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 96
 
 CHICAGO'S 
 REPORT TO THE PEOPLE
 
 177
 
 CHICAGO'S 
 REPORT TO THE PEOPLE 
 
 1933-1946 
 
 CITY OF CHICAGO 
 
 March, 1947
 
 TO THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO 
 
 When stockholders of a business corporation elect officers and direc- 
 tors to represent their interests, it is customary to require a periodical 
 accounting in the form of a report. This book constitutes such an 
 accounting, by elected and appointed officials of a public corporation, 
 the City of Chicago. It was authorized by a resolution passed by the 
 City Council, January 10, 1947 (Journal of the Proceedings of the City 
 Council, p. 6844), as follows: 
 
 ''Resolved, the Mayor be and he hereby is requested to 
 submit to the City Council a report of the activities of all 
 the departments of the City government for the period 
 ending December 31, 1946, for publication by the City." 
 
 Chicago's Report to the People complies with this authorization. 
 Its contents are based on annual reports of the heads of departments, 
 bureaus, commissions and agencies, which, in accordance with Sec- 
 tion 25-25 of the Municipal Code of Chicago, must be submitted to 
 ' the Mayor and the City Council by March 1 of each year. Supervising 
 ^ the task of editing this report has been the Research Division of the 
 ^ Law Department. 
 
 J Because this is the last year of the present administration, which 
 
 was inaugurated in 1933 with the election of Edward J. Kelly as 
 Mayor, this book not only contains a report for 1946 but a resume 
 
 \ of annual reports for the past fourteen years, reflecting the achieve- 
 ments and progress of the city during that period. 
 
 Your Mayor and the heads of Chicago's administrative departments, 
 i who have cooperated in the preparation of this report, take pride in 
 ^ submitting their record to the people of Chicago. When they took
 
 office in 1933, they found the city on the verge of bankruptcy, its pay- 
 rolls unmet, its securities unmarketable, its facilities run-down, many 
 of its people unemployed, and despair widespread. They complete their 
 tenure of office in the knowledge that the city is solvent, its bills paid 
 on time, its credit second to none, its physical plant improved, its 
 people prosperous, and confidence in Chicago's future unbounded. 
 
 Hundreds of American cities publish annual reports. In fact, this 
 is a legal requirement of many states. In addition, New York and 
 other large cities have issued notable special reports to their people. 
 
 To know your city is to be proud of it. This book presents that 
 knowledge in easy-to-read form, profusely illustrated. It not only 
 gives a graphic and factual picture of the giant strides that have been 
 made in the past fourteen years, but a glimpse of Chicago Tomorrow 
 and the careful plans that have been made for a still greater Chicago. 
 Students of municipal government in our schools and colleges will 
 undoubtedly find it valuable. 
 
 In addition to the city officials, department and bureau heads, mem- 
 bers of commissions and agencies mentioned in this report, gratitude 
 is expressed to the many unsung city employees whose loyalty and 
 devotion to duty have helped to make this record of achievement 
 possible. 
 
 March 1, 1947 
 
 THE EDITORS 
 
 VI
 
 i^ontents 
 
 ACHIEVEMENTS, 1933-1946 1-16 
 
 THE MAYOR 17-22 
 
 EX-OFFICIO RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MAYOR 23-32 
 
 CHICAGO AT WAR . . 33-46 
 
 CHICAGO TOMORROW 47-52 
 
 CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION 53-66 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE 67-78 
 
 CITY COLLECTOR. 78 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF LAW 79-88 
 
 POLICE DEPARTMENT 89-100 
 
 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 101-102 
 
 STEAM BOILER INSPECTION 103-104 
 
 SMOKE INSPECTION 105-106 
 
 NOISE ABATEMENT 107-108 
 
 PUBLIC VEHICLE LICENSE COMMISSION . . 109-1 10 
 
 STREET TRAFFIC COMMISSION I 11-114 
 
 HOUSE OF CORRECTION 115-118 
 
 FIRE DEPARTMENT 119-130 
 
 BOARD OF HEALTH 131-142 
 
 MUNICIPAL TUBERCULOSIS SANITARIUM . . 143-146 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF WELFARE * . 147-154 
 
 CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY .... 155-166 
 
 HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION . . . . 167-174 
 
 SUBWAYS AND SUPERHIGHWAYS . . . . 175-190 
 
 SUBWAYS 175 
 
 SUPERHIGHWAYS 187 
 
 VII
 
 CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY 191-196 
 
 AIRPORT DEVELOPMENTS 197-206 
 
 STREETS AND ELECTRICITY 207-218 
 
 STREETS 207 
 
 ELECTRICITY 21! 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS 219-226 
 
 ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS 225 
 
 BOARDS OF EXAMINERS 227-228 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 229-318 
 
 CENTRAL PURCHASING 241 
 
 ENGINEERING 245 
 
 Operations 249 
 
 Water Pipe Extension 253 
 
 Water Purification 259 
 
 Water Works Design 264 
 
 Water Meters 267 
 
 Construction 269 
 
 Bridges and Viaducts . . . * 275 
 
 Testing 28! 
 
 WATER BUREAU 285 
 
 MAPS AND PLATS 288 
 
 SEWERS 293 
 
 PARKS, RECREATION AND AVIATION .... 301 
 
 RIVERS AND HARBORS 309 
 
 SPECIAL IMPROVEMENTS 313 
 
 BOARD OF EDUCATION 319-334 
 
 CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY 335-342 
 
 MUNICIPAL REFERENCE LIBRARY 343-346 
 
 CHICAGO RECREATION COMMISSION . . 347-350 
 
 SPORTS ASSOCIATION 351-352 
 
 CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT 353-364 
 
 CITY OFFICIALS, DEC. 31, 1946 365-372 
 
 VIII
 
 Mayor Edward J. Kelly presides at a meeting of the Chicago City Council,
 
 14 YEARS OF GREAT 
 
 under the ad mi nisf ration of 
 Edward J. Kelly, Mayor of Chicago. 
 
 No fourteen years in Chicago's history can match in drama the 
 period covered by this report. It begins with a world-wide depression, 
 veterans seUing apples on the streets, and a world's fair. It includes 
 the preparedness period, when women left their homes to work in 
 defense plants. It embraces the war years, with 500,000 youth march- 
 ing ofi to war and 100,000 war workers and their families flowing 
 into Chicago and its war plants. It ends with victory, postwar adjust-' 
 ment, inflation and GI's looking for homes. From postwar depression 
 to postwar boom, the record runs. 
 
 Excepting only the great fire of 1871 and the World's Columbian 
 Exposition of 1893, no comparable events in Chicago's history have 
 imposed so many critical problems — financial, legal, engineering, 
 human — on a city administration. 
 
 The administration of Mayor Edward J. Kelly commenced on 
 April 13, 1933 in the depths of a world depression and during a reign 
 of widespread crime and contempt for the law. Unemployed heads of 
 families spent their days looking for jobs. Unpaid school teachers 
 stormed the banks for their pay. Firemen, policemen and other city 
 employees went without salaries for five months at a time. 
 
 By the end of 1933 the City of Chicago was staggering under a 
 bonded debt of $133,000,000; a debt on unpaid salaries, tax anticipa- 
 tion warrants and current obligations of more than $100,000,000. 
 Chicago's park boards defaulted on their bonds. 
 
 Banks refused to purchase Chicago bonds or tax anticipation war- 
 rants, and the climax came when suit was threatened to throw the 
 municipality into bankruptcy. 
 
 I
 
 i 
 
 
 Band shell in Grant Park, where "Under the Stars" concerts were begun 
 in 1937. 
 
 As revenues dried up, public services failed. Streets and alleys went 
 unpaved, garbage uncollected, the traction system deteriorated. Fire 
 protection services suffered, and murder, burglary, automobile theft 
 and robbery reached the highest point in the city's history. School 
 children were forced to attend classes in crowded classrooms and 
 wooden portable makeshifts. 
 
 Property values fell, blighted areas spread and, for the first time 
 since Chicago was founded, people and business began moving out 
 of the city. Not since the great fire of 1871 had the people of Chicago 
 faced a more hopeless outlook. 
 
 The turning point came in 1933. One of the first steps of the new 
 administration was to secure the necessary cooperation of state legisla- 
 ture. Federal government, private banks and investment houses. By 
 securing local allocations of Federal public works, by securing Recon- 
 struction Finance Corporation loans and by putting Chicago's finan- 
 cial house in order, the city government was able to put tens of thou- 
 sands of citizens to work on needed municipal projects. 
 
 As part of a psychological attack on the depression. Mayor Kelly 
 secured the retention of A Century of Progress for a second year and 
 launched a series of city-wide and neighborhood promotional cam-
 
 Old county school, razed in 1936. On the same site (below) . . . 
 
 paigns which helped to attract tens of thousands of visitors to Chicago, 
 stimulate commerce, revive industry and re-instill a spirit of general 
 optimism. 
 
 When war came to America, Chicago had regained its former 
 position among the great metropolitan centers of the world and was 
 ready to undertake its new role as builder of war materials; railroad, 
 highway, waterway and airline shipper; training center for armed 
 personnel, and warm-hearted host to the service men and women of 
 the allied world. 
 
 With Mayor Kelly acting as local co-ordinator of the Chicago 
 Metropolitan Area, Chicago established a Civilian Defense organiza- 
 
 New Dever elementary school, constructed in 1936.
 
 Curve in Lake Shore Drive in Grant Park as it appears today. 
 
 tion which became a model for other OCD organizations throughout 
 the land. In addition, Chicago met every patriotic demand with a full 
 measure of service and devotion. Every war bond drive, appeal for 
 Red Cross or other funds, call for blood, and recruiting campaign 
 exceeded its quota. 
 
 The four Service Men's Centers operated by the Chicago Commis- 
 sion on National Defense, under the co-leadership of Mayor Kelly 
 and his wife, entertained more than fifteen million service men and 
 women and brought expressions of gratitude from every corner of 
 the allied world. No other city in America could show a comparable 
 program of hospitality. 
 
 Outstanding Achievements 
 
 The following pages outline what are perhaps the outstanding 
 achievements of the City of Chicago since 1933. 
 
 Sound Credit. In the past fourteen years Chicago's credit has been 
 placed on a sound basis, interest rates on city bonds reduced from 6 
 to IJ^ per cent and on tax warrants from 6 to 1 1/8 per cent. 
 
 Salaries Paid. Unpaid salaries and current obligations left over from 
 previous administrations and amounting to $22,500,000 have been paid 
 off and the city placed on a cash basis. 
 
 Debt Reduced. The city's bonded debt has been rduced from 
 1133,800,000 to approximately $30,000,000, or 76 per cent. Tax antici- 
 pation warrants have been reduced from $65,000,000 to $40,300,000, or 
 more than 38 per cent. Chicago has been given one of the most eco- 
 nomical administrations in the United States, with the lowest number
 
 of city employees per capita of any large city in the land, according 
 to United States Census Bureau data. 
 
 Crime Cut. The blot of gangsterism, racketeering and crime has 
 been erased from Chicago's shield. Murder has been cut over 32 per 
 cent since 1933; robbery, 76 per cent, and other crimes in proportion. 
 Automobile thefts were reduced from 26,660 in 1933 to less than 3,000 
 in 1946, or 88 per cent, and insurance rates lowered as a result. "Fix- 
 ing" of traffic violations was stopped. All this was accomplished at the 
 lowest per capita cost of any big city. 
 
 Lott' Fire Losses. Chicago's fire losses, which had reached $13,000,000 
 in 1927, fell to their lowest point in 1935. During the past fourteen 
 years, they have been the lowest since the turn of the century. Insur- 
 ance rates have been reduced accordingly and Chicago's fire fighting 
 techniques adopted by other cities. All this, at the lowest per capita 
 cost for fire protection of any large American city. 
 
 Health Protected. Since 1933, Chicago's public health services have 
 reached a new peak of efficiency in terms of human lives and 
 health. The infant death rate has been cut 58.8 per cent to the lowest 
 point in the city's history. The maternal mortality rate has been cut 
 63 per cent. 
 
 A//7^ for Babies. Chicago has become the only city in the land to 
 supply free mother's milk to babies at its breast-milk station. Home 
 incubator service and incubator ambulance service have been inaug- 
 urated and the lives of prematurely born infants thus saved. 
 
 V . D. Center. Chicago has established the first large intensive treat- 
 
 This is the same scene as the one on the preceding page — minus the 
 landscaping, roadbuilding and other improvements brought about during 
 the administration of Mayor Kelly.
 
 ■-^itaSis3!l«*i»..- 
 
 
 tV .it. 
 
 -^•'^w »i 
 
 The outer link bridge (upper left) at the mouth of the Chicago River, 
 as viewed from the east. In the foreground may be seen the Flood Control 
 and Navigation locks, under construction in 1937.
 
 ment center and venereal disease hospital in the country. Among the 
 first million service men inducted, Chicago selectees had only half the 
 average percentage of syphilis, and only one-fifth the average for 
 other large cities. 
 
 Contagion Cut. Smallpox has been practically eliminated from 
 Chicago by supplying free vaccine to physicians. By control of the 
 city's milk and water supply the typhoid rate has been cut 82 per 
 cent, and milk-borne epidemics ended. The tuberculosis death rate 
 has been cut twenty per cent. Dental care has been given to approxi- 
 mately 160,000 without cost. 
 
 Teachers Paid. The record shows that under Mayor Kelly, payless 
 pay days have been abolished for teachers and wooden portable schools 
 for children. A 3^40,000,000 school building program has given Chi- 
 cago school children nine new high schools, 30 new elementary 
 schools, 14 new high school additions and 40 new elementary school 
 additions. Two new Junior Colleges have been estabhshed, giving the 
 city three in all. The two-year Normal College has been replaced by a 
 four-year Teachers College with degrees upon graduation. 
 
 Netv Kindergartens. The number of kindergartens has been in- 
 creased so that every Chicago child can now attend. By means of spe- 
 cial courses 116,000 civilians were trained for National Defense and 
 work in war industries in Chicago's public schools. 
 
 Vocational Schools. Evening high schools have been enlarged and 
 evening junior college vocational and technical courses established to 
 widen opportunity for employed youth and adults. War veterans to 
 the number of 11,629 are being trained and prepared for crafts and 
 professions in Chicago's public schools. 
 
 The Chicago Vocational School became the most advanced United 
 States Navy school in the country before its return to the Chicago 
 school system in 1946. 
 
 Subway Built. A dream of generations of Chicago civic leaders has 
 become a reality with the opening of the main branch — the State 
 Street route — of Chicago's rapid transit subway. The second branch — 
 the Milwaukee Avenue-Dearborn Street-Congress Street route — is 
 nearing completion. The city's disrupted, run-down traction system 
 has been unified, modernized and reorganized preparatory to public 
 operation for the benefit of the people of Chicago. 
 
 Waterways Improved. Extensive Lake-to-Gulf Waterway improve- 
 ments, long sought, have come into existence. The Calumet and Little 
 Calumet Rivers have been straightened, widened and dredged, and 
 terminal facilities constructed. Eleven new bridges have been rebuilt, 
 12 reconstructed. The north branch of the Chicago River has been 
 
 7
 
 _-?«*l».J'^ 
 
 President Roosevelt came to Chicago to dedicate the Outer Link Bridge 
 in 1937. 
 
 rehabilitated from Albany to Lawndale Avenue. Navy Pier has been 
 rehabilitated for year-round use, during the war by the United States 
 Navy, today by the University of Illinois for veteran education. 
 
 Airport Expansion. Not only has the Municipal Airport been quad- 
 rupled in size and modernized, but steps have been taken to make 
 Chicago the air capital of the globe by constructing the world's 
 greatest airport on the Douglas site at the northwest edge of the city, 
 and building an airport for shuttle service on Chicago's lakefront 
 Northerly Island. 
 
 Money Saved. Fourteen major grade separations have been com- 
 pleted at a saving of more than $2,000,000 to Chicago taxpayers by the 
 use of WPA labor. Two major and two other parkway improvements 
 were undertaken and Navy Pier Park improved. Thirty new recrea- 
 tional units have been established — nine regularly equipped play- 
 grounds, 17 playlots and playfields, and four recreational centers. 
 Rainbow Beach has been developed from Seventy-fifth to Seventy- 
 ninth Streets. 
 
 In the past fourteen years 48.7 miles of new concrete pavement and 
 49.1 miles of new asphalt pavement have been laid, financed almost 
 
 8
 
 entirely out of gasoline tax funds and at a saving of 25 per cent com- 
 pared with former costs. Besides this regular program, the city co- 
 operated with WPA between 1933 and 1939 to build 562 miles of 
 penetration macadam and 17 miles of cement bound macadam streets. 
 
 Streets Repaved. Almost 21,000,000 square yards of asphalt and 
 brick pavement have been re-surfaced, compared with 13,299,000 
 square yards in the previous twenty-one years. Some 1,300,000 feet of 
 sewers and nearly 9,000,000 square feet of sidewalk repairs and re- 
 placements have been constructed without special assessment or other 
 added cost. 
 
 Filtration Plant. Construction of the South Side filtration plant, 
 which will assure pure water at all times, is nearing completion. 
 
 Streets Repaired. Improvements in the street lighting system include 
 the installation of 10,000 new street lights and the institution of 
 operating economies to the extent of $100,000 a year. Improved meth- 
 ods of collecting refuse have helped make Chicago a clean city at a 
 lower per capita cost. 
 
 Chicago's greatest program of street repairs, sewer construction and 
 general physical improvements has been completed at an annual sav- 
 ing to the taxpayers of $6,000,000. 
 
 Public Paries. The era just ended saw the merger of 22 former park 
 districts, 18 of which had defaulted their bonds and 9 of which were 
 in arrears in salary payments, and their placement on a solid financial 
 basis. Practically the entire area of Burnham and Grant Parks has 
 been rebuilt since 1934, embellished, lighted, improved and made one 
 of the finest lakefront parks in the world. All park boulevards and all 
 twelve bathing beaches have been improved to make them more 
 serviceable to the people of Chicago, 
 
 Outer Drive. The Outer Drive bridge has been completed and the 
 entire Lake Shore drive widened, improved, equipped with bridges, 
 underpasses, passerelles and traffic controls so as to provide a 17-mile 
 continuous scenic drive from Foster Avenue (5200 north) to Jackson 
 Park (6700 south). 
 
 Building Code. The city's antiquated building code was replaced 
 in 1939 by a modern code to facilitate construction. The Chicago 
 Housing Authority was organized and eleven housing projects have 
 been constructed on the site of former slums, thus providing low cost 
 housing for thousands of low-income families, colored and white. 
 
 Unified Department of Law. Since 1935, the various separate law 
 offices of the city have been re-organized into a single, efficient Law 
 I Department under a single Corporation Counsel. By combining the 
 ' offices of the former Attorney for the Board of Local Improvements,
 
 The construction of the subway was an herculean engineering jo 
 carried out under an engineer-mayor. 
 
 City Attorney, City Prosecutor, Fire Attorney and Water Attorney, 
 Chicago's enforcement of ordinances, collection of city claims, protec- 
 tion against suits, its research activities, and other duties have become 
 a model for other cities of the land. Important home rule rights have 
 been won for Chicago. 
 
 Making Chicago Greater 
 
 During the era now ending, Chicago has beaten a depression, hit 
 a new stride in its war effort, and is now moving toward new indus- 
 trial and civic horizons. In doing so, it is notable that all departments 
 of the city government and all elements of non-governmental Chicago 
 have worked together in singular harmony. As head of the city gov- 
 ernment, the Mayor has enjoyed the complete cooperation of the 
 city's department heads, its officials and the rank and file employees 
 whose unpublicized, day-by-day labors have in large measure made 
 Chicago's progress possible. He has also enjoyed the full cooperation 
 of business, labor, industrial, professional, and cultural groups. 
 
 In every war effort, Chicagoans of all faiths, of all national origins 
 and racial strains have worked together to hasten victory. In every 
 
 10
 
 peace effort they have raUied to the aid of their city to make business, 
 cultural, and civic progress possible. 
 
 By means of this united "I will" spirit, the Mayor, the city govern- 
 ment and leading citizens have attracted to the Chicago Metropolitan 
 Area war plants representing an investment of more than $500,000,000 
 and providing employment for approximately 100,000. Because of this 
 cooperation most of these industries will remain here — a potential 
 source of wealth, productivity and employment. 
 
 Supported by pubhc opinion. Mayor Kelly has personally assumed 
 the lead in securing the cooperation of organized industry and 
 management to the end that the wheels of industry keep rolling. As 
 a result Chicago's industries were free from major strikes throughout 
 the war, and are relatively free from major conflicts today. Aided by 
 leading representatives of religious, business and civic groups, the ad- 
 ministration has helped eliminate discrimination in employment, 
 housing and other practices. 
 
 It was a big moment in the subway opening ceremonies when Mayor Kelly 
 rut the ribbon. 
 
 II
 
 One of the great Constellation airliners which are today arriving and 
 departing from the Municipal Airport. . ^. 
 
 Postwar Problems 
 
 The end of 1946 found Chicago bearing the full impact of postwar 
 reconversion. Returning servicemen competing for homes, focused at- 
 tention on the fact that our houses were 146,000 too few to meet 
 demands. Deteriorating facilities spotlighted the necessity for clearing 
 away a backlog of $900 million of public construction, accumulated 
 during ten years of wartime economy and building restrictions. Con- 
 gested local rail transportation and an outgrown municipal airport 
 called for prompt action in rebuilding and expanding transit facilities, 
 and in constructing a new airport which will make Chicago the air 
 center of the globe, as it already is the nation's rail and highway center. 
 
 In every case, the required initial steps have been taken by our 
 city government. Handicapping Chicago, however, as it has all other 
 cities in the land, has been the revolt of Congress against measures 
 providing Federal aid for municipal projects. More vulnerable than 
 any other large city, Chicago lacks not only home rule powers, but 
 the cooperation it requires from its parent state to carry out these vital 
 postwar projects. 
 
 Unless the present session of Congress reinstitutes Federal aid or 
 the State of Illinois takes similar action, the City of Chicago will face 
 a new financial crisis by 1948. 
 
 In referring to "state aid" and "Federal aid," it must be remembered 
 that more than 90 per cent of all taxes collected by Federal, state and 
 local governments come from our cities. City enterprises and city dwel- 
 lers produce approximately 73 per cent of the nation's annual income 
 and provide two-thirds of all state revenue. Only one-fourth of these 
 
 12
 
 A scale model designed by engineers of the Chicago Plan Commission to 
 help envision housing in the Chicago of tomorrow. 
 
 city-derived billions, however, is allotted back to our local governments 
 in the form of "Federal aid" and "state aid" to finance city projects. 
 
 Home Rule Needed 
 
 "Federal aid" and "state aid" are merely legal devices for reallocat- 
 ing to city governments a fraction of the money the cities pay in the 
 form of taxes. This device is necessary in the absence of legal powers 
 by cities to raise the money they need or to control the money raised 
 by the Federal and state governments for local requirements. 
 
 Aggravating Chicago's financial helplessness is its inability to secure 
 an equitable distribution of state funds raised from city sources, in 
 accordance with wealth, population or other economic criteria. Chi- 
 cago's repeated efforts to secure even a modicum of home rule, to 
 secure a new state constitution, to secure amendment of the state's 
 antiquated revenue section or to secure a legal means of facilitating 
 amendment have so far proved vain. 
 
