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Show IN THESE UNITED STATES Indiana Industrial City Maps Extensive Improvement Plan By E. L. KIRKPATRICK WNU Feature Three-quarters of a century after its settlement on the Blue river, New Castle, Ind., attracted the Maxwell automobile automo-bile factory in 1907. From 3,000 population then, the town "growed like Topsy," to its present size of 20,000. Activity of an industrial city settled down over the frame of a small town. According to Scott Chambers, president of New Castle's City Plan commission, "this tended to change the sense of values of the people, who became more Interested in get- ting than in giving, more in what they had than what they were." There were fewer music and art teachers in the town's schools in 1940 than in 1904. Scan Civic Needs. So, in 1942, there was held a civic clinic in the form of public meetings whereby more than 1.000 people helped to figure out what their town needed. Better housing, more adequate parks, auditorium, new hotel, airport, community center, cen-ter, physical and moral clean-up were on the list. It all spelled a Job for a planning commission. Speakers were engaged for civic group meetings. Reports Re-ports of the talks were carried In local papers. The mayor named a commission. Members read good books and pamphlets for self-education and employed the services of .qualified architects. All the forces went to work for a New Castle that "would give its people both the opportunity op-portunity of an industrial city and the charm and ease of life in a small town." Foresee Future Growth. The program is based on analysis of problems and outline of purpose. While some of it is being carried out, the rest still is in the planning stage. Wth more than a dozen substantial manufacturing firms to its credit, the city looks to brisk business and well-balanced growth in the years ahead. A place where parking facilities are adequate is being substituted for a business district where traffic jams the streets. Quarters that will permit good health and induce good citizenship are replacing blighted areas and local public works projects proj-ects are part of a general scheme for community developments. There is no leaf-raking in new goals for New Castle. |
