580 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



Thus, this Council would consist of approximately 75 people that 

 have the tools, lines of communication, experience and purposes to 

 carry forward a program of national beautification. They would 

 serve without pay and no office facilities or staff would be provided. 

 Rather, they would use their own existing facilities to conduct the 

 business of the Council. 



The Council would meet at least four times per year, with stand- 

 ing subcommittees and study groups, in a research program of com- 

 mon interest. At the conclusion of each meeting, they would report 

 to the President their program of action and recommendations, and, 

 when necessary, departments of Federal Government would be called 

 for council and advice. 



2. The governor of each State appoint and establish a similar 

 statewide beautification commission charged with the responsibility 

 of implementing county and local beautification programs. These 

 commissions would have representatives from statewide organiza- 

 tions, State agencies and individuals who have the experience and 

 interest in developing extensive beautification programs throughout 

 the State. The value of these statewide programs, that in turn 

 reach local communities, would be a regeneration of civic pride and 

 responsibility, the attraction of tourism dollars, and the vehicle 

 whereby new business and industry would be attracted. This also 

 would reduce the costs of city services related to those areas that 

 have a high degree of health, fire and safety hazards and, in turn, 

 would be a program for rehabilitation and would increase property 

 taxes as blight is stopped. 



KENWARD K. HARRIS.* I am gratified to have the opportunity to 

 present to this panel a concrete example of a type of citizen action 

 which we have been discussing in theory here today. 



Sunday, May 23 was proclaimed Potomac Pickup Day in the 

 Washington metropolitan area with the express hope that it might 

 provide just such an example for this panel. I am enclosing a copy 

 of the proclamation as issued by the Commissioners of the District of 

 Columbia. 



The Potomac yielded a good catch of trash and litter. Some 280 

 participants collected over 540 person-loads of litter. The catch 

 included floating and submerged navigational hazards, the usual 



*This is an extension of remarks made by Mr. Harris during the panel 

 discussion. 