 Chicago's methods of financing its activities, the very amounts it 
 can raise by real estate taxes, the assessed valuation of property for 
 tax purposes, and the amount of its license fees are all rigidly con- 
 trolled by the state. Our archaic state revenue act compels the City of 
 Chicago to raise the bulk of its corporate revenue from taxes on our 
 over-burdened local real estate. The State of Illinois now holds ap- 
 
 13
 
 Everything was free at Chicago's famous Servicemen's Centers sponsored 
 by Mayor Kelly. 
 
 proximately $75 million derived from the 2 per cent retail sales tax 
 in surplus funds. Most of this surplus came from Cook County origin- 
 ally and should he reallocated to it for local use. 
 
 Economically the second most important city in the new world, 
 potentially the greatest, Chicago is legally the most restricted. The 
 portion of state-collected revenues allocated to Illinois cities is far be- 
 low the average for the United States. The share which trickles down 
 to Chicago is by far the most meager of any major city in the land. 
 Other cities not only receive portions of state-collected taxes in accord- 
 ance with their size or needs, but enjoy powers of raising revenues 
 through sales taxes, payroll taxes and other modern methods. 
 
 The hostility of rural downstate Illinois toward any measures 
 benefitting Chicago, have been reinforced by the state legislature's 
 refusal to redistrict the state so as to give Chicago its proportionate 
 representation in Springfield. The gerrymandered state legislature 
 refuses to grant Chicago the full legal rights it needs to solve its own 
 problems. 
 
 The only tax the State of Illinois shares with Chicago and other 
 cities is one-third of the $50,000,000 motor fuel tax, or about $16 mil- 
 lion. By way of contrast. New York's new state-aid plan provides for 
 
 14
 
 A huge throng in Soldier Field, Grant Park. 
 
 a return to the cities of more than $87 milHon of 1946 state taxes, plus 
 other forms of assistance for a grand total of $307 miUion. 
 
 Chicago's lack of municipal home rule has crippled its power to 
 cope with its housing problem and clear its slums. A vigorous fight 
 for home rule, undertaken in cooperation with other cities in the state, 
 is the number one recommendation to our successors in office of the 
 retiring administration. Municipal home rule, which will give Chicago 
 the legal power enjoyed by every other major city in the land, is the 
 only instrument which will keep our marvelous city from slipping 
 back into the financial, physical and moral decay from which it was 
 rescued in 1933. 
 
 Chicago's steel mills did a mighty war job. 
 
 15
 
 fflrmiiffli 
 
 THE CITY HALL 
 
 The City-County building was completed in 1911 at a cost of approx- 
 imately $11,000,000. The City Hall constitutes the west half of the 
 building, which occupies the square block bounded by La Salle, Ran- 
 dolph, Clark and Washington Streets. The east half is occupied by 
 the government of Cook County. It is interesting to note that since 
 the acquisition of the site in 1831, the City and the County have 
 jointly occupied the same building. 
 
 The structure was designed by Holabird and Root. It is twelve 
 stories in height, resting on caissons extending approximately 100 
 feet below the street grade, to bed rock. It is built of structural steel, 
 with tile arch floor construction. The exterior, classical in design, 
 is of Minnesota granite. 
 
 Principal features of the space provided within the City Hall side 
 of the building include the spacious and beautifully paneled City 
 Council Chambers on the second floor, the Mayor's office on the fifth 
 floor, and Court Rooms on the ninth and eleventh floors. The 
 balance of the space is used for administrative offices of the various 
 departments. 
 16
 
 chief executive of a vasf municipal 
 
 corporation — every act of which is 
 
 performed subject to laws of the 
 
 sovereign State of Illinois 
 
 Two years after Mayor Kelly had taken office, the painstaking 
 New York Times made a study of the new city administration. On 
 March 4, 1935, it published the result of this study. In part it read: 
 
 "He (Mayor Kelly) turned one of the worst governed cities into 
 one of the best governed. He made deep cuts into the cost of govern- 
 ment. Instead of spending greatly, he has saved greatly. He is a good 
 model for mayors and even officers of loftier titles!" 
 
 Similar reports by B. C. Forbes, widely syndicated financial writer, 
 the Cleveland Press, the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, and other 
 newspapers, press services and national magazines followed. Cor- 
 roborating these popular interpretations of what occurred after 1933 
 were the statistical studies of the United States Census Bureau. 
 
 Throughout the past fourteen years, these official studies have 
 repeatedly shown the City of Chicago to be the most economically 
 operated large city in the United States. They have shown per capita 
 costs far below the average for other American cities, per capita public 
 employment well below that of any city of comparable size. 
 
 Administrative Head 
 
 As the city's chief executive, the Mayor bears the legal responsibility 
 for administering the city's services. However, to be fully effective, he 
 must have the cooperation of other bodies, official and unofficial. These 
 include the City Council, elected from the city's fifty wards, which 
 legislates for the city. They include the other governments — local, 
 
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 18
 
 state and Federal — which aflfect the city's destiny. Perhaps, fully as im- 
 portant are the unofficial groups and organizations, the leaders 
 and welders of public opinion, who control the city's economic, social 
 and cultural life. 
 
 Legally, the City of Chicago is a corporation, its powers as rigidly 
 defined by the parent state, as any private corporation. It is only within 
 the circumscribed range of these powers that the Mayor and the 
 City Council may operate. These powers do not, by any means, in- 
 clude all the local governmental powers authorized by the state. For 
 sharing in local government are six major governing bodies: the City 
 of Chicago, the Board of Education, the Chicago Park District, Cook 
 County, the Cook County Forest Preserve District and the Chicago 
 Sanitary District. 
 
 Completely independent of the Mayor and the City corporation, 
 their members elected by the people, in fact, are the County Commis- 
 sioners, who also act as the Forest Preserve Commissioners, and the 
 Sanitary District Commissioners. Almost completely independent of 
 the City are the Board of Education and the Park District, whose 
 members are appointed by the Mayor. More-or-less independent also 
 are the Public Library, the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium, and 
 the Chicago Transit Authority. These municipal bodies derive their 
 powers directly from the State legislature, administer, sue and can be 
 sued in court. Even their tax revenues are fixed by state law, 
 except the Transit Authority which receives no tax revenues. 
 
 Any study of Chicago's complicated governmental structure indi- 
 cates the need for co-ordination of local governmental policies and 
 programs. For only by teamwork can such local problems as financing, 
 police and fire protection, public health, sanitation, education and 
 recreation be met. This teamwork is necessary not only between the 
 various local governments but between the City, the State and the 
 Federal government. 
 
 /Vo Legal Autonomy 
 
 Unlike other American cities, the City of Chicago enjoys no legal 
 autonomy. Other states have granted their cities independent powers 
 appropriate to their size, wealth and needs. But not so the sovereign 
 State of Illinois. Chicago is the second most important city, in size 
 and economic power, in the western hemisphere — the fourth in the 
 world — yet it enjoys no greater basic home rule rights today than 
 it had when the General Assembly in 1829 authorized three commis- 
 sioners to lay out towns along the proposed Illinois River-Lake Michi- 
 gan canal and the resulting plat, filed on August 4, 1830, became the 
 "Original Town of Chicago." Organized as a town in 1833, as a city 
 in 1837, it has remained a legal infant for more than a hundred years. 
 
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 20
 
 Undoubtedly the biggest, most impotent municipal infant in the 
 world, the City of Chicago must function within a sphere rigidly 
 drawn by the parent state, the state legislature and the state courts. 
 These activities consist of the police and housekeeping functions of 
 maintaining police, fire, public health services, building and maintain- 
 ing streets, alleys, sewers, street lights, parks, benches and playgrounds. 
 
 Action taken by the Mayor and the City Council must at all times 
 conform with state laws in parallel fields. Even the revenue raised 
 through local taxes to finance these housekeeping functions is fixed 
 by State law. 
 
 Because of the necessity to secure special enabling legislation each 
 time before it can undertake any new or unauthorized function, one 
 of Mayor Kelly's main roles has been winning cooperation of the 
 Governor and State Legislature. Complicating this problem is a tra- 
 ditional, deep-seated, rural, down-state antipathy to big city plans, 
 coupled with the Assembly's persistent refusal to redistrict the state 
 according to population so that Chicago, Cook County and other 
 urban areas may be fairly represented. 
 
 Federal Aid Sought 
 
 During the depression and throughout the war, Mayor Kelly and 
 the City of Chicago, have had repeatedly to turn to the Federal gov- 
 ernment for aid unobtainable from the State to finance vital city 
 functions, undertake necessary public works, put unemployed people 
 to work and even administer the war emergency services of civilian 
 defense. 
 
 Aiding the Mayor and the City Council in these activities have been 
 a varying number of special commissions, committees and agencies, 
 created by the City Council and appointed by the Mayor. Some of 
 these official bodies exist only long enough to perform some tempo- 
 rary — though important — function. Others — like the Civil Service 
 Commission and the Chicago Plan Commission — which are authorized 
 by specific state law — function continuously as city agencies. 
 
 Since 1933, these temporary agencies have been extremely important 
 in keeping Chicago ahead. They have served to mobiHze the city's 
 leaders; unite its varied racial, religious, economic and social groups; 
 and provide the Mayor with invaluable advice and citizen leadership. 
 They have helped the Mayor keep labor-management relations on an 
 even keel, attract new commercial and industrial enterprises, promote 
 tourist travel to Chicago, foster recreational and cultural programs, 
 and keep Chicago morale high in war and in peace. 
 
 21 
 
 \
 
 
 Another great bridge will soon be added to this scene when work on the 
 State Street Bridge (visible in the foreground) is completed. 
 
 new 
 
 22
 
 President Tninian, with Mayor Kelly, reviews the Army Day Parade, 1946. 
 
 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MAYOR 
 
 The mayor of a large city like Chicago, by the very nature of his 
 job, must be more than merely the head of the city's government. His 
 duties are not confined to a day-to-day direction of routine municipal 
 affairs or conferences with engineers and city planners to keep Chicago 
 moving ever forward in its countless ramifications as the fourth largest 
 city in the world. 
 
 He is not only the chief executive, but must assume, as well, the 
 role of a good-will ambassador. These "ex-officio" activities are 
 not only important but time-consuming. A free evening with his 
 family is rare indeed, for he must attend endless banquets, public 
 gatherings, special events, dedication and award ceremonies, and make 
 many trips and countless speeches. 
 
 The mayor is ex-officio convention manager and promoter, to lure 
 new business and industries to the city. He is arbitrator, when the 
 occasion arises, between management and labor, always endeavoring 
 to maintain the city's reputation as a good labor town. He is emissary 
 extraordinary at the national and state capitals to see that Chicago's 
 rights and those of its people are protected. 
 
 23
 
 Mayor Kelly reviews troops which participated in ceremonies on the 
 occasion of awards to himself and Mrs. Kelly by the War Department 
 and American Veterans Committee of the Roosevelt College Chapter, for 
 their leadership of Chicago Service Men's Centers. 
 
 Appears Before Congressional Committees 
 
 Mayor Kelly made many special trips to Washington, appearing 
 before Congressional committees to plead the cause of the small busi- 
 ness man, when the United States was mobilizing industry and man- 
 ufacturing for defense production. He wanted to make certain that 
 the "little fellow" got sufficient war contracts to keep him in business. 
 
 He also appeared before other committees in Washington to urge 
 
 24
 
 action on the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes Seaway; to press the rights 
 of Chicago and other cities to adequate Federal aid in building air- 
 ports; to plead for and demand greater water diversion from Lake 
 Michigan to protect the health of Chicago's people; and to urge 
 immediate action on behalf of Chicago's housing crisis. 
 
 He inaugurated the opening of direct airplane service to London 
 by making the first flight, and on the same trip headed a delegation 
 of prominent citizens who carried Chicago's bid to become the head- 
 quarters for the United Nations organization. As "ambassador," his 
 activities in Washington and Springfield made Chicago's subway 
 possible, and brought about passage of state legislation that resulted in 
 implementing Chicago's plan for public ownership of its local trans- 
 portation system. Legislation to enable Chicago to launch a slum 
 clearance program was obtained in the same manner, involving a 
 journey to Washington to urge passage of the Wagner-Ellender-Taft 
 bill. 
 
 President U. S. Conference of Mayors 
 
 Mayor Kelly has attended the U. S. Conference of Mayors for four- 
 teen of its fifteen years, and played an important part in helping to 
 shape the municipal policies and reforms sponsored by that organiza- 
 tion. He was elected president of the Conference in 1945. At the 
 January, 1947 meeting he reviewed the achievements of the U. S. Con- 
 ference of Mayors since the body was formed in 1932. 
 
 The Chicago Civil Liberties Committee presented Mayor Kelly with 
 
 At a State Street Council dinner — left to right, David B. Mayer, council 
 president, Merrill C. Meigs, chairman of tlie Aero Commission and Mayor 
 Kelly. 
 
 25
 
 their 1946 Annual Award for Meritorious Service to Civil Liberty and 
 American Democracy. The award was made primarily on the basis of 
 Mayor Kelly's personal efforts to maintain and protect the rights of 
 Negro citizens in Chicago. 
 
 The mayor is also the affable host to visiting dignitaries, as well as 
 to hundreds of technological, professional, business, religious and 
 cultural organizations which select Chicago as their convention city. 
 And when funds are to be raised, it is the mayor who is called upon 
 to be the city's philanthropic agent, heading up campaigns and drives 
 of varied and wide appeal, such as the Community Fund, Red Cross, 
 March of Dimes, Christmas Seals, Boy Scouts, Salvation Army and a 
 host of other worthy causes. He's chairman of them all! 
 
 Promotes Special Events 
 
 In addition to all these manifold activities, the mayor initiates and 
 helps promote events of a civic nature that has made Chicago known 
 round the world for its hospitality, and recreational and sports events. 
 An outstanding example of this initiative is the Service Men's Centers, 
 inaugurated by Mayor Kelly during the war and conducted with the 
 aid of Mrs. Kelly for the benefit of service men. Typical of super- 
 events that have brought Chicago wide acclaim are: 
 
 Chicago's Own Christmas Benefit — Inaugurated in 1933, with its 
 annual Night of Stars, its annual public-parochial school football 
 championship in Soldier Field, and its annual basketball champion- 
 ship, Chicago's Own Christmas Benefit made it possible to contribute 
 a total of nearly $3,000,000 to Chicago's needy during the depression. 
 
 General Dwight Eisenhower, Georges Pierre Lavalley, Mayor of St. Lo, 
 France, and Edward J. Kelly, Mayor ol" Chicago, at the 1947 United 
 States Conference of Mayors. 
 
 26
 
 Joan Crawford and Irving Berlin, with Mayor Kelly, after having per- 
 formed their own stage stint at an annual "Night of Stars" Christmas 
 benefit show. 
 
 These events have continued for the past fourteen years and the pro- 
 ceeds have been given to worthy causes. 
 
 "Century of Progress" — At Mayor Kelly's instigation, a repeat per- 
 formance of this great world's fair was given in 1934, with spectacular 
 success. An attendance of 100,000,000 equaled that of the previous year 
 and gave Chicago business a needed lift at that time. 
 
 Keeping Chicago Safe — This event, held in 1934, was for the pur- 
 pose of promoting traffic safety. It was a city-wide drive, with pro- 
 grams featuring "Town Meetings" in hundreds of communities, con- 
 ducted by local civic leaders and service organizations. Teachers and 
 schools also participated in driving home the slogan "Keep Chicago 
 Safe." 
 
 Drama of Chicago on Parade — -A special event which brought the 
 people of Chicago together, attracted many out-of-town visitors and 
 helped create good will for Chicago throughout the nation, was held 
 in Soldier Field in 1935 before an audience of 100,000. Many auxiliary 
 community celebrations were held. 
 
 Home Coming — A community project with miniature street fairs, 
 featuring dancing in the streets which were gayly decorated. Its object 
 was to stimulate business for local merchants, who were feeling the 
 depression in that year of 1936. Residents of communities wrote to 
 relatives and friends, inviting them to "Home Coming" week. 
 
 Chicago's Charter Jubilee — A celebration of Chicago's one- 
 
 27
 
 hundredth anniversary as an incorporated city in 1937 included scores 
 of pageants, spectacles and special events which attracted nation-wide 
 attention and thousands of visitors. Memorable among these events 
 was President Roosevelt's historic "quarantine the aggressor" bridge 
 speech, delivered at the dedication ceremonies of the Outer Drive Link 
 Bridge. 
 
 Grant Par/{ Concerts — Chicago's famous public [lark concerts 
 "Under the Stars," begun in 1937, with many world-famous soloists 
 appearing on programs, brought to Chicago's lake front not only the 
 largest crowds in the history of the city but in the history of amuse- 
 ments throughout the nation. The popularity of these concerts, which 
 have been annual summer events, is still undiminished. 
 
 Chicago's New Century — Following Chicago's Charter Jubilee 
 in 1937, the beginning of our new Century was celebrated in 
 1938, as another link in the program to "Keep Chicago Ahead" by 
 stimulating civic pride. In addition to Grant Park, band concerts were 
 held in Jackson, Lincoln and Garfield parks as well as many com- 
 munity celebrations. 
 
 Preparedness Parade — Few citizens will ever forget Chicago's 
 gigantic, all-day long and far-into-the night Preparedness Parade, 
 held in I'Ml. This was one of the most dramatic expressions 
 
 Taking off for London, to carry C.hicai!;o''s offer of permanent head- 
 qnarters to the United Nations. Left to right. Corporation Counsel Barnet 
 Hodes, Leverett S. Lvon. \^ illiani L. McFetridge, Dr. Curtis McDougall 
 and Mayor Kelly. 
 
 28
 
 Lily Pons, Metropolitan Opera star, at Grant Park concert, July, 1939. 
 
 of community spirit ever held in defense of democracy and did much 
 to unify and prepare Chicago for the all-out war effort in which she 
 distinguished herself. 
 
 In peace or war, the Mayor has participated in all these activities, 
 lending his executive ability, the prestige of his office and his personal 
 presence to assure their success. A full-sized job for the average man, 
 they have been entirely ex-officio to the colossal job of being Mayor 
 of the City of Chicago. 
 
 Presenting the 1936 award to champions of the public-parochial school 
 football game, an annual event for "Chicago's Own Christmas Benefit." 
 
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 29
 
 Mayor Edward J. Kelly gives a key to the city to one of its younger citi- 
 zens — an act symbolic of the city's determination to provide modern 
 housing in which each community will, in reality, be a "children's city." 
 
 30
 
 PLAQUES and CITATIONS 
 
 on Display in Mayor's Office January, 1947 
 
 Plaque— 1942 
 
 Grand Award — National Traffic Safety Contest, presented by National 
 
 Safety Council to the City of Chicago. 
 
 Plaque— 1942 
 
 Presented to Chicago in the National Pedestrian Protection Contest 
 for first place in cities of over 500,000, in a tie with the City of Detroit^ 
 by the American Automobile Association. Also, in 1941, an Honorable 
 Mention plaque was presented to Chicago in a similar contest, 
 
 4 Plaques awarded to Chicago for 1 943- 1 944- 1 945- 1 946. by the 
 National Noise Abatement Council for distinguished service to the 
 Council's effort to eliminate noise. 
 
 Honorable Award Citation to Mayor Edward J. Kelly by the Business 
 Division Chairman — Government Section — for generous support of 
 our armed forces, our allies and our home front, from the Community 
 and War Fund. 
 
 1942 — American Legion, Department of Illinois, Citation to Mayor 
 Edward J. Kelly for the establishment and maintenance of the Chicago 
 Service Men Centers. 
 
 1942 — Citation from the United States Navy Recruiting Station of 
 Chicago for devotion to recruiting during Chicago's Navy Month, 
 June 1942. 
 
 1942 — Citation from Central Lion's Club of Illinois to Mayor Edward J. 
 Kelly, in appreciation for hospitality and services rendered to members 
 of our armed forces through the Chicago Service Men Centers. 
 
 1942 — Citation, Cook County Council American Legion — in apprecia- 
 tion for support given Independence Day celebration at Soldier Field. 
 
 1943 — Citation from the Salvation Army Association of Chicago for 
 friendship and aid given their organization. 
 
 1944 — Citation and Annual Award to Mayor Edward J. Kelly from 
 the Metropolitan Chicago Home Builders' Association, for cooperating 
 with their plans. 
 
 1945 — Citation from War Production Board to Mayor Edward J. Kelly 
 for meritorious services rendered. 
 
 31
 
 Chicago won first place 
 in the Pedestrian Pro- 
 tection Contest, held in 
 1942 by the American 
 Automobile Association 
 for cities over 500,000. 
 Mayor Kelly accepts the 
 award from Charles M. 
 Hayes, president of the 
 Chicago Motor Club. 
 
 1945 
 
 Citation from Marine Corps League, Chicago Detachment No. I, to 
 Mayor Edward J. Kelly, for devotion to his country and to his community. 
 
 Citation from Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard to Mayor and 
 Mrs. Edward J. Kelly for Chicago Service Men Centers. 
 
 Citation from Disabled American Veterans to Mayor Edward J. Kelly 
 and the City of Chicago for hospitality to the members of armed 
 forcesof World War II. 
 
 Citation from Roosevelt College, South Side Chapter, to Mayor and 
 Mrs. Edward J. Kelly for achievements in establishing and maintaining 
 Chicago's renowned Service Men Centers. 
 
 Citation from Cook County Council American Legion, for hospitality 
 extended to the members of the armed forces of World War II by 
 Chicago's Service Men Centers. 
 
 Citations to Mayor and Mrs. Edward J. Kelly from the U, S. War 
 Department, for outstanding services to the special projects division 
 of the Army Corps Civilian Advisory Committee, Sixth Service 
 Command. 
 
 Citation from U. S. Navy to Mayor Edward J. Kelly, for diligence, 
 unselfish and devoted Interest in the U.S. Navy affairs In the Ninth 
 Naval District. 
 
 Citation from the U. S. Treasury Department — a Victory Award to 
 Mayor Edward J. Kelly, In appreciation of outstanding services in 
 support of Victory War Loans. 
 
 32
 
 i-SS^i 
 
 iW' kW&S M 
 
 I .;Si ihfi""rifftliigllir i 
 
 sr vSi ^ 
 
 
 s 
 
 w*i: 
 
 Navy Shore Patrolmen line up for morning inspection in Grant Park. 
 
 CHICAGO AT 
 
 An unforgeftable demonsfrafion of city 
 leadership in a time of national peril. 
 
 At 11 o'clock on the morning of October 25, 1946, a battalion of 
 troops led by a military band paraded through the loop, wheeled into 
 La Salle Street and came to attention before the entrance to the 
 City Hall. 
 
 Then, while thousands of Chicagoans watched, Lt. General W. R. 
 Walker presented Mayor and Mrs. Edward J. Kelly with the Award 
 of Merit— the Army's highest honor paid to civilians for distinguished 
 service in the war. 
 
 This presentation — the only one of its kind celebrated throughout 
 
 33
 
 Chicago Servicemen's Center Number 1 was located on Washington Street 
 less than a block from the City Hall. 
 
 the nation to be accompanied by military pomp and the ceremonial 
 dignity usually reserved for heroes of the armed forces — was more 
 than a personal honor paid to two citizens; it was at the same time 
 symbolic of and a fitting chmax to a record of achievement in the 
 war effort unequaled by any other city in the United States. 
 
