has been that of arousing civic pride by giving better school surround ings inge and by the improvement of back yards all of this to be accomplished through its teachers who should therefore have special training for this work philadelphia doston boston new york and BL FIL louis lout with their thir large foreign ou quarters arters hare bare felt tho the need of a work jet will turn the children toward the country so in places the sub feet has bean worked out on large areas a into many small plats where children are taught the value of intensive farming on small tracts hut but one experiment of the kind has been tried in connection with the schools in washington and this work has anetter purpose for ita its foundation than those mentioned though it may be many years before its object Is to accomplished to make cities it would bep A man busy to follow all the civic bauar plane plans that are be ing projected and which in some case cases are maturing among the cities of the united states in are some cities the civic center parkway greater beauty plans have not progressed beyond the dream state in others they have reached ried th hi dl rits ram and picture phase and sud in other others real money Is actu actually aly being spent dut but all the signs are hopeful people are turning projects over in their minds and the city of the future will be cleaner greener bright er and more harmonious A great many matir facts biring on the work done doing and to be done will be brought out at the national conference on city planning to be bold in philadelphia praiseworthy precaution caution bangor would do well to follow the example of chelsea Chee ea which permits no wooden shingles on buildings put up since the are a tow ew structure structures are roofed with fireproof shin glee metal or slate hanger ae 09 a creat center of the shingle business buel nea may find the experiment self d drying but it 11 ought ae AN A precaution against an another their conflagration on a substitute for the wooden root covering boston transcript I 1 |