The Coral Gables Times

ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT OSBORN induced one desperate development promoter to incorporate a pledge to support an annexation petition in the deeds which home purchasers had to sign. This device, the city solicitor reports happily, has brought about four annexations in two years, with two others pending—the first extensions of the city's boundaries in 30 years. New legislative approaches are also in the wind. Spurred by the urgent time-pressure for some solution of the manifold problems of the "exploding city," several states have been examining devices by which final decision might be lodged with an impartial agency capable of judging the need of urban regions as a whole. Pioneering in this direction is the Virginia Plan, which has been in operation in that state since 1902. The basis of the plan is a legal separation of cities and counties, with recognition that urban territory should be under city government, rural territory under county government. Virginia holds that annexation is a legal, not a political question, and that the correct way to approach it is through judicial process. A Virginia city may propose the annexation of adjacent county territory by ordinance. The proposal then comes before an annexation court of three judges—one from the circuit court of the county concerned, the other two from remote counties of the state. Any interested party—the city, the county, individual landowners—may be represented in the proceedings. The court explores the question thoroughly. Is the proposed annexation in the best interests of all concerned? Are the proposed terms fair? And are fair provisions made for the future improvement of the annexed territory? If annexation is ordered, the court remains in existence for five years and may be reconvened by any party to the original trial or by any 50 freeholders of the annexed area, to review and enforce the established terms and conditions. In 1959, the Minnesota legislature swept away a whole tangled mass of legislation on the subject (there were 33 different means by which municipal boundaries might be adjusted) and established a five-member Municipal Commission with three permanent members appointed by the governor and two temporary members for each hearing—the local district judge and the chairman of the board of County Commissioners. The Commission has the power to rule on annexation and consolidation proposals, and annexations under its authority have commenced. Its powers were widened by the legislature in 1961. OTHER STATES—Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma—have tried to give their cities a breathing spell by forbidding new incorporations in zones from three to five miles in width around the limits of larger cities. In Arizona, Idaho, Nebraska, and North Carolina, new incorporations within stated distances of any other existing incorporated municipality are restricted. Such provisions, of course, diminish to some extent the ability of suburban landowners to resist annexation by "defensive" incorporation. In all this, some city planners and metropolitan-area experts see a trend toward compulsory annexation under the auspices Continued on page 34

Indian Pudding

From The Fannie Merritt Farmer BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOKBOOK 10th Edition Scald in a double boiler 2 cups milk Mix until smooth 1/3 cup yellow corn meal 1/4 cup cold milk Stir into hot milk. Cook over hot water 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 cup dark molasses 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 tablespoons butter Stir and pour into a buttered pudding dish. Pour over the top 1 3/4 cups cold milk Bake 3 hours at 250°. Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream. Let stand one half hour after baking so that it will be slightly firmer. Serves 4 to 6. You'll find many other wonderful recipes in THE Fannie Merritt Farmer BOSTON COOKING SCHOOL COOKBOOK - for family meals and for elegant party dishes too. "A kitchen classic now in its tenth edition," says Clementine Paddleford, Food Editor of This Week. "The sales passed the three million mark, making Miss Farmer's book the best-seller of the cookbook world." $5.95 at all bookstores, published by Little, Brown and Company, 34 Beacon Street, Boston.

COLLEGES ARE IN A SQUEEZE

America needs college-trained leaders. But colleges face shortages. Support the college of your choice. If you would like to know what the college crisis means to you write for a free booklet to: HIGHER EDUCATION, Box 36, Times Square Station, New York 36, N.Y. Published as a public service in cooperation with The Advertising Council.

TABLE TIPSY?

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Must one "DRESS" for wild rice dressing?

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Newell DRAPERY HARDWARE DEPARTMENT

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