 How Chicago Led the JSation 
 
 Chicago consistently led all other cities in all phases of the war 
 efifort. Chicago produced more war goods — both in volume and in 
 
 34
 
 variety of material — than any other community in the nation. And 
 this was accompUshed with the absolute minimum of labor disturb- 
 ances. At no time during the war was there a single work stoppage 
 due to labor disputes which prevented any war contractor from meet- 
 ing his shipment schedule. 
 
 Chicago led all other cities in the sale of war bonds, enlistments 
 and salvage collection. The conservation of grease and fats originated 
 in Chicago, and the Chicago plan was immediately seized upon by 
 Washington and made the pattern for the entire nation. 
 
 One-seventh of all the plasma donated to the Red Cross blood bank 
 was given by Chicago citizens. 
 
 Chicago led the whole United States in Civilian Defense. Fully 
 four months before Pearl Harbor, Chicago had obtained a state 
 charter for the Chicago Commission on National Defense and was 
 celebrating the opening of the Servicemen's Center in the former 
 Elks Club building on Washington Street, which had been converted 
 for that purpose. 
 
 Chicago Commission on National Defense 
 
 As a matter of fact, on Dec. 20, 1940, nearly a year before Pearl 
 Harbor, the City Council established the Chicago Commission on 
 National Defense as an official city agency, with the Mayor as 
 
 Mrs. Edward J. Kelly plays the piano for a group of servicemen at 
 Center Number 1. 
 
 V 
 
 K ■••-• 
 
 IV
 
 Four-engine C-54 transport planes were produced at Chicago's great 
 Douglas Aircraft Plant. 
 
 CENTER — The fa- 
 mous Mobile Radio 
 Station of the Signal 
 Corps was manufac- 
 tured by the Halli- 
 crafters Company of 
 Chicago. 
 
 Women employees at 
 International Har- 
 vester's McCormick 
 works in Chicago as- 
 sembling parts of 
 aircraft torpedoes.
 
 
 Millions of metal 
 containers were 
 manufactured in Chi- 
 cago war production 
 plants. 
 
 Thousands of per- 
 sons were served by 
 the war information 
 center in the foyer 
 of the main library. 
 
 Vital parts for the 
 B-17 Flying Fortress 
 were made in Chi- 
 cago by Studebaker.
 
 chairman. This was in response lo a letter from the Mayor outHning 
 the necessity for such an organization. On March 5, 1941, the Mayor 
 designated a citizens' committee to cooperate with the new commission 
 and asked Corporation Counsel Barnet Hodes to serve as executive 
 vice-chairman. 
 
 When F. H. LaGuardia was appointed director of the United 
 States office of Civilian Defense more than two months later, the 
 Chicago Commission on National Defense was in full operation, and 
 became the official city agency for cooperation with the OCD. On 
 July 24, the City Council adopted a resolution designating the com- 
 mission as the official Council of Civilian Defense under state law. 
 President Roosevelt, in the meantime, appointed Hodes as a member 
 of the United States Office of Civilian Defense. He became local 
 defense co-ordinator; the Mayor, as chairman of the commission, 
 United States local director of defense. 
 
 Among other activities, the Chicago commission opened the first 
 Servicemen's Center. This was on August 13, 1941, nearly four 
 months before the perfidious Japanese attack. A few days after 
 Brigadier General James A. Ulio, chief of the morale branch, U.S.A., 
 had inspected this center, the following enthusiastic communication 
 was received from the office of the Commanding General of the 
 Sixth Corps Area: 
 
 "General Ulio requested that your commissiot: be complimented on 
 the establishment of this center, and for the patriotism and foresight 
 of those officials of the City of Chicago having to do with its inception. 
 
 Mobile anti-aircraft units pass on parade before Servicemen's Center No. 
 2 on Michigan Avenue.
 
 Branches of the Chicago pubhc Hbrary served as centers for war re- 
 cruitment, information and Civilian Defense activities. This picture shows 
 aviation recruiting at tlie Toman brancli. 
 
 General Ulio also expressed satisfaction with the personnel in charge, 
 the facilities already available for service men, and the plans tvhich 
 had been made for the future." 
 
 At the Servicemen's Centers, for the first time in any city, men in the 
 armed services were provided, free of charge, food, lodging, whole- 
 some entertainment and companionship. Stimulated by the Mayor and 
 Mrs. Kelly, who took personal charge of the canteen and continued 
 active supervision through the war, the work of the Center grew 
 and expanded. Chicago literally "raUied 'round" with its full co- 
 operation, giving time, money and effort, to make the project a suc- 
 cess. By the spring of 1942, the old Auditorium Hotel was taken over 
 and established as Servicemen's Center No. 2. The old Daily News 
 Sanitarium in Lincoln Park was reconverted into a Summer center 
 which came to be known as "The Country Club," and a fourth 
 Center was established on the South Side. Merchants and business 
 men donated money and goods of all kinds. The Bowling Pro- 
 prietors Association of Greater Chicago donated 12 bowling alleys, 
 built in the old Auditorium Theater. 
 
 The four centers, occupying 34 floors, offered fifty different types 
 of amusement and entertainment. 
 
 Activities included dance instruction, bowling, language classes, 
 
 39
 
 3 :.i 
 
 ^ 
 
 \ 
 
 / 
 
 .i»r> .4 
 
 Plenty of fun at Chicago's summer servicemen's club. 
 
 music appreciation, photography, radio work shop, pool and biUiards, 
 dancing every night (requiring as many as six orchestras, who also 
 donated their services). There were also thousands of free tickets each 
 week to all movies, theatrical and sporting events. 
 
 When the Centers finally closed, on September 3, 1946, they had 
 played host to service men and women for a total of 22,730,287 times. 
 At the four Centers, the canteens had served 10,436,564 hot dogs, 
 10,818,445 sandwiches, 12,148,707 pieces of cake, millions of which 
 had been baked and donated by Chicago housewives. 
 
 Chicago also was the only large city in the nation where service- 
 men and women could ride jree on street cars and buses. 
 
 Operation of the Servicemen's Centers was only one segment of 
 the activities of Chicago's Civilian Defense operations. 
 
 Mayor Led the OCD 
 
 Here again Chicago took the lead. One week after war had been 
 declared, Chicago's Office of Civilian Defense headquarters was 
 already established and functioning at 23 North Wacker Drive, the 
 old Iroquois Memorial Hospital. Chicago's Civilian Defense organi- 
 zation was unique in the nation. Mayor Kelly as United States Co- 
 ordinator for the Chicago Metropolitan Area was determined that 
 there should be absolutely no political tinge to the Civilian Defense 
 organization. In Chicago proper, the city was broken down into seven 
 divisions and these divisions were further divided into communities, 
 zones and blocks. Going back to the tradition of the old New England 
 town meeting, the people in every block met and elected by their 
 
 40
 
 own vote, the man among their neighbors whom they considered 
 best quaUfied to be their leader. Each block then functioned as a unit 
 under the elected block captain's direction. 
 
 As a consequence, Chicago's Civilian Defense army worked together 
 efficiently and in whole hearted cooperation, to set record after record 
 in accomplishments in the war effort for their city. 
 
 On the first War Loan Drive, for instance, Chicago's block organi- 
 zation acting as salesmen, sold so many bonds that Chicago's quota 
 was immediately increased by more than fifty percent. 
 
 In every campaign or drive connected with the war efifort the block 
 organizations swung into action. They recruited nurses aides. Red 
 Cross donors, and stimulated enlistments in the armed forces. Infor- 
 mation centers were established in all communities of the city where 
 citizens could obtain the answers to any questions pertaining to war 
 activity. 
 
 The organization was divided into two main segments — the pro- 
 tective services and the community services. Volunteers came forth 
 willingly and without urging, to offer their services — lawyers, doctors, 
 and other professional men, business men, bankers, professional 
 women, housewives, citizens from every walk of life — worked together, 
 forgetting all barriers of money, social position, race or creed to meet 
 
 A tired Marine sleeps in the sun at Chicago's G.I. Country Club. 
 
 41
 
 A^fie/iioa' 6^ 
 
 w 
 
 FIGHTIN'EST CITY 
 
 ff 
 
 Chicago produced more wor goods, in volume and variety of material — 
 than any other community. There was not even one labor work stoppage that 
 prevented the shipment of war goods on schedule. 
 
 Chicago led America in Enlistments. According to the 
 Army and Navy, our men were healthier, too. 
 
 Chicago led America in War Bond Sales. 
 
 Chicago led America in 
 Salvage Collection. 
 
 42
 
 IN WORLD WAR II 
 
 Chicago took care of the nation's serv- 
 icemen with a warnn-hearted hospitality 
 unequalled in the world. "Everything 
 Free" was the rule at our Servicemen's 
 centers. 
 
 Chicago was the only large city in the nation v/here servicemen and women 
 could ride free on street cars and buses. 
 
 Chicago's Civilian Defense organization was so efficient its plan was adopted 
 for the entire U.S. OCD. 
 
 IND. 
 
 X ^SVMI,^^ -^ 
 
 "'^o 
 
 STATE 
 LINE 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Chicago's OCD, 400,000 strong, put on the 
 longest, largest and most spectacular wartime 
 " j1^ parade in the history of mankind — 5! miles 
 long. 
 
 Chicago's gigantic War Show in 1942 established a world's record with an 
 I I day attendance of 900,000, and raised $565,000 for Army relief. 
 
 43
 
 the emergency. All worked long hours with no remuneration what- 
 ever. They attended night classes and spent Saturday afternoons and 
 Sundays, and other leisure time, taking training courses to fit them- 
 selves for the service that might be required of them. 
 
 Within a little more than a year after its organization, Chicago's 
 Civilian Defense had a civilian army of more than 400,000 fully 
 trained enthusiastic workers. 
 
 A large percentage of these were expertly trained in fire fighting, 
 demolition, auxiliary police activity, first aid, and communications 
 — making up the huge protective system which was prepared to meet 
 any contingency of the war. This protective organization of OCD 
 was kept in readiness to respond to the OCD alarm system which 
 formed a communications net-work throughout the six divisions and 
 communications districts of OCD. A control board at the center of 
 the system was on 24-hour service, with volunteers working on shifts 
 around the clock. This system was regularly tested, with watchers 
 reporting into central headquarters, and receiving instructions for 
 city-wide air raid protection. 
 
 A simulated air raid, with Civil Air Patrol planes dropping dummy 
 bombs on the City, was staged to test the alarm system and the 
 entire protective machinery of OCD in Chicago. 
 
 Chicago OCD Wins High Honors 
 
 The Chicago organization functioned so well that its formula was 
 adopted by the Washington office of Civilian Defense as a pattern for 
 the entire nation. 
 
 Chicago's Civilian Defense organization received two national cita- 
 tions for excellence of performance. 
 
 (1) National award for the work done by the OCD Volunteer 
 Auxiliary Firemen in collaboration with the Chicago Fire Depart- 
 ment for a research development in connection with the OCD fire 
 department. 
 
 (2) National award for special excellence in the American Youth 
 Reserve for work accomplished in mobilization of the eflforts of the 
 young people in this area in furtherance of the war. 
 
 The Civilian Defense Alert, published weekly and circulated 
 throughout the entire organization, was recognized nationally as the 
 best and most informative publication of that nature throughout the 
 nation. 
 
 All radio stations in the Chicago area cooperated generously in 
 supplying time and talent also, free of charge, for Civilian Defense 
 purposes. Mayor Kelly's "Message of the Day," broadcast four times 
 daily over seventeen local stations, was started within six weeks after 
 
 44
 
 Pearl Harbor and continued to be used at special requests of the 
 radio stations themselves, after the end of the war. 
 
 Mammoth Parade 
 
 On Flag Day, 1942, the Civilian Defense organization sponsored 
 and staged a gigantic United Nations parade which was the largest 
 and longest parade ever staged anywhere. It lasted seventeen hours 
 and was participated in by thousands of manufacturers, all branches 
 of organized labor, and business organizations. The Army and Navy 
 furnished contingents of troops and new fighting equipment. Every 
 community in the Civilian Defense organization was represented with 
 a special float depicting in action some phase of the Civilian Defense 
 movement. 
 
 Every activity even remotely connected with the war eflfort was 
 focused on the Mayor's office, even before Pearl Harbor. 
 
 In the Spring of 1941, for instance, there was a city-wide aluminum 
 drive. This was the first activity of the Chicago Commission on 
 National Defense, whose many duties later were taken over by the 
 Office of Civilian Defense. 
 
 In the summer of 1941, also, there was organized the Chicago Indus- 
 trial Committee for Defense Production, to arouse the interest of 
 manufacturers in the Chicago area to the necessity for war produc- 
 
 Chicago played host to President Truman on Army Day, 1946. Top row: 
 Mrs. Truman, The President, Mayor Edward J. Kelly, Mrs. Fred Vinson, 
 Supreme Court Justice Vinson, Mrs. Tom Clark. Bottom Row : Mrs. 
 Leslie Biffle (partly obscured), Mr. Biffle, Secretary of the U. S. Senate, 
 Corporation Counsel Barnet Hodes, and President Truman's personal 
 physician, Col. Wallace H. Graham. 
 
 * ^^f\*1jl.^
 
 tion and at the same time to secure sufficient war contracts for Chicago 
 manufacturers to protect small business in Chicago. 
 
 Mayor Kelly made seven trips to Washington in the interest of 
 small business protection, to urge upon Washington officials and 
 upon Congressional committees the essential need to furnish the 
 small manufacturer with sufficient work to keep him going, and to 
 emphasize the tremendous production capacity which Chicago pos- 
 sessed to turn out war goods. Chicago lived up to these predictions, 
 turning out more war equipment than any other community in the 
 United States. Forty percent of all communications equipment used 
 by the armed forces during the war, for example, was produced in 
 the Chicago defense area. 
 
 Mayor Kelly as chief executive of the city was called upon to head 
 numberless committees. He was chairman of the gigantic War Show 
 staged at Soldier Field in the summer of 1942. This spectacle, an 
 official production of the United States Army, hung up an all-time 
 record for affairs of that nature, playing to an attendance of 900,000 
 persons in eleven days. These performances contributed $565,000 to 
 army relief. 
 
 Mayor Kelly also served as chairman of various committees for 
 stimulating recruiting of volunteers. When workers were vitally 
 needed to increase production in the war plants he organized the 
 Chicago Committee for Patriotic Action, which resulted in recruiting 
 thousands of additional workers in war plants and induced other 
 thousands still holding positions in peacetime factories to shift to 
 war plant work. 
 
 Defense Transportation 
 
 One of the important activities of OCD, designed to help maintain 
 the highest possible level of war production, was the Department of 
 Defense Transportation, which was acclaimed throughout the nation 
 for the completeness of its plan of car sharing. This not only relieved 
 the over-crowded public transportation facilities of the City, but it 
 chalked up sizeable achievements in the conservation of tires and 
 gasoline. 
 
 46
 
 Chicago's niagnificenl lake front of today is the resuh of yesterday's 
 courageous planning and action. We are beginning to make the Chicago 
 of tomorrow today. 
 
 (eiiia(S^(§® ip(DM®i!iiii®w 
 
 A half-billion dollar program of public works — already 
 under way is evidence that Chicago looks /o the future! 
 
 Like every large city in the nation, Chicago has been compelled 
 by economic conditions and wartime restrictions to forego for more 
 than ten years many urgently needed capital improvements, and to 
 curtail even maintenance to a bare minimum. 
 
 Chicago now finds itself on the threshold of a broad expansion of 
 all its activities — industrial, cultural and social. In the years immedi- 
 ately ahead it should greatly strengthen its position as the world's 
 greatest market and as the hub of the nation's rail, motor and air 
 transportation. 
 
 To aid and encourage this expansion, Chicago must look forward. 
 This is a forceful reason why Chicago should proceed without delay 
 to improve and modernize its municipal services and facilities, to 
 bring them adequately into harmony with the greater needs of this 
 expanding economy. 
 
 A recent survey disclosed that Chicago has a backlog of necessary 
 and desirable public improvement projects whose total cost is esti- 
 mated at $900,000,000. Obviously Chicago can neither construct nor 
 finance such a vast program of public works in the years just ahead. 
 
 47
 
 Chicago plans for many additional miles of expressways to speed the 
 flow of future traffic. 
 
 Approvals Required by Engineering 
 Board of Review 
 
 After careful study and examination of this accumulation of proj- 
 ects, the Engineering Board of Review composed of the leading 
 public works technicians of the city, recommended to Mayor Kelly 
 a Greater Chicago Public Works Program for the 7-year period, 
 1946-52, together with a method of financing that program. 
 
 Each project recommended by the Engineering Board of Review 
 was required to meet these prime considerations: 
 
 1. Is the improvement a general public benefit? 
 
 2. Is the improvement generally in conformity with the 
 master plan of the Chicago Plan Commission? 
 
 3. Is the improvement needed now, or can it be deferred 
 until some future date when public worlds may be desir- 
 able as an employment pool? 
 
 4. Is the improvement in conflict with priorities for hous- 
 ing materials? 
 
 5. Is the cost of the improvement commensurate with the 
 benefits to be derived from it? 
 
 6. Is financing of the improvement feasible within the 
 scope of a reasonable annual debt requirement? 
 
 After extensive public hearings by its finance committee, the 
 program was officially approved by the City Council on April 8, 1946 
 by a non-partisan vote of 42 to 1. 
 
 This Seven-Year Greater Chicago Public Works Program provides 
 
 48
 
 for the construction of long needed and long discussed improvements 
 costing an estimated $298,560,000 as follows : 
 
 ♦New Airport (In Part) $ 45,000,000 
 
 West Side Subway 25,000,000 
 
 Washington Street Subway 9,600,000 
 
 Jackson Street Subway 9,600,000 
 
 Surface Streets ... 39,700,000 
 
 Bridges and Viaducts 11,500,000 
 
 Grade Separations 4,000,000 
 
 Superhighways (In Par^) 64,000,000 
 
 Sewers 53,160,000 
 
 Street Lighting 5,000,000 
 
 Playgrounds 2,000,000 
 
 Streets and Alleys 8,000,000 
 
 Garage and Shops 500,000 
 
 Slum Clearance 5,000,000 
 
 Street Lighting 3,000,000 
 
 State Street Bridge 2,500,000 
 
 Playgrounds 2,000,000 
 
 Police and Fire Buildings 2,000,000 
 
 Waste Disposal Equipment 1,500,000 
 
 Garage and Repair Shops 500,000 
 
 Grand Total 7-Year Program $298,560,000 
 
 ♦Balance of total 7-year program of $205,000,000 
 for Superhighways to be financed from available 
 State and Federal Road Funds. Balance of financ- 
 ing of New Airport from Federal funds. 
 
 By far the ma]or part of this progratn can be constructed without new 
 financing. This is illustrated on the page which follows. Funds now 
 available or to become available include motor fuel tax revenues, 
 proceeds from the bonds previously authorized, and proceeds from 
 the sale of revenue bonds to be retired by use of the city's transit and 
 airport revenues. 
 
 There remains a balance of $115,660,000 to be financed by the 
 issuance and sale of new corporate bonds. This was approved by the 
 voters at a referendum June 3, 1946. 
 
 Conservatii'e Financing 
 
 Paradoxical as it may seem, these new bonds can be serviced by an 
 annual tax levy substantially less than the average funded debt levy 
 for the past 20 years and even less than the present annual tax levied 
 for retirement of bonds now outstanding. 
 
 This is possible because of a combination of exceptionally favorable 
 circumstances: 
 
 1. The prevailing low interest rates. 
 
 2. The exceedingly low amount of the city's present funded debt. 
 
 3. The deferring of early maturities of the new bonds, thus spread- 
 ing more evenly the cost of the old and the new capital improve- 
 ments. 
 
 49
 
 FOR THE $298,560,000 GREATER CHICAGO PROGRAM 
 
 MOTOR FUEL TAXES, collected from motorists 
 when they buy gasoline, will be used to pay for 
 street surfacing, bridges, viaducts, grade separa- 
 tions and certain superhighways, estimated at 
 
 $ 77.200.00C 
 
 REVENUE BONDS are paid for by the projects 
 themselves — landing fees collected from airplanes, 
 fares collected from subway passengers. Revenue 
 bond funds for the new airport and subway ex- 
 tensions will amount to ' 
 
 $ 74,200,00( 
 
 CORPORATE BONDS approved by the voters 
 will supply additional funds for Chicago's share of 
 airport construction, slum clearance, playgrounds 
 and other great improvements costing .... 
 
 $ 31.500.00( 
 
 ADDITIONAL BONDS approved by the voters ' 
 will be issued to provide $42,000,000 of super- 
 highway financing, sewer improvements, street 
 lighting and other civic improvements costing . . 
 
 $115.660.00( 
 
 $298.560,00( 
 
 Cooperative financing from City, County, 
 State and Federal Road Funds for super- 
 highway construction in the amount of . 
 
 $205.000.00( 
 $503,560,00(
 
 There also exists the probabiHty that the cost of that portion of 
 the Greater Chicago Program to be borne by general taxes may be 
 still further reduced. Under the law, the annual levies for servicing 
 the bonds can be abated, in whole or in part, whenever funds are 
 made available from sources other than real estate taxes. 
 
 Among these other potential sources for abating bond service levies 
 may be mentioned more equitable allotments from other govern- 
 mental agencies and new revenues from sources other than real estate. 
 
 A special non-partisan Citizens Committee has been formed by 
 the Mayor to recommend revisions on the tax base whereby the un- 
 fairly high portion of the cost of local government now being sup- 
 ported by real estate can he more equitably distributed. This com- 
 mittee is now at work. 
 
 Ininiediate Aims 
 
 This immediate program will provide: 
 
 1. Major units of a modern superhighway system to free local 
 neighborhood and arterial streets from life-endangering and 
 business-deterring traffic congestion. 
 
 2. Extensive new sewers to end the recurring health menace 
 and property destruction due to frequent flooding of basements, 
 and replacements for inadequate 70-year old facilities. 
 
 The Greater Chicago public works program provides $2,000,000 for the 
 construction of modern police and fire buildings. 
 
 51
 
 3. A 4-trac/^ rapid transit subway to the populous West Sule, 
 and two east-west local transit subways through the central 
 business district. 
 
 4. The world's greatest airport to assure Chicago's retention of 
 its position as the hub of world air transport. 
 
 5. Modern street lighting to replace outworn equipment and to 
 properly safeguard neighborhoods not now adequately lighted. 
 
 6. Paving of arterial streets, reconstruction and improvement 
 of secondary streets and alleys, in all sections of the city. 
 
 7. Comprehensive slum clearance integrated with private and 
 public housing developments already underway — with more 
 contemplated. 
 
 8. Playgrounds convenient to communities for supervised recre- 
 ation of children still too young to travel alone to Chicago's 
 world-famous large par]{s. 
 
 9. Replacement of narrow, age-worn bridges and construction 
 of new bridges to facilitate local traffic — also construction of via- 
 ducts and grade separations to eliminate hazards to pedestrian 
 and automobile traffic. 
 
 10. Increased garbage removal and street cleaning services m 
 all neighborhoods by the purchase and operation of modern 
 equipment, and by construction of garages and shops for ade- 
 quate maintenance and repair schedules. 
 
 11. New police and fire stations to replace antiquated structures, 
 and to serve newly built-up areas where added protection is 
 imperative. 
 
 Chicago Is United! 
 
 It is noteworthy that there is practically unanimous agreement 
 among civic organizations, leading citizens and the press that these 
 improvements are urgently needed now. 
 
 Construction of these projects in the next seven years — together 
 with the complete modernization of local transit soon to be started 
 by the Chicago Transit Authority — will enable Chicago to keep forging 
 ahead toward our goal of world leadership. 
 
 52
 
 This photograph of a model buih by the Chicago Plan Commission shows 
 the type of neighborhood planning indicated for new growth neighbor- 
 hoods . . . with an elementary school, park, and playground forming 
 the nucleus. 
 
 THE CHICAGO 
 
 IFIL^Kf (0(DIMJMaiga(D3KI 
 
 This 38 year old city agency lends vision, skill and co- 
 ordination to fhe planning of the Chicago of Tomorrow. 
 
 During the thirty-eight years which have elapsed since the organiza- 
 tion of the Chicago Plan Commission in 1909, the mayors of Chicago 
 from Fred A. Busse to Edward J. Kelly have encouraged and assisted 
 the development of city planning in the nation's second largest city. 
 Chicago became a leader in the science and art of city planning when 
 the "Plan of Chicago," popularly called the "Burnham Plan" in honor 
 of its creator, Daniel H. Burnham, was given to the city by the Com- 
 mercial Club of Chicago in 1909. This gift enabled Chicago to become 
 
 53
 
 A. H. Mellinger, chairman ot" the Chicago Plan Commission, and Mayor 
 Kelly discuss "Chicago Looks Ahead." 
 
 the first large city in the United States to have a plan to guide its 
 future development. 
 
 Through the years, the commission has functioned as a coordinat- 
 ing agency for the planning activities of pubUc and private organiza- 
 tions. Much of Chicago's majestic, world-famous Lake Front develop- 
 ment was completed during the 1930's. Immaculate city parks and 
 far-flung forest preserves were developed as recreational areas for 
 residents of the city. Numerous thoroughfare improvements, including 
 the full extent of the beautiful Lake Shore Drive, became realities 
 during the difficult years of the depression. 
 
 Land Use Survey 
 
 In 1938, the Plan Commission began to lay the groundwork for 
 an intensive study of Chicago's planning problems. Acting jointly, the 
 City of Chicago and the Federal government agreed to share the 
 expenses of an "inventory" of Chicago's resources and needs. It was 
 determined that a land use survey could be conducted in Chicago 
 as a Works Progress Administration project. Under the supervision of 
 the Plan Commission and the sponsorship of Mayor Edward J. Kelly, 
 work on the Chicago Land Use Survey began in March, 1938. 
 
 A trained staff, at one time numbering as many as 3,000 persons, 
 was employed to examine every parcel of land and every building in 
 the city. Data on land uses throughout Chicago, dwelling unit char- 
 acteristics, values, rentals, and occupancy were tabulated, assembled, 
 
 54
 
 and checked for accuracy. No survey of comparable scope and detail 
 ever has been undertaken in any other large city. 
 
 ISew Commission Powers 
 
 In 1939, Mayor Edward J. Kelly suggested to the City Council that 
 the Plan Commission be reconstituted as the official planning body of 
 the city and be given the power to prepare a comprehensive city plan 
 to meet contemporary needs. This was done. At the same time, the 
 Council also adopted a resolution which created a City Planning 
 Advisory Board to assist the commission. This group is composed of 
 50 members of the City Council, seventeen other public officials ex- 
 officio, and 200 citizens representative of all the communities and 
 neighborhoods in the city. 
 
 The great Chatham Park housing development at 83rd and Cottage Grove 
 Avenue exemplifies some of the advantages of neighborhood planning.
 
 SYMBOL OF THE COMPREHENSIVE 
 
 CriY PLAN 
 
 This symbol portrays the dynamic concept under which the Compre- 
 hensive City Plan of Chicago is being developed. It conveys graphically 
 the content and organization of the plan and is conceived as a wheel 
 made up of seven segments, each representing a fundamental phase 
 of urban living, all rotating about and firmly bound to the hub, the 
 city plan. Each element is carried on a spoke which has been fitted 
 into the hub through the Plan Commission. The stability of the whole 
 rests upon the co-ordinated development of all of the parts. As the 
 smooth rolling of a wheel demands balance, strength, and skilled 
 craftsmanship, so the Comprehensive City Plan calls for careful in- 
 tegration, sturdy realism and integrity, and imaginative but aggressive 
 leadership. Forward motion. In pace with the city's steady march of 
 progress, will be achieved through adoption by the City Council as 
 the Official Plan of Chicago. 
 
 56
 
 In 1941, the Plan Commission began a series of background studies 
 necessary to the technical preparation of a city plan. The existing and 
 predicted economic foundation of Chicago was spotlighted by the 
 Commission in 1942 in a planning report to the public entitled, "In- 
 dustrial and Commercial Background for Planning Chicago." In this 
 study, the city was placed under a planning microscope, examined in 
 detail, and recommendations were 7nade for its comjnercial and in- 
 dustrial development. 
 
 In 1942, the commission completed a study of population trends in 
 the Chicago region. When Volumes I and II of the Chicago Land 
 Use Survey were published in 1942 and 1943, the commission had 
 then assembled enough planning data to begin crystalizing the ele- 
 ments of the city plan. 
 
 Developing the Comprehensive Plan 
 
 The comprehensive plan of a city is a valuable guide to assist pri- 
 vate individuals and public officials in the achievement of beneficial 
 objectives through coordinated action. 
 
 Logically, the pattern of thoroughfares forms the basic framework 
 of the city plan. Beginning in March, 1943, a series of conferences 
 were held with engineers of the principal street and highway agencies 
 in the Chicago area. In December, the commission transmitted to the 
 City Council a revised program for the development of expressways 
 
 As part of its planning service, the Plan Commission builds scale models, 
 such as the one below, to visualize neighborhood layouts. 
 
 PLAN FOjR 
 REDEVEllOPMENT 
 
 Of A XEAK NORTHWfST 
 linCHBDKHOOD tH CNiCACC 
 
 57
 
 and thoroughfares in Chicago. 
 
 With the aid of official highway and traffic agencies, the commis- 
 sion also prepared a plan of major and secondary thoroughfares 
 designed to accommodate the needs of traffic inter-connecting with 
 the expressway system and interchanging between community areas. 
 This complete system of thoroughfares was made a part of the 
 preliminary comprehensive city plan of Chicago which was trans- 
 mitted to the City Council in May, 1946. 
 
 Transportation Planning 
 
 Constructive steps have been taken by the commission to ensure 
 Chicago's high position as a transportation center. At the request of 
 the Chicago Airport Selection Board, a detailed brochure offering the 
 factual data and the exploratory studies on the airport problem was 
 prepared by the Plan Commission in 1945 to assist the board in 
 analyzing and reaching a conclusion on potential airport sites. 
 
 The chairman of the commission has been active in supporting 
 eflforts to improve railroad terminal facilities. Conferences have been 
 held with the groups formed by the railroads to study this matter 
 jointly with the City of Chicago. 
 
 To protect them from the dreaded "bends," these miners who helped 
 build extensions of our sewer system wait in an air lock for the air 
 pressure to be equalized with that of the inner tunnel. In quicksand 
 sections the pressure was raised to 27 pounds. 
 
 58
 
 lyninn 
 
 HARRISON 
 
 PROPOSED SITE FOR GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS 
 AND OTHER APPROPRIATE STRUCTURES 
 
 Both the Chicago Plan Commission and the City Planning Advisory 
 Board passed resolutions favoring the transit unification ordinance in 
 1945. Numerous conferences between engineers of the Department of 
 Subways and Superhighways, the Chicago Transit Authority and the 
 Plan Commission have provided up-to-date information for use in 
 city transit planning. The consolidation of local transit lines under the 
 Transit Authority, as provided by law, will enable the Plan Commis- 
 sion to cooperate more closely witii the authority in coordinating 
 local transit facilities with other phases of the comprehensive city plan. 
 
 59
 
 $28,000,000 Park Plan 
 
 A report on another major element of the comprehensive plan^ — 
 the plan of Paf/{ and Play Areas for Chicago — has been reviewed by 
 the Plan Commission and the City Planning Advisory Board and 
 should be ready for publication in 1947. The Chicago Park District 
 has adopted the principles underlying this part of the plan for use in 
 the selection of park sites in a $28,000,000 program of community 
 park expansion. 
 
 In connection with the $4,000,000 program for small park develop- 
 ment being conducted by the Bureau of Parks, Recreation and 
 Aviation, the Commission has reviewed 96 proposed locations in order 
 to coordinate the program with the commission's recommendations 
 for neighborhood play areas. The commission's recommendations for 
 combining park and school sites, and for treating elementary and high 
 schools respectively as neighborhood and community centers has been 
 generally accepted by the Board of Education. 
 
 Planning for Better Neighborhoods 
 
 Every tnajor subdivision developed in Chicago during recent years 
 has benefited from Plan Commission counsel. Proposed layouts for 
 eleven multi-family-type projects, aggregating approximately 2,700 
 dwelling units, and thirteen subdivision projects, containing lots for 
 approximately 1,800 single-family detached dwellings, were submit- 
 ted voluntarily to the Plan Commission for review in 1946. 
 
 A Plan Commission study analyzed and classified the living areas 
 
 Chicago plans for many additional miles of expressways to speed the 
 flow of future traffic. 
 
 60
 
 Apartment areas of the future will feature building arrangements that 
 permit a maximum amount of daylight for all tenants. 
 
 of the city in 1943 and set forth a generaHzed pattern of population 
 and housing distribution. The basic principles of this report were 
 adopted by the City Council, including redevelopment in blighted 
 areas, subdivision design and control standards, and land use in the 
 central business district. 
 
 Late in 1946, work was completed on an important Plan Commis- 
 sion study of the Woodlawn community conservation project. Copies 
 of this planning study, which analyzes the problems of communities
 
 that are in danger of becoming blighted areas, are being distributed 
 currently. 
 
 Government Center 
 
 As the Plan Commission's studies have progressed, various locations 
 for a Government Center have been analyzed. Such a development is 
 proposed as part of the comprehensive city plan. Preliminary plans 
 have been started in connection with a tentative site location on the 
 west side of the Loop along both banks of the Chicago River. It is 
 anticipated that the center eventually will house the central offices of 
 the administrative, legislative, and judicial branches of the City of 
 Chicago, County of Cook, State of Illinois, and possibly Federal 
 offices operating in Chicago. 
 
 Public W orks Planning 
 
 At the request of Mayor Kelly in the fall of 1943, the Plan Com- 
 mission assembled data on all public works projects scheduled for 
 construction by various local governmental agencies and city depart- 
 ments. As a result of this activity, the commission presented a pro- 
 gram of public improvements for Chicago. Each proposed public 
 works project was considered as to its need, its cost of construction, 
 
 The development of our city along the lines of sound city planning has 
 preserved our lakefront as a recreation area for all to enjoy. 
 
 62
 
 ^5(KB*> 
 
 Aerial view of the Northside sewage treatment works. Sound city planning 
 looks ahead and anticipates future needs for such vital public facilities. 
 
 and its long-term value in relation to the objectives of the compre- 
 hensive city plan. 
 
 Statistical summaries of all public works projects being completed 
 within the city are maintained currently by the commission. During 
 the year 1946, plans for over 350 projects were referred to the com- 
 mission by various departments of government for review and report 
 on their consistency with the objectives of the city plan. 
 
 The Plan Commission's housing study was completed during the 
 early part of 1946. The conclusions and recommendations of the re- 
 port were extracted and made public through transmission to Mayor 
 Kelly and the City Council on March 8, 1946. When the completed 
 report was released, it was acclaimed generally as a convincing state- 
 ment of facts. 
 
 Mapping the Future 
 
 In recognition of the need for a graphic report of progress on the 
 development of the plan, the commission published in 1946 a large, 
 multi-colored map offering a generalized presentation of the physical 
 elements of the comprehensive plan. The map, called the "Preliminary 
 Comprehensive City Plan of Chicago," was transmitted to the City 
 Council in May, at the direction of Chairman A. H. Mellinger. 
 
 63
 
 Looking to the ultimate use of the comprehensive plan by the City 
 Council as a basis for improving the zoning of the city, the Plan 
 Commission is preparing detailed planning studies for each of the 
 59 community areas outlined in the preliminary plan. 
 
 In order that the numerous problems incidental to large scale urban 
 redevelopment might be brought into sharper focus, the Plan Com- 
 mission made an exhaustive analysis of a blighted area located im- 
 mediately northwest of the central business district. This study has 
 drawn the attention of operative builders and other developers to the 
 opportunities which remain largely untouched in blighted areas. 
 
 What the Plan Means to Chicago 
 
 The comprehensive city plan is a guide-plan for the people. Its 
 objectives are attainable. Its recommendations are calculated to im- 
 prove living and working conditions throughout Chicago and to 
 strengthen the structure of the city as a whole. Its ideals are identical 
 with the objectives of good municipal government. Good city plan- 
 ning is an essential part of good government, just as foresight and 
 planning are indispensable to the profitable conduct of private affairs. 
 
 The plan is a yardstick with which day-to-day improvements can be 
 measured for their ultimate effect on the city. Within its framework 
 there is an opportunity for every reasonable enterprise. Property own- 
 ers can proceed with capital improvements with a greater degree of 
 security; tenants can be assured of a more attractive living environ- 
 ment; and public officials can proceed with increased confidence to 
 provide essential public works. 
 
 Today's ideas become tomorrow's accomplishments. Chicagoans are 
 determining today the kind of city that will belong to their children 
 tomorrow. Without soundly conceived and popularly supported plans, 
 deterioration within the city will be accelerated. The preliminary 
 comprehensive city plan accents the need for concerted action by all 
 to face squarely the complex problems that have accumulated at such 
 an alarming rate during recent years and now threaten urban living 
 conditions. Great strength of purpose is required to face these facts 
 and to plan wisely and deliberately for civic betterment. The courage 
 that characterized Chicago's efforts after the great fire in 1871 must be 
 brought forth anew to meet Daniel Burnham's challenge, "Make no 
 little plans." 
 
 64
 
 MAJOR CONTACTS 
 
 of ihe 
 
 CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION 
 
 Which Display the Scope of the Commission's Co-ordinafing Function 
 
 in City Planning 
 
 FEDERAL 
 
 Civil Aeronautics Administration 
 Federal Housing Adnninistration 
 Federal Works Agency 
 National Housing Agency 
 Public Buildings Administration 
 U.S. Public Roads Administration 
 
 STATE 
 
 Illinois State Division of Highways 
 Illinois State Housing Board 
 Illinois Post-War Planning Commis- 
 sion 
 Illinois Department of Aeronautics 
 
 COUNTY 
 
 Board of Cook County Commis- 
 sioners 
 
 Board of Forest Preserve Commis- 
 sioners 
 
 Cook County Highway Department 
 
 MUNICIPAL 
 
 Board of Local Improvements 
 
 Board of Zoning Appeals 
 
 Bureau of Parks, Recreation and 
 Aviation 
 
 Chicago Academy of Sciences 
 
 Chicago Housing Authority 
 
 Chicago Municipal Tuberculosis Sa- 
 nitarium 
 
 Chicago Street Traffic Commission 
 
 Chicago Transit Authority 
 
 City Council Committees 
 
 City Planning Advisory Board 
 
 Department of Buildings 
 
 Department of Law 
 
 Department of Public Works 
 
 Department of Streets and Electri- 
 city 
 
 Department of Subways and Super- 
 highways 
 
 Engineering Board of Review 
 
 OTHER GOVERNMENTAL 
 
 Board of Education 
 Chicago Library Board 
 Chicago Park District 
 Sanitary District 
 
 CIVIC 
 
 Chicago Association of Commerce 
 
 and Industry 
 City Club of Chicago 
 Commercial Club of Chicago 
 South Side Planning Board 
 Southtown Planning Association 
 Woodlawn Planning Committee of 
 the Associated Clubs of Wood- 
 lawn 
 
 PROFESSIONAL 
 
 American Institute of Planners 
 American Transit Association 
 Chicago Chapter, American Institute 
 
 of Architects 
 Chicago Metropolitan Home Build- 
 ers Association 
 Chicago Real Estate Board 
 Chicago Technical Societies Council 
 National Committee on Housing 
 Illinois Society of Architects 
 Urban Land Institute, Washington, 
 
 D.C. 
 Western Society of Engineers 
 
 OTHER 
 
 Bell Savings and Loan Association 
 Central Manufacturing District 
 Chicago Housing Center 
 Chicago Recreation Commission 
 Chicago Regional Planning Associa- 
 tion 
 Clearing Industrial District 
 Commonwealth Edison Company 
 Council of Social Agencies 
 Illinois Bell Telephone Company 
 Illinois Northern Utilities Company 
 Medical Center Commission 
 Metropolitan Housing Council 
 Peoples Gas, Light, and Coke Com- 
 pany 
 Public Service Company of Chicago 
 South Side Railroad Terminal Com- 
 mittee 
 State Street Council 
 Territorial Information Department 
 U.S. Savings and Loan League 
 Western United Gas and Electric 
 Company 
 
 65
 
 MODERN HOUSING 
 
 REDUCES CRIME, DISEASE AND DEATH 
 SLUM AREAS IN LARGE CITIES CONTRIBUTE: 
 
 >l C 07 OF MAJOR 
 4D /O CRIMES 
 
 — — P^ OF JUVENILE 
 DD /^ DELINQUENCY 
 
 60% ^^^^Sf" 50% .?s'eIses 
 
 DEATHS 
 
 Jgjg|g^|g|| 
 
 35% FIRES 
 
 OF CITY'S 
 
 45% ^^"^^'^^ 
 
 COSTS 
 
 66
 
 PAY L^nc:'--rvw.. 
 
 UflER»« THISaOE 
 
 l\ 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 The handling and distributing of $200,000,000 
 a year, carried in 150 separate funds, is only one 
 of the functions of this efficient department. 
 
 The record of Chicago's rise from near-bankruptcy to solvency 
 appears elsewhere in this report. The technical details involved in 
 the series of fiscal transactions which made this possible have been 
 carried out by the Department of Finance. Included in these many 
 details have been the issue and sale of city securities, the payment 
 of city debts, the collection and disbursement of city funds, the prepa- 
 ration of annual budget bills — and the accounting and checking of 
 every dollar of public expenditure. 
 
 Since 1933 the head of the Department of Finance and the city's 
 chief financial officer has been Robert B. Upham. He is the watch- 
 dog of the city treasury. Under his direction a staff of experts, most 
 of them under civil service, carry on the meticulous job of seeing 
 that every payroll entry, every voucher and every contract has been 
 properly authorized and is legally chargeable against a specific 
 appropriation. He signs every Board of Education check, warrant and 
 bond. 
 
 In the past thirty-one years, none of the city accounts, which now 
 total some $200,000,000 a year, has been "off" so much as 5 cents! 
 
 67
 
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 68
 
 R. B. Upham, city comptroller. 
 
 Department Audits Funds 
 
 This record is particularly remarkable in view of the fact that the 
 Department of Finance is responsible for auditing and entering all 
 receipts and disbursements of the city government, including the 
 water fund, the corporate purposes fund, the vehicle tax fund, the 
 traction fund, the various bond funds, the Public Library and Tuber- 
 culosis Sanitarium funds. Included in these audits are the amounts 
 collected by the City Collector through the vehicle license, general 
 license, warrants for collection, and special assessment collection 
 divisions. It is the comptroller's responsibility to see that all amounts 
 due the city are controlled and that all receipts reach the City 
 Treasurer. 
 
 Without this constant vigilance over the city's revenues, countless 
 fiscal leaks might easily develop. As a matter of fact, the Comptroller's 
 audit of a single public utility compensation account disclosed a dis- 
 crepancy which, when corrected, produced additional revenue for the 
 corporate fund of more than $500,000. 
 
 Before a city check can be issued, experts in the Comptroller's office 
 must verify the legality of the expenditure, see that the corresponding 
 voucher or payroll has been properly prepared and signed, and charge 
 it to its proper account. This last is in accordance with the appropria- 
 
 69
 
 THE $100 TAX PIE 
 
 $100 OF 1945 TAXES. COLLECTIBLE WITHIN THE CITY OF 
 CHICAGO IN 1946, WERE DISTRIBUTED AS FOLLOWS: 
 
 EDUCATION 
 
 CITY OF CHICAGO 
 (Corporate) 
 
 PARKS 
 
 COUNTY 
 
 SANITARY DISTRICT 
 
 CITY BONDS & 
 JUDGEMENTS 
 
 CITY PENSIONS 
 
 POOR RELIEF 
 
 T.B. SANITARIUM 
 
 FOREST PRESERVE 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 70
 
 - -ns,A 
 
 Accurate, highly current financial statistics for the control of funds are 
 made possible by high-speed, electric tabulating machines operated by 
 skilled workers. 
 
 tion and classification code prepared by the City Comptroller and 
 adopted by the City Council. 
 
 Issues City Pay Checks 
 
 Because the City of Chicago employs approximately 25,000 em- 
 ployees the year around, many of whose salaries are subject to pension, 
 withholding tax and United States Savings bond deductions, the task 
 of issuing semi-monthly payroll checks is a tremendously complicated 
 one. In the past five years, for instance, city employees have purchased 
 more than $14,000,000 worth of United States savings bonds, all issued 
 by the Comptroller's office. 
 
 To facilitate this exacting work, the most modern office procedures 
 and equipment are used. By employing master cards for each 
 regularly-paid city employee, each card punched in accordance with 
 a special code, the Comptroller's office can issue 25,000 pay checks — 
 each one bearing the name of the recipient, each one figured in ac- 
 cordance with wage scales, pension, tax and other deductions — at the 
 rate of 80 a minute! Printed simultaneously are the employees' earn- 
 ing records. 
 
 71
 
 Chicago's Receipts from fhe 
 
 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 
 
 1935-1946 
 
 Part of the huge amounts of money paid by Chicagoans to fhe Federal 
 Government was returned, largely via WPA and PW A, between 1935 
 and 1946. In round numbers, these receipts were: 
 
 Police and Fire Houses $ 580.000 
 
 Bridges and Viaducts 2,332.000 
 
 Branch Public Libraries 129,000 
 
 Street and other improvements .... 3,655,000 
 
 Subway Construction 17,124,000 
 
 Water Filtration Plant 5,745.000 
 
 Health Services 2,509,000 
 
 Water Facilities 151,000 
 
 Post War Plans & Preparations .... 302,000 
 
 TOTAL $32,527,000 
 
 STATE AID FUNDS 
 
 Received by Cify of Chicago 
 1933-1946 
 
 Motor fuel tax allotments for the 
 building of State Aid highways in 
 
 Chicago $ 56,893,791.70 
 
 General funds (principally derived 
 from state sales tax) to supplement 
 the city's $54,495,301.12 share in 
 Welfare 184,492,242.71 
 
 General funds for use by the city 
 
 for health service 85,333.97 
 
 TOTAL $241,471,368.38 
 
 The above sum is but a fraction of the amount paid 
 to the state by Chicagoans between 1933 and 1946. 
 
 72
 
 Where Money Goes 
 
 A study of the Comptroller's annual report shows to the penny 
 where Chicago's money comes from and where it goes. These data 
 are represented graphically on the opposite page. Notice that the 
 amount receivable from local taxes for corporate purposes is "pegged" 
 by state law at $41,000,000 a year, out of which approximately 
 $4,000,000 must be deducted for cost and loss in collection. This 
 $41,000,000 is only 18.5 per cent of all local tax revenues. Out of 
 every $100 of taxes collected locally in 1945, the Board of Education 
 received $29.57 for educational expenditures, $3.57 for school build- 
 ings, and $1.29 for servicing and retirement of bonds. The Park 
 District received $10.38. 
 
 In addition to the $18.55 out of every $100 of the citizen's tax bill, 
 which is allotted the city for corporate purposes, $2.99 goes for poor 
 reUef, $7.62 to pay judgments against the city and to meet bond pay- 
 ments, $1.50 for the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium, $4.78 to pay 
 pensions of city employes and $1.12 for the Public Library. Fixed by 
 state law, these amounts cannot be changed by action of the Mayor 
 or City Council. 
 
 To make up the additional revenue required to operate the city 
 in 1945, $26,108,000 was obtained from local license and inspection 
 fees, received by the City Collector and paid daily into the city 
 
 CHICAGO GETS ONLY 
 $1 OUT OF $10 BACK! 
 
 Of approximately $440 million, which the State of Illinois 
 derives from all sources annually — the bulk of it from urban 
 areas — only $16 million is returned for all local purposes. 
 Approximately half — or $8 million goes to the City of 
 Chicago and Cook County as local aid. 
 
 In a typical month — October. 1946 — the State of Illinois 
 received from various taxes — 
 
 Cigarette Tax $ 1.703,301 
 
 Motor Fuel Tax 4,067.322 
 
 Public Utility Revenue Tax 1,086,982 
 
 Retailers Occupation Tax 13.002.972 
 
 Liquor Tax 2,864,183 
 
 Oil Inspection Fees 43,292 
 
 TOTAL $22,768,052 
 
 Approximately one-half — or $11,000,000 — came from Chi- 
 cago. Only $1,245,000 trickled back to the City of Chicago 
 and Cook County as state aid. Chicago pays almost $10 
 in state taxes for every state aid dollar spent in Chicago. 
 
 73
 
 Statistical division of the Bureau of Payrolls. 
 
 treasury, from compensation received by the City Comptroller for 
 use of public ways and places, and from miscellaneous other sources. 
 Another $7,325,000 represented a surplus of assets to be collected. 
 
 In addition to these local revenues. Federal and state funds have 
 been allocated to the city for special purposes, as shown on the 
 accompanying chart. 
 
 Rising Costs 
 
 The cost of running a city has increased in the same proportion 
 in the past few years as the running of a business or a home. The 
 expense in 1946 was $13,559,000 greater than in 1933. The cost of the 
 police department has gone up nearly $6,000,000, due to a much 
 needed increase in the number of patrolmen — plus the fact that the 
 base maximum pay of $2,500 for 1933 rose to $3,210 in 1946. The 
 same situation applies to firemen; we now have more of them, at 
 higher pay, so that an increase of nearly $3,500,000 has been experi- 
 enced. There have been corresponding increases, also, in the cost 
 of the street department, health department, bureau of sewers and 
 many other divisions of the city government. 
 
 State Allotment Small 
 
 Compared with other American cities, the amount collected here 
 and allocated back by the state is pitifully inadequate. While the 
 City of Chicago receives only a third — or about $6,000,000 a year — 
 of the gasoline tax collected by the State of Illinois, for use on state- 
 approved highways incidentally, other states share the taxes they col- 
 
 74
 
 CHICAGOANS PAY Jleu 
 FOR GOVERNMENT 
 
 COMPARISON OF TAX RATES IN CITIES OVER 500.000 POPULATION 
 
 Rates Adujus+ed to 100% Full Valuation 
 
 PER $1,000 VALUE 
 
 FOR YEAR 1946 
 
 ST. LOUIS 
 I SAN FRANCISCO 
 
 CHICAGO 
 NEW YORK 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 CLEVELAND 
 
 BALTIMORE 
 MILWAUKEE 
 LOS ANGELES 
 DETROIT 
 BUFFALO 
 PITTSBURGH 
 BOSTON 
 
 75
 
 The electric machine in this picture prints, signs and totals hundreds of 
 checks per minute. 
 
 lect far more generously. New York State, for instance, allots New 
 York City more than $13,000,000 a year as its share of its corporate 
 franchise tax, $12,500,000 of the personal income tax. New York 
 State permits New York City to levy its own local sales tax, a source 
 of another $40,000,000 revenue a year, and a general business and 
 financial tax which nets nearly $13,000,000. The last session of the 
 state legislature authorized New York City to increase its resources 
 by $142,000,000, its annual revenues by $67,000,000. In addition, it 
 granted all cities in the state an additional contribution of $6.75 per 
 capita. Although the City of Chicago supplies the bulk of all tax 
 revenues collected by the State of Illinois, it receives back only a 
 tiny fraction of these millions — a situation unparalleled among other 
 large cities in the land. 
 
 Lacking home rule rights enjoyed by other cities, denied an 
 equitable share of state-collected revenues, Chicago has made a virtue 
 of necessity. Its per capita costs of operation are far below those of 
 other cities of comparable size. Costs of local government may be 
 expected to rise in accordance with population. But Chicago, the 
 second city in the land, ranks twelfth in per capita costs, according 
 to the latest United States Census report. 
 
 76
 
 A VISIT FROM THE MAYOR 
 
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 Following the installation of modernized equipment in the statistical 
 division, Mayor Kelly makes an inspection visit. Here he is watching the 
 entirely automatic operation of an electric payroll tabulator. 
 
 The Mayor examines a check pro- 
 duced on a new IBM check printer. 
 
 This machine sorts cards electri- 
 cally according to serial numbers. 
 
 77
 
 Chicago Costs Are Low 
 
 Chicago has comparatively few employees — one policeman to every 
 523 people, compared with one to every 478 for New York City, one 
 for every 385 for Detroit. Chicago employs only one fireman for every 
 1,209 people, while New York City employs one for every 905, Phila- 
 delphia one for every 777. It costs Chicago only $2.25 per capita for 
 street cleaning, waste collection and waste disposal. New York City 
 pays $4.60, Detroit $3.65 per capita. 
 
 Because of the wide variation in valuations of real estate and 
 methods of computing assessments for taxation purposes, it is difficult 
 to compare the property tax rates of various cities. Moreover, Chicago 
 is without sales, income or other special local taxes and must depend 
 for the bulk of its revenue on property taxes. However, a comparison 
 of tax rates in cities of more than 500,000 population, adjusted to 
 100 per cent of full valuation, shows Chicago's property tax rate to 
 be eleventh — not second — for 1946. 
 
 Chicago's $41,000,000 tax bill for corporate purposes, minus loss and 
 cost, amounts to only $10.20 per person a year for all ordinary city 
 operating purposes — or less than $1.00 a month. For that $1.00 the 
 Chicagoan receives police protection, fire protection, public health 
 service, garbage collection, street cleaning, street maintenance, street 
 lighting and repairs, maintenance of parks, beaches and playground — 
 the biggest $1.00 bargain in America today. 
 
 The City Collector 
 
 The City Collector's Office collects more than $150,000 a day. In 
 1946 these collections totalled $47,707,856.86, of which $29,881,629.92 
 came from license and permit fees. General license and permit 
 fees yielded $14,881,629.92; vehicle licenses, $4,840,555.60; retail 
 liquor licenses, $8,560,200; special liquor permits (for additional 
 hours), $537,075; music and dancing licenses, $29,145; cigarette dealers, 
 $1,095,545; automatic amusement machines, $10,440; juke boxes, 
 $153,100; barber shops, $22,560; retail florists, $42,750; flammable 
 liquids storage, $129,319.75; filling stations, $326,001.50. An additional 
 $8,501,580.10 came from warrants for collection. Other collections: 
 insurance tax, $506,539.38; sundry funds, $524,128.56; water fund, $349,- 
 452.84; vehicle act violations, $144,724; vehicle tax fund reimbursements 
 (on warrants), $122,320.77. Deposits amounted to $3,312,420.75, and 
 miscellaneous collections, $4,324,026.96, 
 
 78
 
 MM»«j.*;«s*»^ 
 
 Chicago's Corporation Counsel, Barnet Hodes. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 A staff of highly trained specialists in municipal law defend 
 the city and provide legal guidance for its administrators. 
 
 Thanks to the consoUdation program, revolutionary changes have 
 been made in handHng the city's legal business. The Municipal Code 
 was revised and published in loose-leaf form, so that new ordinances 
 and amendments could be added as they were enacted, thus eliminat- 
 ing much confusion and uncertainty and speeding up the work of 
 courts, of lawyers, city department heads and the Law Department 
 itself. 
 
 Improved, modern techniques of administration were inaugurated, 
 as graphically illustrated in the organization chart contained in this 
 report. A continuous study of administrative procedure and socio- 
 economic problems affecting municipal government has been made; 
 and, in trend with the times, a Civil Rights Unit was added during 
 the past year. This unit gives substantial legal weight to the operations 
 of the Mayor's Committee on Human Relations and to the Fair Em- 
 ployment Practices Ordinance passed by the City Council in 1945. 
 
 79
 
 Attorneys who become assistant corporation counsel, assigned to the torts 
 division, are required to attend medical law indoctrination lectures. 
 
 During the past twelve years, the Chicago Law Department dis- 
 posed of 1,562,942 quasi-criminal cases and 9,462 civjl suits. It exam- 
 ined 754,183 police reports, conducted 15,549 legal investigations and 
 3,775 investigations of suspicious fires. It participated in 9,311 hearings 
 before administrative bodies, rendered 2,543 formal opinions and 
 examined 20,342 legal documents. It represented the city in 414 actions 
 before the Illinois Appellate, the Illinois Supreme and the United 
 States Supreme Court. 
 
 Reduction in Claims Against the City 
 
 Litigation involving interest on condemnation award 
 
 judgments $100,000,000 
 
 Personal injury cases 51,648,692 
 
 Back salary claims 1,049,398 
 
 Public Improvement 
 
 Damage cases other than subway cases 1,784,517 
 
 Total $174,482,607 
 
 Another $60,000,000 of municipal revenue was defended from legal 
 attack in suits objecting to tax rates. 
 
 The successful protection of licensing ordinances resulted in the 
 saving of revenue amounting to approximately $12,638,000. By means 
 of appropriate legal action, it was able to recover $8,350,517.32 for the 
 city treasury and to reduce claims against the city by $174,482,607 — a 
 grand total of $197,310,124.32. The record follows: 
 
 80
 
 LICENSE FEES, protected in court actions and sustained in the 
 Supreme Court of Illinois: 
 
 Date of 
 Ordinance Decision 
 
 Food Dispensers .... 1938 
 Lumber Yards for Storage 
 
 Only 1942 
 
 Drugs-Chem. Factories . 1940 
 Public Open-Air Garages 1937 
 Cigarettes (U. S. Court) . 1937 
 Barbers 1945 
 
 Total 
 
 Approximate 
 
 
 Annual 
 
 Total Collected 
 
 Fees 
 
 Since Decision 
 
 $260,000 
 
 % 2,340,000 
 
 27,000 
 
 135,000 
 
 35,000 
 
 245,000 
 
 48,000 
 
 480,000 
 
 940,000 
 
 9,400,000 
 
 19,000 
 
 38,000 
 
 $1,329,000 
 
 $12,638,000 
 
 Money Recovered 
 
 Collections on delinquent inspection fees and damage to 
 
 city property $1,098,459.00 
 
 Recoveries through action — over from third parties li- 
 able in tort actions against the city 323,622.32 
 
 Payments to city under terms of franchise ordinance . 1,662,000.00 
 
 Fees due the Clerk and BailiflEs of the Municipal Court 
 from the County of Cook in quasi-criminal cases 
 
 Total 
 
 5,266,436.00 
 118,350,517.32 
 
 The Law Department recovered $2,350,517.32 for the city treasury 
 through appropriate legal action since 1935. 
 
 Investigator of the Law Department gathering evidence in a damage 
 claim suit against the city. Investigators usually get to the scenes of 
 accidents before claims are made.
 
 
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 REPORTINC 
 
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 82
 
 Landmark Opinions 
 
 The Law Department is frequently called upon to render formal 
 legal opinions on problems confronting the city, as well as to inter- 
 pret city ordinances in special applications. These requests come from 
 the Mayor, the City Council and various municipal department heads 
 and agencies. Since 1935, many landmark opinions have been ren- 
 dered. 
 
 Notable among these have been opinions concerning civil liberties. 
 The rights of citizens have been so consistently upheld that recog- 
 nition of the fact was made, in 1939, when the Corporation Counsel 
 was awarded the distinguished service medal by the Chicago Civil 
 Liberties Committee. 
 
 These opinions ruled against race discrimination, upheld freedom 
 of expression, the right of assembly and peaceful picketing. They 
 branded as indefensible all race discrimination in the hiring of workers 
 on city construction jobs, and supported the rights of certain racial 
 groups to enjoy the same living conditions as persons of any other race. 
 
 The right to publish and circulate newspapers freely and to dis- 
 tribute handbills presenting particular political, economic or social 
 views, even in wartime, was upheld by Law Department opinions. 
 The right to peaceable picketing and the legality of labor unions to 
 strike were also upheld. 
 
 Among the scores of official opinions which helped shape the city's 
 policies in relation to new prcjblems was one rendered against the 
 Defense Plant Corporation during the war, holding that the corpora- 
 
 Attorneys in the general counsel division of the Law department confer 
 on an important case. 
 
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 Assistant corporation counsel and plainlifT in a compensation case discuss 
 damages. 
 
 tion's property was subject to jurisdiction of state and local laws which 
 do not conflict with federal powers — including tax laws. 
 
 Outstanding, in 1946, was an opinion which treated exhaustively 
 the right of public employees to organize labor unions. The Law 
 Department ruled that the Police Commissioner has the right to 
 forbid policemen from joining a union and from entering into closed- 
 shop or check-off arrangements, but this power has not been ex- 
 ercised. 
 
 Precedents Won for City 
 
 The Law Department, during the past twelve years, has been out- 
 standingly successful in establishing legal precedents in the Supreme 
 and Appellate Courts of Illinois which have advanced the long-run 
 interests of the City of Chicago. The following is a brief resume of 
 major accomplishments: 
 
 1. A signal home rule victory resulted from the decision in 
 Dean Mil{ Company v. City of Chicago, 385 111. 565 (1944), 
 which upheld the concurrent power of municipalities in situ- 
 ations where the State has assumed jurisdiction over the sub- 
 ject matter but has reserved the existing power in munici- 
 palities. 
 
 2. In defeating between $20,000,000 and $30,000,000 back salary 
 
 85
 
 claims growing out of cuts made during the depression years, 
 an important precedent was established that the amount ap- 
 propriated constitutes the limit of the City's liability. (People 
 ex rel Miilvey v. City of Chicago, 292 111. App. 589 [1937]) 
 
 3. In establishing the precedent that the City did not have to 
 compensate a de jure judge when it had already paid the sal- 
 ary of a de facto judge who was subsequently held not elected, 
 the city defeated salary claims totalling $40,860. {AlcKinley 
 V. City of Chicago, 369 111. 268 [1938]) 
 
 4. A series of major legal victories in cases involving interest on 
 condemnation awards reduced the city's potential liability of 
 $100,000,000 to $2,500,000 through the following Supreme 
 Court rulings: 
 
 (a) That a judgment creditor is entitled to simple and not 
 compound interest. (Blaine v. City of Chicago, 366 111. 
 341 [1937]) 
 
 (b) That interest was no part of the judgment to which the 
 twenty year statute of limitations applied and that, 
 therefore, the five-year statute of limitations did apply. 
 {Blal{eslee's Storage Warehouse v. City of Chicago, et 
 al, 369 111. 480 [1938]) 
 
 (c) That the City did not stand in the relation of a trustee 
 as to holders of condemnation awards. Were there a 
 trust relationship the statute of limitations would not 
 
 Assistant corporation connsel, defending the City of Chicago, interrogates 
 a witness. 
 
 86
 
 ■<-*». 
 
 Many legal problems arise in connection with public iniprovenienls. 
 
 apply. {Trust Company of Chicago v. City of Chicago 
 et al, Supreme Court Nos. 26945 and 29438 [1946]) 
 (d) That judgment creditors receiving payments on con- 
 demnation awards were accepting payments on principal 
 and not on interest, as alleged by the claimants in an 
 effort to circumvent the statute of limitations. {Guar- 
 anty Mortgage and Security Co. et al, v. City of Chicago, 
 Supreme Court No. 29651 [1946]) 
 
 5. By estabhshing validity of that section of the municipal court 
 act which requires the county to reimburse the city for costs 
 in quasi-criminal cases, the city secured judgment for 
 $1,758,000 against the County of Cook and set the pattern for 
 the subsequent recovery to date of approximately $5,250,000, 
 {City of Chicago v. County of Coo\, 370 111. 301 [1939]) 
 
 6. The City's power to tax motor vehicles of a company regu- 
 lated by the Illinois Commerce Commission was sustained in 
 an important ruling of the Supreme Court in City of Chi- 
 cago V. Hastings Express Company, 369 111. 610, (1938). 
 
 7. The peg levy form of tax levy was sustained by the Supreme 
 Court in Peo. ex. rel. Lindheimer v. Sweitzer, Peo. ex rel. 
 Lindheimer v. McRea and Peo. ex. rel. Lindheimer v. Mene- 
 fee, consohdated, 369 111. 355 (1938). 
 
 87
 
 8. Precedents for subsequent tax litigation were established in 
 People ex rel. Toman v. Mercil & Sons, 378 111. 142 (1942). 
 The County Court, by sustaining thirteen tax objection items, 
 had invalidated one-third of the 1938 tax levy. The City 
 obtained a reversal in the Supreme Court on every one of the 
 thirteen items and thereby prevented the crippling effects of a 
 sharp curtailment of essential municipal activities. 
 
 9. Important precedents were established which have greatly 
 reduced the City's liabihty in tort actions: 
 
 (a) Courts of Appellate jurisdiction can set aside a jury 
 verdict on the ground that findings of fact are not sup- 
 ported by the evidence (John F. Corcoran v. City of 
 Chicago, 373 111. 567 [1940]). This ruling provides a 
 safeguard against sympathy judgments which cut deeply 
 into municipal funds. 
 
 (b) The city is not liable for snow and ice conditions on side- 
 walks, streets, or safety islands where the condition is 
 natural and general throughout the city. (Robert Strap- 
 ped V. City of Chicago, 371 111. 72 [1939]). As a result, 
 the city has been able to defeat most of the snow and ice 
 cases filed against it. 
 
 (c) A group of strikers does not constitute a "mob" for 
 whose violence the statute makes the city liable. {Victor 
 Anderson v. City of Chicago, 313 111. App. 616 [1942]). 
 
 10. The precedent that a municipality is not bound to recognize 
 an attorney's lien served upon it was established in Theresa 
 Brazil v. City of Chicago, 313 111. App. 436 (1942). 
 
 11. In People ex rel William f. Titohy, State's Attorney of Cool^ 
 County v. City of Chicago, et al. Supreme Court No. 29503, 
 the city was successful in upholding the constitutionality of 
 an amendment to the Cities and Villages Act, giving munici- 
 palities the power to condemn property for slum clearance. 
 
 John A. Lapp 
 chairman of tli« 
 Civil Liberties Com 
 mittee, present! 
 its coveted annual 
 award to Barnel 
 Hodes, corporation 
 counsel of the Citj 
 of Chicago.
 
 THE 
 DEPARTMENT 
 
 Since 1933 the city's efficient law enforcement 
 officers fiave reduced major crimes 60 percent. 
 
 In the past fourteen years a courageous, determined effort on the 
 part of the Chicago Pohce Department has cleared Chicago's reputa- 
 tion as a haven for gangsters and criminals. Proof of this statement is 
 contained in the impressive record of the Police Department in reduc- 
 ing crime in seven major categories in the period between 1933 and 1946. 
 
 In 1933 there were 353 murders. By 1946 this had been reduced to 
 240. Robberies were cut from 15,146 in 1933 to 3,672 in 1946. Equally 
 impressive reductions have been accomplished with respect to man- 
 slaughter, assault, burglary, and larceny. Auto thefts were reduced 
 from 26,660 in 1933 to less than 3,000 ni 1946! 
 
 Sex-Homicide Bureau Established 
 
 The only type of major crime which has increased in the 1933-1946 
 
 89
 
 7 out of 8 major types of crima have been drastically reduced 
 
 In Chicago since 1933. 
 
 TYPE OF 
 CRIME 
 
 MURDER 
 
 MANSLAUGHTER 
 
 RAPE 
 
 AGGRAVATED 
 ASSAULT 
 
 ROBBERY 
 
 ^ 
 
 LARCENY 
 
 BURGLARY 
 
 AUTO 
 THEFT 
 
 1933 
 
 353 
 164 
 
 165 
 
 15,146 
 
 2,588 
 
 22,010 
 
 26,660 
 
 1946 
 
 240 
 64 
 
 346 
 
 3,672 
 
 1,816 
 
 9,924 
 
 21,068 15,820 
 
 2,967 
 
 TOTAL 88,154 34,849
 
 John C. Prendergast, commissioner 
 
 period has been rape — an of- 
 fense which spread alarming- 
 ly throughout the nation as 
 an aftermath of both World 
 War I and World War II. 
 To cope with this post-war 
 type of crime, a Sex-Homi- 
 cide Bureau has been estab- 
 lished as part of the Detective 
 Bureau. Its purpose is to pro- 
 tect Chicago's women and 
 children, both on the street 
 and in the home, from the 
 acts of sex offenders. 
 
 All persons charged with 
 sex offenses are brought to 
 this bureau. There they are 
 questioned and card-indexed 
 
 with a complete description and history of each offender and 
 every known offense. The index cards are cross-filed in every con- 
 ceivable manner, such as class of crime, residence of offender, location 
 of crime, relatives, friends and other informative data. Photographs 
 are taken of each person charged and, when placed on file, are keyed 
 to the cross index card system. Every victim of a sex offense is taken 
 to the Sex-Homicide Bureau to identify offenders from the records. 
 The results obtained by this comparatively new bureau offer the 
 strongest assurance that Chicago is one American city in which the 
 increasing trend of sex offenses is going to be reversed. 
 
 Reorganized for Efficiency 
 
 The establishment of the Sex Homicide Bureau is but one of many 
 changes and improvements which have been carried out by the Police 
 Department in the past fourteen years as a means of improving the 
 efficiency of the department and extending the amount and quality of 
 protection afforded to the citizens of Chicago. 
 
 In 1932, forty-nine units within the department reported to the 
 Commissioner of Police. In a reorganization which became fully 
 effective in 1933, the number of units was reduced to seven: 
 
 1. The Uniformed Police, commanded by the Chief of Uni- 
 formed Forces, comprising the 39 police districts, each 
 commanded by a captain. 
 
 2. The Detective Bureau, commanded by the Chief of De- 
 tectives. 
 
 91
 
 J' 
 
 wSKm 
 
 
 
 The central complaint room at 1121 S. State Street handles approxi- 
 mately 700,000 calls yearly. Information is relayed to squad cars on the 
 two-way radio system. 
 
 3. The Traffic Bureau, commanded by the Chief of Traffic. 
 
 4. The Department of Records and Property, headed by the 
 department secretary. 
 
 5. The Bureau of Criminal Information and Statistics. 
 
 6. The Personnel Bureau. 
 
 7. The Crime Prevention Division. 
 
 This reorganization grouped related activities together under a 
 stronger system of administration, supervision and command. 
 
 Central Complaint Room 
 
 Another important step forward in poHce administration and better 
 pubhc service was achieved with the creation of the central complaint 
 room. Into this nerve center flow all complaints received by the de- 
 partment from all police districts, enabling the department to main- 
 tain a single, complete set of records, thus expediting the handling of 
 complaints and presenting a clear, current picture of all conditions in 
 all parts of the city. The system installed in the central complaint room 
 gives Chicago police a vastly improved record of crime reporting, 
 crime recording and follow-up controls on all reported violations. The 
 central complaint room handles about 700,000 calls annually, and the 
 whole system is made doubly effective because of modern methods of 
 communication. By means of radio broadcasters located in the central 
 complaint room, urgent complaints received by telephone are in- 
 stantly relayed to radio-equipped squad cars in all districts. 
 
 Development of Two-Way Radio 
 
 Originally, the Chicago Police Department operated with one-way 
 
 92
 
 amplitude frequency radio. In 1938, as an experiment, eighteen De- 
 tective Bureau vehicles were equipped with two way-radio facilities. 
 At that time such installations were regarded as purely experimental; 
 many doubts existed as to the effectiveness of two-way radio operation 
 in a city the size and structure of Chicago. After two years of experi- 
 menting, adjusting and rearranging, two-way communication by 
 radio was a definite success and the department then undertook a 
 program to equip every vehicle assigned to squad car duty with two- 
 way radio equipment. 
 
 There have been many instances in which this two-way, or talk back, 
 equipment has been instrumental in capturing law violators after their 
 escape from the scene of the crime. 
 
 At the present time the police radio division is preparing to change 
 over from AM to FM (frequency modulation) as a means of improv- 
 ing communication facilities. 
 
 Detective Bureau Reorganization 
 
 Many other noteworthy advancements have been made by the Chi- 
 cago Police Department between the years 1933 and 1946. A major 
 development was the reorganization of the Detective Bureau and 
 
 A Chicago Police Department innovation is the radio-equipped ambulance 
 squad car. 
 
 93
 
 , 'TfJMfltil 
 
 mss. 
 
 A motorcycle squadron of the Police Traffic Division. 
 
 the creation of special detective units to handle specific classes of 
 crimes. There are now a con game detail, Sex-Homicide Bureau, pawn 
 shop detail, cartage detail, missing persons detail, a reorganized and 
 expanded stolen automobile detail, industrial detail, and labor detail. 
 Each of these units, by virtue of specialized activities with specialized 
 personnel, has made a measurable contribution to the improved ef- 
 ficiency of the Detective Bureau. 
 
 Increased Training for Rookies 
 
 The police Training Division was established for the training of new 
 entrants to the department. Previously the training period for new 
 recruits was only thirty days. It has now been extended to ten weeks, 
 with an improved and expanded curriculum covering all necessary 
 subjects. Development of the Training Division proved particularly 
 valuable in 1946, when authority was requested and granted for the 
 
 Here, at the Bureau of Criminal Information and Statistics, records are 
 kept of accidents, arrests, gun registrations, radio messages, pawn shops 
 and other essential police data. 
 
 A 
 
 r^i 
 
 .V 
 
 X
 
 Fingerprint room of the Bureau of Identification. 
 
 employment o£ 1,000 additional policemen. These men, all veterans of 
 World War II, were placed on the rolls of the department, thoroughly 
 schooled in the Training Division, and are now functioning as post 
 patrolmen. The addition of these 1,000 men was a timely and highly 
 necessary expansion because of increases and changes in the city's 
 population, and the postwar increase in sex crimes. 
 
 Standardized Squad Cars 
 
 All classes of automobiles on squad car duty have been replaced so 
 that one standard make is now employed for all purposes. This 
 standardization makes possible the use of interchangeable parts, inter- 
 changeable auxiliary equipment, specialized maintenance procedures 
 and greatly reduced operating costs. The importance of this standard- 
 ization can be appreciated when it is reahzed that department vehicles 
 on squad duty travel approximately 8,000,000 miles per year. 
 
 Prior to 1933 the department had but three vehicles assigned to duty 
 in the Accident Prevention Division. In 1934 the number was in- 
 creased to twelve vehicles, working on a 24-hour daily basis. 
 
 ''Fix-Proof Tickets 
 
 In 1934 the Clerk of the Municipal Court, the Chief Justice of the 
 Municipal Court and the PoHce Department cooperated in the creation 
 of a "fix-proof" traffic violations summons ticket, which has proved 
 highly successful and has eliminated the "fixing" of traffic tickets. 
 
 95
 
 /L- 
 
 "-4 
 
 ^— -seSiWaC^ 
 
 '•^-.■.f^;S^S■J. 
 
 : ''S-Mi'infLrS'^sisss^ 
 
 One of the women's cells for first offenders at Central Police Station. 
 
 In 1940 a new form of traffic summons, known as the "tie-on" ticket, 
 was devised for parking violations. This summons is similar to the 
 regular "fix-proof" summons, except that the poHce officer attaches it 
 to the vehicle and does not have to waste time awaiting the return 
 of the driver. This new form of summons is highly successful in cur- 
 tailing parking in prohibited zones as well as double parking. It great- 
 ly assists in preventing accidents due to parking violations. 
 
 96
 
 i 
 
 ■}] 
 
 i 
 
 rm 
 
 Police rookies attend training school at the East Chicago Avenue station 
 Mhere they learn city ordinances as well as stale rules and regulations. 
 
 Auxiliary Ambulances 
 
 In 1937 the department inaugurated an auxiliary ambulance service 
 to take care of emergency accident cases. Twenty-nine regular squad 
 cars are instantly convertible into ambulances; however, they still 
 retain their squad car identity and continue to perform squad car duty. 
 All police officers assigned to these emergency ambulance squad cars 
 have been carefully schooled in the handling of injured persons and 
 have had preHminary and advanced courses in first aid. 
 
 In 1938 the department added a complete, up-to-date crime detection 
 laboratory. It began with a staff of six specialists, which has since been 
 augmented with the services of other members of the department 
 possessing special qualifications or skills in the field of scientific crime 
 detection. 
 
 The department takes great pride in its war record. Within four 
 hours after word of the attack on Pearl Harbor was received, 840 police 
 officers were on duty on special assignments to protect vulnerable 
 points from sabotage. The extent of the Police Department's war 
 mobilization and war activities is related in greater detail in the war 
 activities section of this report. 
 
 Special Care for Women First Offenders 
 
 In December, 1943, the Chicago Police Department installed new 
 women's detention quarters in the Central Police Station, with a 
 separate section for first offenders. The women's first offenders section 
 consists of individual rooms, each provided with a bed, mattress, 
 linen and covers. Women first offenders do not come into contact 
 with other prisoners. Ideal surroundings and sympathetic treatment 
 minimize the sense of stigma which would develop if first of- 
 fenders were housed with repeaters. Visiting police officials from all 
 
 97
 
 ^y 
 
 Police rookies are trained in the art of wrestling. 
 
 over the world have nothing but words of praise for Chicago's meth- 
 ods of handhng female prisoners. 
 
 Need for I\ew Stations 
 
 The department needs and is going to have a number of new, 
 modern stations. These will replace many obsolete and inadequate 
 station buildings, some of which were constructed as far back as 1872. 
 The facilities of these old buildings are outmoded and their main- 
 tenance and repair costs are prohibitive. The construction of new 
 police stations is provided for in the Greater Chicago Seven- Year 
 Public Works Program, which is described in the chapter on Chicago 
 Tomorrow. A total of $2,000,000 has been earmarked for new police 
 and fire buildings. 
 
 Crime Detection Laboratory 
 
 In the Police Department's crime detection laboratory, many sciences 
 are employed. 
 
 Fingerprint experts subjected the ransom note to immersion in 
 silver nitrate solution, which brought forth segments of finger and 
 palm prints, which ultimately led to the positive identification of 
 William Heirens. Chemistry was used in analyzing the composition 
 of the ransom note. Medical analysts determined human blood and 
 
 98
 
 flesh remained in basement sinks, placing the location of dissection; 
 and that strands of hair recovered (with wire and handkerchief) were 
 identical with victims. Ultra violet rays brought out words indented 
 in the ransom note, not visible to the naked eye. Handwriting experts 
 further cemented the case against Heirens by identifying his writing 
 as being the same as that in the ransom note; and tied him in with 
 the murder of the ex-Wave Frances Brown in her apartment by 
 comparison of his writing with the note scrawled on the wall in her 
 room. Fingerprint experts also aided in the latter case by bringing out 
 a segment of finger print on the door jamb of her room, definitely 
 placing him on the scene. Ballistics tied him in with the shootings of 
 two women through comparison of pellets fired from a weapon in his 
 possession with the pellets recovered at the scene. 
 
 In the case of Rose Michaelis, forced while unconscious into a 
 heating furnace in the basement of the building in which she lived, 
 by Joseph Nischt, janitor of the apartments, the services of combustion 
 engineering experts were required in ascertaining whether or not that 
 particular furnace was capable of disposing of an entire human body; 
 and an anthropologist determined by analysis the extent of human ash 
 residue remaining after a cadaver had been used in this experiment. 
 
 Polygraph tests have led to confessions in several cases, notably that 
 of Daniel Hurley, a member of the merchant marine, accused of brut- 
 ally beating and clawing to death, a young woman, Shirley Stone, on 
 September 26, 1945. 
 
 In general, ultra violet rays are employed in bringing out laundry 
 marks, hidden handwriting, traces of semen in stained clothing, etc. 
 Chemists are used to determine the identity of various substances; 
 
 Policemen must qualify in marksmanship at regular intervals. 
 
 f lfc.!1H ll lli
 
 The photographic studio of the Police Department Bureau of Identilication. 
 
 distinguishing animal from human blood, composition of explosives; 
 bringing out obliterated numbers of firearms, etc. Medical experts 
 determine causes of death; path of bullets; blood groupings, etc. 
 Paraffin tests determine whether a person has recently fired a weapon. 
 
 Co-operation With FBI 
 
 This department has co-operated fully with the Federal Bureau 
 of Investigation in all cases of mutual interest. During the war all 
 males questioned on suspicion or taken into custody were required 
 to produce their draft registration cards, and in the event they could 
 not do so, were held until they could be turned over to the FBI for 
 disposal. 
 
 100
 
 An inspector from the Department of Weights and Measures checks a 
 butcher shop scale. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 The great majority of Chicago's merchants, wholesalers and com- 
 modity dealers are honest business men who are anxious to give full 
 weight, full measure and full value for the customers' money. But 
 once in a while, a black sheep gets mixed into the flock. He cheats his 
 customers and takes unfair advantage of his competitors. His tricks 
 are cunning and his schemes are ingenious — but not too cunning nor 
 too ingenious for the alert eye and resourceful mind of the City Sealer 
 and his deputy inspectors. 
 
 In 1946, the City Sealer made 106,518 inspections of weights and 
 measures, and conducted 13,825 investigations on shortweights. He 
 collected |80,019.30 in inspection fees and was responsible for the 
 assessment of $14,429 in lines. 
 
 Extension of Service 
 
 In February, 1939, a market division was established by the City 
 Sealer with an office in the South Water Market District. This division 
 has paid large dividends to consumers of the Chicago area. Short- 
 weighted carloads of potatoes and other vegetables were intercepted 
 by deputy inspectors before the cars were unloaded by the commis- 
 sion merchants. 
 
 The following figures show the number of carloads of potatoes and 
 other vegetables inspected in 1939 and 1946 and the shortages found: 
 
 101
 
 Joseph P. Geary, City Sealer. 
 
 1939 — 18,651 carloads inspected, 
 705,584 lbs. short weight; 1946— 
 11,647 carloads inspected, 77,535 
 lbs. shortweight. The above 
 figures clearly show that the 
 operation of this branch office 
 has cut down the shortages on 
 carload potatoes and vegetables 
 over 650,000 pounds during a 
 period of six years, thereby sav- 
 ing the retailer and consumer 
 thousands of dollars. 
 
 New Ordinances 
 
 In 1939, an ordinance orig- 
 inated by the City Sealer and 
 passed by the City Council, provided that certain specific types of coal 
 sold to the consumer must not contain over 26 per cent volatile 
 matter. This ordinance enabled the consumer to obtain coal with 
 higher burning qualities and less smoke. 
 
 A 1941 ordinance provided that persons using scales to weigh com- 
 modities must have scales located so that their figures and reading 
 faces can be readily seen and legible to the purchaser or receiver. 
 
 In 1945, another new ordinance provided that the seller of com- 
 modities, if requested by the buyer, must reweigh commodities in 
 the buyer's presence. Another ordinance provided that the net con- 
 tents in weight, measure or numerical count be plainly and con- 
 spicuously marked on all package goods. 
 
 Department Prosecutor 
 
 In 1935, the City Sealer was instrumental in having a city prosecutor 
 permanently assigned to the Department of Weights and Measures 
 for the handling of shortweight cases. Instead of having a different 
 prosecutor appointed each week, one man now handles all short- 
 weight cases more intelligently and efficiently. 
 
 During this period, the City Sealer instituted a form of arrest 
 notices serially numbered which were given to each deputy inspector. 
 An inspector finding a violation warranting an arrest issues an 
 arrest notice at time of inspection which specifies the date of appear- 
 ance in court. Minor violators are issued summons to appear before 
 the City Sealer to explain the reasons for their violations. 
 
 The City Sealer also had all seals, which are placed on equipment 
 after inspection, serially numbered. Each inspector is charged with the 
 numbers of seals issued to him and must turn in inspection fees for 
 each seal used. 
 
 102
 
 ^ 
 
 
 r 
 
 
 Chicago's boiler inspectors prevent explosions like the one pictured above. 
 This boiler blast occurred in another city. 
 
 INSPECTION 
 
 Public safety is the sole objective of the Department for Inspection 
 of Steam Boilers, Unfired Pressure Vessels and Cooling Plants, and 
 its attainment is demonstrated by the fact that there has not been a 
 single loss of life from a boiler explosion in the past fifteen years. 
 
 This department performs one of the oldest public safety functions 
 of the city — so old, in fact, that there is no authentic record as to what 
 date operations began. Codes of the American Society of Mechanical 
 Engineers and the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel 
 Inspectors, under which the department operates, are part of a national 
 enforcement measure that assures the city the ultimate in safe con- 
 struction. 
 
 Since the department has been so successful in maintaining safety 
 and thus preventing spectacular accidents, little publicity has been 
 given to the type of work performed. For that reason, the editorial 
 reproduced here from the Herald-Examiner of May 16, 1935, will 
 be of interest. It emphasizes that the credit for an outstanding public 
 safety record must be given to careful inspection under a rigid inspec- 
 tion code. As a result, boiler explosion insurance losses are considerably 
 less in Chicago than in any other American city. 
 
 Refrigeration Ordinance 
 
 As a further safety measure, the department submitted to the City 
 Council a refrigeration ordinance covering all phases of refrigeration 
 
 103
 
 Gerald Gearon, standing, deputy in- 
 spector, and T. F. Moran, chief 
 inspector of steam boilers. 
 
 and air conditioning in 1935. During the war, Chi- 
 cago was free from any accident involving a refrig- 
 erating or air conditioning system. 
 
 Inspection fees pay the entire cost of operating 
 this department, and taxpayers are not called upon 
 to pay any part of the cost for this phase of pubHc 
 safety. 
 
 UNSUNG SENTINELS 
 
 . \<\\c service under poUt- 
 ical gioupb w jp.^elictions that icit ^ ^^^^^o- 
 
 Sctov«— f f?;;'^^^^ .ervants WHO P-^ 
 
 the hidden actvvrt s o ^^^ .^ ^^^ ^^^, o«t, doing 
 
 along '=°"^'^f*°" and property. ^^ sight, 
 
 bit to pro ec ^-/.^departments always are ^^^ 
 
 Jt^;!S;"o nor f J'^^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 X'ntan 'the cri^-le^rp'rtfwho prevent bo.er 
 sewer cleaners, ana ^_^^^^^^^ 
 
 accidents-! ^,^^ '"^P^^^"? ^nois For a check- 
 
 j::;t-?«ontoch.^^^^ 
 
 that this state and c ty h^^^^ ^.^^ ^^ t,. ^ 
 
 ^^".' ^t wtgtTn to'careful inspecU n^^^^^^^ 
 
 ^s^ttfonclle. The estimated loss^^^^ ^^^^ 
 constructmi ^^,y *^8,i4o ^^^^j^^.^^ 
 
 dents m IHmo'^ ^^j^ ^t,out 5,000 ^ ^ that 
 
 approximately 1,0 ^^ .^^p^^. 
 
 ^"S"h^;w many Chicagoans e- -w ^\„,s what the 
 to'^^GZ^uS-caU-agreathighand. 
 late Texas Guman
 
 r 
 
 Spectroscopic and microscopic examinations of dust are made by smoke 
 abatement inspectors to establish origin of the dust. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 "Keeping Chicago Clean" begins with the air we breathe. And 
 clean air . . . in the metropolitan heart of an industrial empire . . . 
 begins where the smoke nuisance ends. 
 
 To fight the smoke nuisance, to protect our air, to abate the evil 
 of man-made dirt, and let the sun shine through, a vigilant corps of 
 smoke inspectors — trained in combustion engineering — serve the people 
 of Chicago. By means of inspection, education and enforcement they 
 conduct a relentless campaign to insure the use of proper fuels, good 
 furnaces in good repair, and smokeless firing methods for buildings, 
 boats and railroad engines. In 1946 they observed 368,970 chimneys. 
 Most of them were well-behaved, but more than 6,000 offenders were 
 reported. 
 
 Improved Smoke Ordinance 
 
 On January 9th, 1946, the city's Smoke Ordinance was amended 
 to prohibit the emission of dense smoke corresponding to No. 4 
 and No. 5 of the Ringleman Chart as published by the U. S, Bureau 
 of Mines. The old ordinance had permitted a period of six minutes 
 per hour (when new fires were built or fires were being cleaned) 
 when smoke of any density could be discharged. From a practical 
 enforcement standpoint, every chimney could emit thick black smoke 
 
 105
 
 Frank A. Chambers, deputy smoke 
 inspector. 
 
 (luring every hour without be- 
 ing subject to penalty. The pas- 
 sage of this amendment enabled 
 the department to take punitive 
 action on 1,038 violations which 
 were formerly classed as non- 
 violations. 
 
 Enforcement and Instruction 
 
 During the month of March, 
 1946, the office of the Chief Jus- 
 tice of the Municipal Court ap- 
 proved the practice by the de- 
 partment of serving "cafeteria" 
 summons for violations of the 
 Smoke Ordinance. This resulted 
 in the serving of such notices, 
 covering 350 violations, to plant owners and operators and to engine 
 crews in charge of locomotives. A salutary effect of personal service of 
 this type is that very few violations have been repeated by the same 
 offenders. Of the 350 notifications served, 309 were settled by payment 
 of the $5 penalty; 41 resulted in court action. 
 
 It has been an established policy not only to report smoking chim- 
 neys, but to assist owners to stop smoke. During 1946, 43,345 instruc- 
 tion visits were made by engineers of the department. 
 
 5,112 locomotives were reported emitting dense smoke in 1946, of 
 which 3,853 were classed as violating the Smoke Ordinance. This com- 
 pares with 2,266 reported in 1945, of which 1,750 were violations. 
 
 The rapid increase in diesel power promises relief from locomotive 
 smoke. Two railroads are nearly completely dieselized in all branches 
 and the passenger and freight switching of a number of others is 
 completed. 
 
 Dust Fall Survey 
 
 The department has conducted a dust fall survey since 1923 and 
 records the amount of settled dust at approximately 25 stations located 
 uniformly throughout the city. During 1946 the average dust fall 
 was 63.19 tons per square mile per month. This compares with 
 67.70 tons for 1945 and represents a 6.7 per cent reduction. The month 
 of August indicated the lightest fall and the month of January showed 
 the heaviest deposit. The station receiving the lightest average monthly 
 deposit was at 7350 Pratt Boulevard, where 31.31 tons were recorded. 
 The heaviest monthly deposit was the average for the two Loop 
 stations where 151.01 tons fell. 
 
 106
 
 Engineers of the Noise Abatement Commission make recordings of noise 
 levels in one of Chicago's major war plants — General Electric Hotpoint. 
 
 i^(Da^ii 
 
 ABATEMENT COMMISSION 
 
 The Noise Abatement Commission was organized by an act of the 
 City Council in July, 1943, to do something about the ever-increasing 
 menace of unnecessary noise, which was endangering and impairing 
 the hves of our citizens. Its membership consists of the president of 
 the Board of Health, five aldermen and nine citizens appointed by 
 the Mayor to serve without compensation. 
 
 In the belief that noise abatement was primarily a problem in public 
 education, a broad program of public information was decided upon. 
 An extensive advertising and publicity campaign was inaugurated 
 through the medium of the daily and community press, periodicals, 
 motion picture trailers and radio programs. 
 
 Since the initial objective was to make the general public, and the 
 workers themselves, conscious of the evil effects of unnecessary noise 
 on war production, the goal was to reach every industrial, commercial 
 
 107
 
 NOISE COMPLAINTS 
 
 <::> 
 
 
 s\/// 
 
 :TRAFFIC 
 
 TRANSPORTATION 
 
 I RADIOS 
 
 II 14% 
 
 ] 
 
 387, 
 
 20% 
 
 WHISTLES & BELLS 10% 
 CONSTRUCTION 7% 
 
 VOCAL 5% 
 
 BARKING DOGS 4% 
 
 ALL OTHERS 2% 
 
 and civic organization in Chicago. Pursuing this plan, direct contact 
 was made with several hundred industrial and commercial concerns, 
 civic organizations, local governmental offices, parochial and public 
 schools, delivering the noise abatement message directly to the people 
 with the assistance of business executives, personnel managers, depart- 
 ment heads, principals and school teachers. 
 
 Booklets, posters, news releases and other publicity media were 
 widely used, and the advent of the song, "Milkman — Keep Those 
 Bottles Quiet," was a timely, good-humored aid to the campaign. 
 
 The commission produced and distributed a motion picture trailer 
 on noise abatement which was shown in approximately 383 theaters 
 throughout Chicago. Several radio scripts were prepared for use on 
 commercial programs, in addition to the Mayor's regular "Message 
 of the Day" programs on noise abatement. 
 
 Achievements 
 
 The Chicago Noise Abatement Commission has received national 
 recognition. In the years 1943, 1944 and 1945 Chicago was awarded 
 silver plaques for outstanding achievement in the noise abatement 
 movement, in competition with cities listed in the population group 
 of 500,000 or more. Again, in 1946, Chicago received a gold plaque 
 symbolic of the Grand National Achievement Award for making the 
 most successfLil effort to eliminate unnecessary noise. This was gained 
 in competition with 97 cities and towns with populations of 2,000 or 
 more throughout the United States. 
 
 
 
 
 ^U,; 
 
 
 
 ■ i 
 
 
 s 
 
 liiiU , 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Noise abatement post- 
 ers were prominently 
 displayed at many of 
 Chicago's leading war 
 plants.
 
 PUBLIC 
 
 
 COMMISSION 
 
 E. J. Gorman, chairman. Public 
 Vehicle License Commission. 
 
 An important public safety measure was inaugurated by Mayor Kelly 
 and the Council in the establishment of the present Public Vehicle 
 License Commission in May, 1934 — to oversee and regulate the opera- 
 tion of taxicab service in the city. Prior to that time the commission 
 had been composed of men who were fully occupied with other duties 
 and could only give a portion of their spare time to the job. 
 
 When the new commission took over, there were 4,108 taxicab 
 licenses issued by the city. A survey showed that — due to the depres- 
 sion — there were too many cabs and too few customers; some drivers 
 were making as little as $2.50 a day, and cabs were constantly cruising 
 in search of fares. Consequently, the number of licenses was reduced 
 to 3,000 by city ordinance, a number of cabs considered adequate to 
 meet public demand and afford a living wage for drivers. 
 
 During the war some of the equipment became badly run down. 
 Two large taxicab companies, for instance, had 321 taxicabs in 
 inoperable condition. An endeavor to cancel these licenses so that 
 they could be issued to others resulted in an injunction against the 
 city. To overcome the taxicab shortage. Mayor Kelly secured a with- 
 drawal of objections by taxicab companies, and 275 licenses were 
 issued in 1946 to veterans of World War II. 
 
 The Vehicle License Commission has operated at a minimum of 
 expense while collecting the maximum of income. Every year, during 
 the years 1934 to 1946 inclusive, each taxicab meter has been tested 
 
 109
 
 and, when approved, sealed to assure proper collection of fares. The 
 fee for every taxicab license stand, every compensation fee and meter 
 inspection has been collected. Over the period of 1934 to 1946 in- 
 clusive, the total budget amounted to $518,474.94 whereas the total 
 revenue for the same period was $2,851,838.15. 
 
 Drivers Fingerprinted 
 
 During the regime of the present Public Vehicle License Commis- 
 sion, a system was sponsored by Mayor Edward J. Kelly and inaugu- 
 rated in this department, whereby every applicant for a public vehicle 
 driver's license submits to fingerprinting. These fingerprints are thor- 
 oughly checked, not only with the Bureau of Identification of the 
 Chicago Police Department but with the Federal Bureau of Identifi- 
 cation in Washington, D. C. Any applicant whose record indicates 
 that he is not a fit person to drive a taxicab is denied a driver's 
 license. 
 
 During the war there were in excess of 700 taxicab drivers who 
 were penalized for various violations such as overcharging, refusing 
 loads, etc., and who were suspended from 10 to 30 days or relieved 
 of their licenses (depending upon the seriousness of the violation). 
 
 Safety Inspection for Private Automobiles 
 
 On October 30, 1935 an ordinance was passed by the City Council 
 "In Relation to Mandatory Inspection of Motor Vehicles Owned and 
 Operated by Residents of the City of Chicago." This ordinance was 
 passed so that the sufficiency of all safety factors of motor vehicles 
 operated in Chicago should be tested and either rejected or approved. 
 
 The safety factors checked were the brakes, both for brake effort 
 and equalization, wheel alignment, steering wheel, clear vision, lights, 
 wiper and all other accessories. 
 
 This ordinance was necessitated by the fact that in the years prior, 
 the death rate from automobile accidents had been increasing, and a 
 substantial percentage of these accidents were attributable to defects in 
 the safety equipment of the vehicles. 
 
 During the years 1937 to 1946, 6,824,340 vehicles were inspected 
 and approved. During that period 2,814,867 vehicles were rejected — 
 2,403,925 of which returned to the safety lanes later and were ap- 
 proved. 
 
 The establishment of these lanes was an integral part of the entire 
 safety campaign set up by the Mayor. It was one of the large factors, 
 together with the campaigns of other safety agencies, in the reduction 
 of the number of lives lost In automobile accidents. 
 
 no
 
 Mrs. Citizen watches as a safety lane inspector checks headlights. Such 
 testing, performed by the Public Vehicle License Commission, furthers 
 the aims of the Traffic Commission. 
 
 THE CHICAGO 
 COMMISSION 
 
 Safeguards Moforisfs and Pedestrians. 
 
 The Chicago Street Traffic Commission was estabHshed in 1941 to 
 co-ordinate the activities of all city departments concerned with the 
 control and regulations of street traffic and the prevention of traffic 
 accidents. 
 
 The need for this new instrument to attack the accident problem is 
 confirmed by the record. In 1942, due to the tremendous increase in 
 war and war production activities, Chicago experienced large in- 
 creases in traffic volume. Much of this new traffic, both pedestrian 
 and vehicular, consisted of out-of-city employees of war plants — 
 people who were unfamiliar with big city traffic conditions. This con- 
 dition, combined with the attitude of some war workers, who con- 
 sidered themselves privileged characters, created a serious traffic prob- 
 lem. Inexperienced drivers further complicated the situation. 
 
 Ill
 
 Victories on the Home Front 
 
 Despite these conditions, (Chicago reduced its tralHc fatality record 
 from 623 in 1941 to 466 for 1942 and, for the first time, received The 
 Grand Award in the National Traffic Safety Contest for all cities in 
 the United States. An additional honor was First Place Award in 
 the National Pedestrian Protection Contest. These achievements 
 were due, in no small part, to the work of the commission which 
 served as co-sponsor of an intensive accident prevention campaign in 
 all war industries. The commission furnished educational materials 
 and speakers on traffic safety. It cooperated with the military, the 
 OCD and the ODT in safety activities of the armed forces, group 
 riding, and staggered hour projects. It organized a complete program 
 among the Army, State, County, Park District, city departments 
 and traction companies for snow plowing schedules to keep open 
 strategic thoroughfares and streets leading to war industries. 
 
 In 1943, the Chicago Street Traffic Commission renewed and ex- 
 panded its program of education, enforcement and engineering. Its 
 slogan became "Save Man-power for War-power" and every possible 
 medium was used in furthering its program. Hope was expressed 
 that the splendid record of 1942 might be held, but the Mayor and 
 the commission would be satisfied with nothing less than a further 
 reduction. When midnight of December 31 had passed, a new 
 record was written and the 466 traffic fatalities of 1942 had been re- 
 duced to 372 for the year just closed. 
 
 In 1944 and 1945 the eflects of the war became more pronounced, 
 influencing a further advance of traffic accidents throughout the 
 nation. Vehicles became older and the shortage of man-power and 
 critical materials made repairs increasingly difficult to obtain. Older 
 men, many with physical impairments, were required to replace the 
 younger drivers of vehicles who had been called in military service. 
 The psychological effect of the war on some citizens brought about 
 more reckless driving and speeding. Violations of safe walking prac- 
 tices by pedestrians became more pronounced. As a consequence, 
 traffic accidents increased in Chicago, biii never in the proportion of 
 the increase throughout the nation. 
 
 112
 
 WHY PEOPLE GET 
 TRAFFIC TICKETS 
 
 Percent 
 
 SPEEDING & RECKLESS 
 DRIVING 
 
 10.3 
 
 ILLEGAL PARKING 
 
 36.9 
 
 IMPROPER OR 
 DEFECTIVE LIGHTS 
 
 .8 
 
 NON-OBSERVANCE OF 
 SIGNAL LIGHT OR 
 TRAFFIC SIGN 
 
 4.1 
 
 IMPROPER REGISTRATION 
 OR LICENSE 
 
 12.0 
 
 SAFETY STICKER 
 VIOLATIONS 
 
 27.6 
 
 ALL OTHER 
 OFFENSES 
 
 8.3 
 
 
 Total 100% 
 
 Source: Chicago Police Department 
 
 113
 
 Leslie J. Sorenson, City Traffic En- 
 gineer, Chairman of Chicago Street 
 Traffic Commission. 
 
 Commission Achievements 
 
 Outstanding among the ac- 
 complishments of the Chicago 
 Street Traffic Commission was 
 the organization of official Traf- 
 fic Safety Committees in the 
 (Ustricts of the Chicago PoUce 
 Department. These Committees 
 were headed by the PoHce Dis- 
 trict Commander and chair- 
 manned by an outstanding civic 
 leader of the district. An exec- 
 utive committee representing the 
 clergy, civic, industrial, social, 
 labor, and press groups was 
 formed. Special committees on 
 schools, industries, public education and engineering, were organized 
 in each group. Safety literature, posters and other material were fur- 
 nished to every police district safety committee by the Chicago Street 
 Traffic Commission, as well as speakers for meetings and safety educa- 
 tional films and sound slides. These police district safety activities 
 have brought the accident problem down to the community level and 
 into the homes; they are a major instrument for accident prevention 
 in Chicago. 
 
 Police Department Program 
 
 The commission prepared a comprehensive and detailed program 
 of accident prevention for PoHce Department personnel, which was 
 adopted and put into effect by the department. It also designed a 
 police contest in accident reduction, whereby each police district 
 competed against its own record of the preceding year. Engraved 
 certificates were awarded to the winning districts with appropriate 
 ceremonies, and special merit award certificates were given to the 
 first district to win four consecutive awards. This contest created 
 especial interest of the district police in accident prevention. 
 
 Legal and Judicial Advances 
 
 The Chicago Street Traffic Commission sponsored enabling legisla- 
 tion to give the City control of speed regulation on its streets and 
 the power to regulate pedestrian jay-walking. Suggested changes in 
 City ordinances for improvement of the traffic code were in every 
 case accepted by the Council Committee on Traffic and Public 
 Safety and recommended to the City Council. 
 
 114
 
 i( IP*!' 
 
 .? 
 
 h'h 
 
 THE HOUSE OF 
 
 (©(DIHJ^IKg^a®!^ 
 
 is a 74-year-old insfifufion which 
 has been modernized since 1933. 
 
 The purpose of the House of Correction, as the name impHes, is to 
 rehabihtate inmates and restore them to a useful place in society. 
 Sentences range from thirty days to a maximum of one year, and 
 the annual average population turnover varies from 10,000 to 17,000. 
 In 1946, 11,435 inmates were received. 
 
 To do the maximum corrective job in a comparatively limited time 
 is obviously a huge task and every available facility affecting human 
 values is employed. Medical and dental care are provided as a pri- 
 mary requisite in establishing a normal basis for rehabilitation. Work, 
 with its acknowledged physical and psychological value, is an im- 
 portant part of the program. Religious services are provided, with 
 individual attention by a chaplain or his assistants where required. 
 Supplementing these provisions are the services of social workers and 
 psychiatrists of the Municipal Court, who follow up cases to whidh 
 they have been assigned. 
 
 115
 
 William G. Milota, administration 
 superintendent of the House of 
 Correction. 
 
 Work Assignments 
 
 After commitment to the House of Correction, inmates are first 
 given a complete medical examination, and then assigned to work in 
 the twenty-nine departments, according to their training and physical 
 condition. Work hours are from 8 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. 
 These departments include: print shop, bakery, electrical shop, paint 
 shop, tailor shop, shoe shop, commissary, four different cell blocks, 
 male laundry, female laundry, engine room, plumbing department, 
 steam fitters, engineer corps, manual training school, junk yard, farm 
 colony, diet kitchen, hospital, first aid, v.d. chnic, dental clinic and 
 greenhouse. 
 
 Departments are self-sustaining, as far as possible. Some of them 
 serve other city departments and return a profit. For instance, the 
 print shop prints the various forms for the city Police Department. 
 The junk yard salvages junk from city departments, assorts and grades 
 it, after which it is then put on public bid. The junk yard brought 
 the city $20,000 in revenues during 1946. 
 
 The farm colony raises food for the institution, providing a health- 
 ful occupation for those experienced in this type of work and reducing 
 the cost of feeding inmates. Some farm projects pay a cash profit. For 
 instance, forty-five head of cattle were purchased in 1945 and fed 
 with grain raised on the farm, later being sold at a profit. Hogs raised 
 on the farm are fed from grain crops. 
 
 ISumber of Offenses and Ages 
 
 Out of the 11,435 inmates received in 1946, 10,497 were male and 
 938 female. Of this number, 5,060 were first offenders and 6,375 had 
 previously been in the House of Correction. Among males, commit- 
 ments ranged from one to fifty times, with the preponderance con- 
 fined to second and third offenses. The number of commitments for 
 
 116
 
 females was from one to five times, with the majority constituting 
 second and third offenses. Ages of all inmates ranged from 16 to 100. 
 The age brackets from 22 to 60 included 9,780 out of the total of 
 11,435. The greatest number of offenders in any single age group is 
 335, aged 21. 
 
 The following table shows the number of offenders in each age 
 group : 
 
 Ages of Ininates 
 Age 16 18 Age 36 to 40 1,482 
 
 17 106 41 to 50 2,702 
 
 18 142 51 to 60 1,456 
 
 19 156 61 to 70 569 
 
 20 195 71 to 80 105 
 
 21 335 81 to 90 27 
 
 22 to 25 1,292 91 to 100 2 
 
 26 to 30 1,395 
 
 31 to 35 1,453 Total 11,435 
 
 A renovation program begun fourteen years ago has completely 
 modernized this 74-year-old institution. William G. Milota, adminis- 
 tration superintendent, and Richard M. O'Brien, chairman of the 
 Board of Inspectors, supervised the work. 
 
 The program began with a thorough cleaning of the administra- 
 tion building; removal of the dog pound from the grounds; complete 
 stocking of the paint shop; installation of radios with extra speakers in 
 each of the four cell houses; and the appointment of a chef in charge 
 of the kitchen and menus. 
 
 Other improvements were gradually made, including cleaning and 
 redecorating of hospitals and police ward. Long needed equipment 
 and modern fixtures were installed in operating rooms, and one new 
 operating room was built, with all modern equipment. 
 
 A modern electrically-equipped refrigerator was installed, providing 
 five rooms, each with a different degree of temperature for the storage 
 of milk, vegetables, meats and other supplies. A modern ventilating 
 system was installed in the kitchen to exhaust steam and odors. 
 
 A new one-story brick warehouse, blacksmith shop and office were 
 built in the junk yard. The main engine room was equipped with 
 four new high pressure boilers and a new six-car capacity coal bin 
 was built. The front office was completely modernized, and all build- 
 ings were insulated. Besides the improvements listed, all buildings 
 have undergone alterations or repairs of one nature or another. 
 
 At the farm colony, a second story has been added to the Adminis- 
 tration Building for dormitories. Other buildings have been improved 
 and equipped with modern plumbing and heating facilities. 
 
 117
 
 SUtce f673 
 
 The first white men to visit the area 
 now occupied by Chicago were the 
 French explorers Louis Jollet and 
 Father Marquette, In 1673. 
 
 The area was acquired by the U. S. 
 In 1794, and Fort Dearborn, a mili- 
 tary outpost, was erected here In 
 1803. 
 
 Chicago was incorporated as a town 
 In I 833, and as a city In I 837. Other 
 outstanding events in Chicago's his- 
 tory were the Great Fire in 1871, 
 the World's Columbian Exposition 
 In 1893, and a Century of Progress 
 Exposition held In 1933 and 1934. 
 
 Chicago's population today is 
 3,600,000, making it the second 
 largest city In the U. S., and the 
 fourth largest In the world. 
 
 From the Chicago Associafion of Commerce 
 
 18
 
 DEPARTMENT 
 
 ^, 
 
 >..».- '*«*'*'i 
 
 
 
 |s*#" — 
 
 ^' 
 
 
 Chicago's heroic fire fighters have set new 
 standards for fire protection in a large city. 
 
 The story of how a fire department serves the citizens of a com- 
 munity is perhaps best summarized in an analysis of the yearly paid 
 fire losses. Here the Chicago Fire Department has more than proven 
 its caliber for we have experienced, in the last fourteen years, the 
 lowest paid fire losses since the turn of the century. To be specific, the 
 fire loss in 1935 established an all time low for the City of Chicago, 
 and in the other years under discussion, where the losses aggregated 
 five to six million dollars, these low-loss figures bespeak the high 
 quality of fire service available to the citizens of our city. 
 
 Reduced Fire Insurance Rates 
 
 From the long-range viewpoint, another excellent measurement of 
 the efficiency and service of a fire department is the attitude of the 
 fire insurance companies in setting their rates. It was, therefore, a 
 very great tribute when the local fire underwriters recently announced 
 that rates in Chicago would be reduced one million dollars on future 
 renewal and first-issue fire insurance policies. 
 
 Chicago has enjoyed substantial reductions in fire insurance prem- 
 ium rates applying to various types of buildings and occupancies in 
 Chicago in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939 and 1944. 
 
 119
 
 
 V 
 
 J 
 
 
 "" ... M«att I 
 
 Fire Commissioner Michael J. Corrigan and Chief Fire Marshal Anthony 
 J. Miillaney work out plans for Chicago's observance of Fire Prevention 
 Week, October, 1946. 
 
 Extension of Service and Physical Improvements 
 
 In the past fourteen years many new, modern fire stations have 
 been built and several were relocated, in accordance with hazard and 
 population changes and the recommendations of the National Board 
 of Fire Underwriters. The buildings replaced and relocated ranged 
 in age from 35 to 70 years and their replacement was made possible 
 (with two exceptions) by the grant of Federal funds. From the listing 
 below it is apparent that all sections of the city have been considered 
 since 1933 in the erection of new fire houses: 
 
 1501 School St. 4666 Fulton St. (double house) 
 
 212-214 Cermak Rd. (double house) 1642 N. Kostner Ave. 
 
 1320 Concord Place 4017 N. Tripp Ave. 
 
 4005 S. Dearborn St. 10458 S. Hoxie Ave. 
 
 7101 S. Parnell Ave. (double house) 4456 N. Knox Ave. 
 
 2214 Barry Ave. 2100 Eastwood Ave. 
 
 Since 1933, the Fire Department has endeavored resourcefully to 
 maintain fire apparatus at a high peak of efficiency and serviceability. 
 This has been accomplished by the annual allocation of money to the 
 department for apparatus replacement. In this way the department 
 has been able to install the new and more modern apparatus in the 
 high value district and move the older equipment into the communi- 
 ties where the service is less severe. 
 
 The Fred A. Basse Firehoat 
 
 In 1937, the Chicago Fire Department acquired a new diesel- 
 motored fireboat, the "Fred A. Busse." This boat, while designed by 
 a naval architect, has many features which were prescribed by this 
 
 120
 
 The fireboat, Fred A. Busse, tests its hose 
 
 department to suit local condi- 
 tions, so much so, that the inclu- 
 sion of these features are respon- 
 sible for its fine efficiency and 
 adaptability to waterfront condi- 
 tions in our city. The total cost 
 of the boat was slightly under 
 $135,000, and in the years it has 
 been in service, the saving in 
 maintenance and personnel costs 
 has exceeded all expectations 
 and estimates. The new fireboat, 
 designed to pass under all pub- 
 lic street and highway bridges at 
 highest normal river levels, 
 avoids the necessity, expense 
 and public inconvenience of 
 more than 1,800 river bridge 
 openings a year. 
 
 Wartime Fire Prevention 
 
 Immediately after the start of 
 the past war, special efforts were 
 
 directed to the purpose of protecting and safeguarding all military 
 and civilian establishments against the hazards of fire which would 
 interrupt or stop the functioning of such vital facilities. These efforts 
 were directed not only against possible enemy subversive activity but 
 much emphasis was placed on eliminating or minimizing what are 
 popularly accepted as normal and inherent hazards, which cause, in 
 the aggregate, a far greater amount of damage than all enemy spon- 
 sored damage. 
 
 Military and Naval establishments in and near Chicago were offered 
 all of the services and facilities of the Chicago Fire Department in 
 order to place fire safety on the highest possible plane. Special fire 
 safety inspections were made of all industrial plants and business 
 establishments engaged in the production or processing of vital war 
 materials. As a result of this work and resultant recommendations 
 there were practically no fires of any consequence in any of the more 
 than 5,000 establishments so inspected. 
 
 In addition to this special activity the normal work of the Fire Pre- 
 vention Bureau was carried on as usual even though the volume of 
 this work increased by approximately 20 percent since Pearl Harbor. 
 
 12
 
 Fire at 31st and Cottage Grove Avenue. Note the maze of hose 
 required for this conflagration. Hose is a major item of expense 
 in the equipment and maintenance of a fire department. 
 
 122
 
 Department Inspector 
 
 The objective function of the Fire Department is to save Hfe and 
 property from the effects of fire. Since it is almost impossible to 
 predict the occurrence of even one specific incident requiring its 
 services, any fire department must operate entirely on an emergency 
 basis. In order that the 188 company units of the department can 
 operate as integral parts of a single organization rather than as in- 
 dependent units, an extremely high degree of standardization of 
 equipment, operating methods and procedures, and basic control 
 must obtain. It is the responsibility of the department inspector to 
 achieve such standardization. This is accomplished by periodical 
 inspections of all lire department stations and other properties to 
 determine degree and extent of required maintenance activities. All 
 company units are required to place various items of company equip- 
 ment in use under simulated operating conditions in the shortest 
 possible time. A keen rivalry exists between company units through- 
 out the department in the execution of these timed "run-out" tests. 
 At this time company apparatus and equipment is minutely inspected 
 so that sub-standard apparatus and equipment can be repaired or 
 replaced as required. 
 
 During 1946, the regular semi-annual inspections, covering the 
 condition of fire stations, furniture, apparatus, tools and equipment, 
 were made and a total of 4,000 feet of various size hose was con- 
 demned as unfit for further service. 
 
 During the year the quarters of Engine Co. 21, 14 W. Taylor St., 
 was condemned on account of the condition of the building and the 
 company was removed to the quarters of Engine Co. 1, 214 Lomax 
 Place, where it will remain until such time as suitable quarters in the 
 vicinity of State and Taylor Streets may be obtained. 
 
 An additional Squad Com- - 
 pany was placed in service in 
 March, in the quarters of En- 
 gine Co. 89, 4456 N. Knox Ave., 
 while in August of last year, the 
 Auxiliary Company which was 
 quartered at Navy Pier was dis- 
 banded and taken out of service 
 when the Navy relinquished the 
 use of the pier. 
 
 This 13-inonlh old baby owes his 
 life to Chicago fireman Howard 
 Walters of Inhalator Squad 6. 
 Firemen perform many such er- 
 rands of mercy.
 
 New Trucks and Hose 
 
 Fifteen new Ford coupes were purchased during the year, all of 
 which have been placed in service in various battalions. Also, seven 
 new Mack tractors, which were contracted for in 1945, were delivered 
 during the months of January and February. Two new tractors and 
 aerial trucks were received, one each in October and November, and 
 were placed in service at H&L Co. 5 and H&L Co. 10. These aerial 
 trucks are equipped with 85-foot mechanically operated aerial ladders, 
 all of the above apparatus being standardized in the shop before 
 being placed in service. 
 
 During the year 1946 a contract was entered into for the purchase 
 of 4,000 feet of V//' hose, 10,000 feet of 2/2" hose, 15,000 feet of 
 hose and 2,000 feet of Sy/' hose. 
 
 1946 Fire Prevention Activities 
 
 Work performed by the Fire Prevention Bureau personnel includes 
 
 r 
 
 Flood light Fire department truek, equipped with loud speaker to give 
 orders to men. Tlie truck carries its own portable generator.
 
 Firemen never hesitate to risk their hves to save others. 
 
 daily inspections of theaters while occupied by the public; complete 
 inspections of mercantile and industrial properties; notices issued to 
 efifect compliance with municipal ordinances regulating fire safety; 
 re-inspection to determine compliance with notices; initiation 'of court 
 action to eflfect compliance when necessary; investigation of com- 
 plaints and many other similar activities relating to prevention of fires 
 and protection of the public against fires in public and private build- 
 
 mgs. 
 
 Theaters of all kinds are inspected nightly to insure strict com- 
 
 125
 
 pliance with our local laws relative to crowding aisles, adequate exit 
 facilities, exit lights, flameproofing of scenery, props, etc. 
 
 During the year 1946, 116,9<S1 inspections were made. These in- 
 spections included theatres while occupied by the public, as well as 
 checkup of notices sent out to comply with the ordinances. 1946 activi- 
 ties of the department also included: 
 
 Permits issued for installing tanks for flammable liquids: 796. 
 
 Site inspection for new bulk plants and filling stations: 60. 
 
 Permits issued for approvals after tests were made for 
 standpipes and pumps installed: 6. 
 
 Applications for handling explosives approved: 18. 
 
 Certificates of fitness approved. (These generally applied 
 for using and handling of high explosives used in blast- 
 ing) : 47. 
 
 Periodical inspections made of various locations where 
 blasts were conducted or explosives stored : 412. 
 
 Fireguard permits issued: 342. 
 
 Suits started in the Municipal Court for failure to comply 
 with violations of the ordinance after due notices were 
 served: complied: 163; no service: 13; non-suit: 46; fined: 
 221; continued: 37. Suits started 1946: 380; suits continued 
 1945:9; total suits: 380. 
 
 New building plans approved for hazardous use units: 64. 
 
 Plans approved for new flammable liquid storage rooms: 
 174. 
 
 Total plans approved 1070. 
 
 Talks made by representatives of this bureau in schools and 
 various civic clubs, as well as radio talks on fire prevention 
 during Fire Prevention Week 700; Fire Show 600; Fire 
 Department 380; Total: 1680. 
 
 The great Chicago fire 
 of 1871 still has its ef- 
 fect 75 years later. Chi- 
 cago is one of the most 
 fire-protection con- 
 scious cities in the 
 world.
 
 Chicago firemen give a demonstration in Grant Park of the proper use 
 of lifesaving nets. 
 
 127
 
 Details by this bureau to public places of assembly, such as 
 servicemen's centers, auditoriums, conventions and miscel- 
 laneous details: 1,587. 
 
 Drill School 
 
 All new members of the Fire Department are assigned to the 
 Training School for a course of instruction before attending actual 
 fires as part of a fire fighting unit. Instruction is given in the uses 
 of all tools and implements carried on the apparatus of the lire 
 department; operation of sprinkler systems; department rules and 
 regulations; practices and procedures; standard evolutions; hose lay- 
 outs; ladder drills; fire alarm telegraphy and many other related 
 topics. This training requires a period of thirty days. After completing 
 this training probationary firemen report to their various company 
 assignments partly qualified to do the work of a fireman. 
 
 All company units of the department attend the Company School 
 each year at which time every officer and member of all fire fighting 
 units perform the various standard evolutions and receive instruction 
 on new equipment and improved operating procedures developed and 
 adopted during the previous year. Company School operations are 
 continuous during the warmer weather from April through Novem- 
 ber. 
 
 Overcome by smoke, fireman gasps and chokes in desperate effort to 
 clear his lungs, then collapses over fence rail. 
 
 128
 
 Fire officers taking a refresher course in the use of respiratory protective 
 devices. Men wearing masks always work in pairs for mutual protection. 
 
 Chicago firemen receive thorough training and periodic retraining in 
 artificial respiration.
 
 First Aid Training 
 
 A first aid course of instruction primarily for officers and mem- 
 bers of squad companies and ambulances was begun on December 
 10th, 1945. This course consisted of ten lessons, three hours each, for 
 as many weeks, and was based on the knowledge a fireman should 
 have to render proper first aid, such as the control of bleeding; dif- 
 ferent types of wounds; artificial respiration; proper treatment for 
 shock; handling and transportation, and, the proper application of 
 splinting. Mr. William Schumann, Supervisor of First Aid of the 
 American Red Cross conducted the classes. He did an excellent service 
 for which he received just and favorable commendation. Supervisor 
 of Ambulance Service, Joseph J. McCarthy, emphasized the value and 
 importance of first aid knowledge and gave some remarkable instances 
 in several of his comments in the course of the instruction. 189 mem- 
 bers of the department completed this course on February 16, 1946, 
 upon which both the standard and advanced course cards were issued 
 to them. 
 
 Practical demonstration of "fog nozzle" used in a basement to force 
 smoke from source of fire. Heat and smoke are absorbed by its spray. 
 
 130
 
 wm^^: 
 
 A cubicle at the Municipal Contagious Disease Hospital for llu- isolation 
 and treatment of communicable diseases. 
 
 THE BOARD OF 
 
 ijan^iLi^iii 
 
 There are good reasons for Chicago's position as the 
 healthiest large city in the world — and here they are! 
 
 "Chicago is universally acknowledged to be the most progressive 
 of American cities. The most convincing proof of this is: Chicago is 
 the healthiest big city in the world! This is no boast. It is a fact given 
 out by the United States Bureau of Census." 
 
 This statement of Mayor Kelly's sums up a truth of which Chicago 
 is rightfully proud, for no activity of city government comes as close 
 to the home and family as health. No activity provides a more valuable 
 civic asset and none is more potent in fostering Chicago's vigorous 
 "I Will" community spirit. 
 
 Recognition of Chicago's leadership in initiating and carrying out 
 its public health program was made in an award by the United States 
 Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the American Public 
 Health Association, an organization composed of leading health ex- 
 perts in this country and Canada. Credit for this distinction is due to 
 the close cooperation of public-spirited men and women working 
 together for the betterment of their city. 
 
 Under the leadership of Dr. Herman N. Bundesen, president of the 
 
 131
 
 MAJOR DISEASES 
 
 
 
 CASE RATE 
 
 DEATH RATE 
 
 MEASLES 
 
 1933 
 1946 
 
 258.4 
 392.4 
 
 0.9 
 0.4 
 
 PNEUMONIA 
 
 1933 
 1946 
 
 170.2 
 99.1 
 
 66.9 
 39.4 
 
 SCARLET 
 
 1933 
 
 273.0 
 
 4.5 
 
 FEVER 
 
 1946 
 
 78.6 
 
 .0 
 
 DIPHTHERIA 
 
 1933 
 1946 
 
 4.7 
 1.0 
 
 0.3 
 0.4 
 
 INFLUENZA 
 
 1933 
 1946 
 
 7.9 
 2.3 
 
 6.2 
 1.2 
 
 TYPHOID 
 
 1933 
 
 2.4 
 
 0.3 
 
 FEVER 
 
 1946 
 
 0.4 
 
 0.1 
 
 WHOOPING 
 
 1933 
 
 75.9 
 
 0.6 
 
 COUGH 
 
 1946 
 
 83.6 
 
 0.3 
 
 132
 
 Herman I\. Bundesen, President 
 of the Chicago Board of Heahh. 
 
 Board of Health, new records 
 have been set in reducing infant 
 and mother mortaUty, checking 
 contagious diseases, curbing social 
 diseases, and guaranteeing Chi- 
 cago the world's purest milk sup- 
 ply — to mention only a few of the 
 outstanding public health achieve- 
 ments during the past fourteen 
 years. 
 
 Food Inspection 
 
 A system of poultry inspection, 
 inaugurated in 1934, was devel- 
 oped and resulted in the elimina- 
 tion of the sale of diseased poultry 
 in Chicago. 
 
 Veterinary inspection was under- 
 taken at slaughter houses located 
 outside of Chicago for the ante- 
 mortem and post-mortem inspec- 
 tion of calves intended to be 
 consumed in Chicago. 
 
 A school of instruction for food handlers employed on dining cars 
 was started in 1945. This course of instruction proved so beneficial 
 that similar schools are now being formed for the purpose of educating 
 employees of restaurants regarding the menace to public health from 
 insanitary practices and utensils not properly washed and sanitized. 
 
 The enforcement of the ordinance, amended in 1946, which estab- 
 lished a bacterial standard for eating and drinking utensils, has re- 
 sulted in a great improvement in the methods of cleaning and sani- 
 tizing these utensils throughout the city. 
 
 Since 1933 approximately 35,000,000 pounds of unfit food have been 
 condemned and destroyed. 
 
 Milk Inspection 
 
 Milk control activities of the Chicago Health Department have been 
 recognized as a model, since the adoption of the Mayor Kelly Milk 
 Ordinance on January 8, 1935. 
 
 During the entire period of 1933 to the end of 1946, there was only 
 one instance — in November of 1935 — when illness was attributed to 
 a contaminated milk supply. Sixty cases of scarlet fever were believed 
 to have been contracted as a result of contamination of pasteurized 
 milk after delivery to an institution. No deaths occurred among the 
 cases reported. 
 
 133
 
 %\ 
 
 David M. Jones, M.D., city physician, right, analyzes an X-ray with a 
 member of his staff. 
 
 Since 1933, there are no instances on record in Chicago where a 
 contaminated milk supply was responsible for the spread of typhoid 
 fever, tuberculosis, or diphtheria. 
 
 During World War II, pasteurized milk from Chicago was sent to 
 army camps located in Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Florida and 
 Texas, as well as to nearby camps and naval training stations. Person- 
 nel of the Health Department also assisted in the teaching of trainees 
 in the Army Veterinary Corps of the 6th Service Command. 
 
 Laboratory Services 
 
 During the past 14 years, the basic laboratory services essential for 
 the protection of public health increased from a total of 295,436 speci- 
 mens examined in 1933, to 887,262 specimens in 1946, an increase of 
 approximately 200 per cent. To provide for this increased service, both 
 the personnel and facilities of the laboratories have been expanded. 
 
 The Central Laboratories are located in the Health Department 
 Building at 54 West Hubbard Street. Laboratory units are maintained 
 at the Municipal Contagious Disease Hospital, 3026 South California 
 Avenue; the Police Building, 1121 South State Street; the Municipal 
 Social Hygiene Clinic, 27 East 26th Street; and the Chicago Intensive 
 Treatment Center, 2449 South Dearborn Street. 
 
 The laboratory activities deal with practically all phases of medical 
 and sanitary control affecting public health. 
 
 134
 
 Lowest Infant Mortality Rate 
 
 Babies have a better chance to hve here than in any other large city 
 in the world, according to oilicial records of the United States Bureau 
 of Census. Reduction in the death rate has been accomplished by 
 leadership in the care of premature infants, distribution of mothers' 
 milk, close supervision of maternity and nursery wards in hospitals, 
 and efficiency of infant welfare stations. The services of these city 
 operated infant welfare stations are available to a mother until the 
 child is two years old, thus insuring every baby born in Chicago a 
 healthy start in life. 
 
 As a result of these combined services, the infant death rate has 
 been reduced from 48.8 per 1,000 live births m 1933 to 28.9 per 1,000 
 live births in 1946. This is a reduction of 58.8 per cent, a fact that is 
 incalculable in terms of human welfare and social gains. It means that 
 two out of every five babies who would have died in 1933 were saved 
 in 1946! 
 
 Maternal Death Rate Reduction 
 
 Pre-natal care, provided by the Board of Health at convenient 
 neighborhood stations, has been an important factor in reducing the 
 
 Blood testing in the Health Department laboratories for the diagnosis of 
 sypliilis.
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 have a better 
 chance to live 
 
 Two OU+ of every five babies who 
 
 would have died in 1933 were 
 
 saved in 1946. 
 
 BABIES 
 
 48.8 
 
 47.7 
 
 37-8 INFANT MORTALITY RATE 
 
 33.7 
 
 30. 
 
 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 •1946 
 
 AND FEWER 
 MOTHERS DIE . . . 
 
 132 mothers were saved in 1946 
 who nnight have died under con- 
 ditions prevailing in 1933. 
 
 RATE OF MATERNAL MORTALITY 
 
 4.5 4.3 
 
 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 
 
 1942 1943 1944 1945 •1946 
 • Provisional
 
 Pouring proper 
 amounts for daily 
 distribution of 
 br e a s t milk to 
 sick and prema- 
 ture babies. 
 
 General view of the chemical laboratory of the Department of Health.
 
 a^' 
 
 ^i— -*«£^' 
 
 y 
 
 y 
 
 X 
 
 Treatment room at the Municipal social hygiene clinic. 
 
 mortality rate among mothers. Here, expectant mothers are given the 
 best in medical care and guidance, and arrangements made for final 
 care, free of cost, if they are unable to pay for care during confinement. 
 
 Fourteen years ago 212 mothers died during pregnancy. In 1946, 
 the mortahty had been reduced to 80. Consequently, the lives of 132 
 mothers were saved in 1946 who might have died in 1933, under the 
 conditions prevailing at that time. 
 
 Breast Milk Stations 
 
 Chicago pioneered in what is known as "Mothers' Breast Milk Sta- 
 tions." Here, mother's milk is available free-of-charge for immature 
 babies, babies prematurely born and for sick infants. This vital service 
 was inaugurated by Chicago's Health Department at the suggestion 
 of Mayor Kelly, whose own children were saved when, after an 
 extensive search, it was possible to procure breast milk for them. 
 
 Realizing that there must be many babies who needed breast milk, 
 whose parents were unable to pay for it, his recommendation that 
 
 138
 
 breast milk stations be provided free of cost was followed. Today this 
 benefaction is available regardless of race, creed or color. Stations are 
 located at 54 West Hubbard Street, 2401 South Kedzie Avenue, and 
 3704 Vincennes Avenue. 
 
 Beneficiaries of the breast-milk program, since its inauguration in 
 1935 to the end of 1945 numbered 10,421, including both premature 
 and immature babies. Over 794,000 ounces of milk, obtained from 
 2,296 mothers, were distributed free to infants needing breast milk. 
 
 Incubator Service 
 
 From the inauguration of this program in 1935 to the end of 1945, 
 4,390 prematurely and immaturely born infants were transported by 
 the incubator ambulance service of the Chicago Health Department 
 to hospitals where special care could be given. During this period, 
 740 children received the home incubator service. 
 
 Heated beds, supplied by the Health Department, were used a 
 total of 21,959 days in the period from 1935 to the end of 1945. 
 
 Free Smallpox Vaccine 
 
 Approximately 690,000 vials of smallpox vaccine were distributed 
 free by the Chicago Health Department, in the period from 1933 to 
 the end of 1945. 
 
 Checking up on a healthy-looking infant's health at the Calumet Avenue 
 clinic. 
 
 39
 
 Health Department inspector taking swab test on rini of restaurant glass 
 to determine bacteria covint as a check on disli washing standards. 
 
 Part of Chicago's higlily successful attack on the social disease problem 
 was a campaign of public education to overcome ignorance born of old- 
 fashioned "hush-hush" attitudes. This Health Department float appeared 
 in the United Nations parade for victory, 1942. 
 
 140 
 
 I
 
 Cutting sections of brain tissue in 
 the Health Department labora- 
 tories for rabies examination. 
 
 w 
 
 Dental Clinic Treatments 
 
 Approximately 160,000 chil- 
 dren have received free den- 
 tal care in the Chicago Health B^^F"^""^^^"'^ ^'«^^lil 
 Department dental hygiene clin- ^W» ,., . ""y ^^^^ 
 
 ics, during the period from 
 
 1941, when the program was ^^^ngMJ^P^^ ft***^ 
 established, to the end of 1945. 
 
 Contagious Disease Control 
 
 During the 14 years of Mayor Kelly's administration, great progress 
 in Chicago was made in the reduction and control or elimination 
 of many contagious diseases as health hazards. In 1932, for example, 
 1,266 cases and 68 deaths from diphtheria were reported. In 1946 these 
 had been reduced to 35 cases and 13 deaths reported. These figures 
 can only begin to indicate how much suffering, because of this one 
 disease, children and parents in Chicago have been saved. Similar 
 figures could be presented for many other diseases. In the table below 
 are given comparative figures of 1933 and 1946 for other diseases: 
 
 Disease 1933 1946 % change 
 
 Typhoid Fever 
 No. cases per 100,000 ... 79 14 -82.3 
 
 No. deaths 12 2 -83.3 
 
 Scarlet Fever 
 
 No. cases 8,942 2,621 -70.7 
 
 No. deaths 156 -100.0 
 
 Whooping Cough 
 
 No. cases 2,487 2,788 + 12.1 
 
 No. deaths 21 11 -47.6 
 
 Smallpox 
 
 No. cases 8 -100.0 
 
 No. deaths — 
 
 14!
 
 Health Department food inspector taking samples of 
 ice to ascertain ■whether or not tliat anti-contamina- 
 tion requirements are beinji met. 
 
 Venereal Disease Control 
 
 Since 1933 Chicago has rapidly advanced to a leading position in 
 its control of venereal disease. 
 
 The operation of the Chicago Intensive Treatment Center started 
 in 1942, and this is the largest institution of its kind in the world. 
 From the time of its inauguration to the end of 1946, 23,781 patients 
 with infectious venereal disease have been treated quickly, kindly, 
 and safely, and have thereby been made non-infectious. As a result, 
 infection of thousands of persons with syphilis and gonorrhea has 
 been averted. 
 
 The effectiveness of Chicago's fight against venereal diseases is 
 revealed in Army reports covering the first million men drafted for 
 World War II. The syphilis rate among men from the Chicago area 
 was only half the rate for men taken from the rest of the country! 
 
 142
 
 ^t^^<|t^;1|tf 
 
 ""^^■^fKiS^^^.. 
 
 Dr. Earl E. Kleinschmidl, secretary. Dr. D. J. Davis, president and Harry 
 J. Reynolds, vice president, of the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium. 
 
 MUNICIPAL 
 SANITARIUM 
 
 m 
 
 The Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium, including its North River- 
 side branch and neighborhood clinics, has been rated among the 
 leading institutions of the world, during the past decade, for the 
 care and treatment of tuberculosis patients. 
 
 From all parts of the globe, physicians, specialists and medical 
 students have come to Chicago to observe and study the Municipal 
 Tuberculosis Sanitarium, the methods of its stafT of outstanding ex- 
 perts, and its comprehensive plan for tuberculosis control. 
 
 The Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium has long been noted for its 
 work in pneumo-thorax and collapse therapy, under Dr. Camillo E. 
 Volini, and for its pioneer efforts in the use of BCG vaccine. The re- 
 sults thus obtained have been lauded in the medical field, and are 
 being adopted as the basis for further activity and cooperation in these 
 specialized fields by the United States Public Health Service. 
 
 Conspicuous in the work of the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium 
 for nearly fifteen years has been its former president. Dr. Frederick 
 Tice, the present vice president and business manager, Harry J. 
 Reynolds, and Dr. Leo M. Czaja, general superintendent. Mr. Rey- 
 
 143
 
 nolds is also a member of the Chicago Board of Health, serving with- 
 out remuneration in both capacities. 
 
 Dr. Richard Davison, former secretary of the board, and Walter 
 O'Neil, chief auditor, are also veterans still in the service of the sani- 
 tarium. Dr. Davison is now chief thoracic surgeon. Dr. David J. 
 Davis, noted pathologist and dean emeritus of the University of Illi- 
 nois College of Medicine, was appointed president and Dr. Earl E. 
 Kleinschmidt, secretary of the board during the past year by Mayor 
 Kelly, to fill the vacancies caused, respectively, by the resignations of 
 Drs. Tice and Davison. 
 
 Dr. Kleinschmidt is also director of the Tuberculosis Institute of 
 Chicago and Cook County. 
 
 Control Officer 
 
 The Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium's directors, on the recom- 
 mendation of the Public Health Service survey, added the post of 
 tuberculosis control officer. He is charged with the duties of co- 
 ordinating the fight on tuberculosis by the various agencies interested 
 in this work, in the city and county. The Municipal Tuberculosis 
 control officer is also the liaison man between the MTS and the 
 various medical societies. 
 
 The first steps in the tuberculosis control program are: 
 
 (1) The evaluation of existing policies, procedures and methods used 
 in the care, treatment and supervision of patients in the Sanitarium, 
 the North Riverside Division, the clinics and in their homes. 
 
 (2) Attendance at all scientific meetings, to keep informed on scien- 
 tific developments and new procedures. 
 
 Memorial Chiircli of the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium. 
 
 jgl|)|!illll 
 
 144
 
 Mobile Tiiberciilosi,* X-Ray llnit of the Tuberculosis Institute of Chicago 
 and Cook County visits Emerson school. (Chgo. Sun photo) 
 
 (3) Enlistment of cooperation of the Chicago Department of Health 
 and the Illinois Department of Public Health in negotiations for 
 Federal grants-in-aid for tuberculosis control. 
 
 (4) Negotiations with the Illinois Department of Public Health, the 
 City of Chicago and the U. S. PubHc Health Service in obtaining 
 funds for the establishment of additional tuberculosis hospitals, for 
 remodeling the sanitarium and assistance to other hospitals in 
 establishing beds for the care of tuberculosis patients. 
 
 (5) Negotiation with the U. S. Public Health Service in regard to the • 
 establishment of a National BCG Laboratory in Chicago and for 
 the temporary assignment of a sufficient number of 70 mm. photo- 
 fluorographic machines with the personnel required to operate the ma- 
 chines and related activities in carrying out a city-wide chest X-Ray 
 survey. 
 
 (6) Complete coordination of the workings of all Chicago and Cook 
 County agencies to the end that a unified plan for tuberculosis control 
 may be established. 
 
 Teaching and Training 
 During 1946 special efforts have been made to expand the teaching 
 activities at the sanitarium. A full-time program for undergraduate 
 
 145
 
 students has been in effect, whereby all senior students of the Univer- 
 sity of Loyola Medical School spend one week in residence at the 
 sanitarium. Students of the Northwestern University Medical School 
 will also participate in this program, and the medical schools of the 
 University of Illinois and the University of Chicago have been invited 
 to take advantage of this opportunity. 
 
 A program for postgraduate training has been established. A num- 
 ber of Chicago physicians, as well as medical men from other cities 
 and other countries, particularly South America, have spent varying 
 periods in study at the sanitarium. 
 
 A program for training of surgical residents in chest surgery has 
 been begun. Mercy Hospital surgical residents are to spend six months 
 at the sanitarium and other hospitals are to be invited to join this 
 program. Medical residencies and residencies in otolaryngology have 
 been inaugurated. 
 
 A number of postgraduate students from the University of Illinois 
 have been assigned to the sanitarium for part of their work. 
 
 The sanitarium is now more fully utilized for teaching purposes 
 than ever before. 
 
 Public Information Service 
 
 A public relations director was appointed by the board of direct- 
 ors in 1946 to prepare press releases for the daily newspapers and 
 community papers and to maintain contact with the daily press and 
 other organizations interested in tuberculosis work. The object is to 
 disseminate information on the work of the sanitarium and its 
 branches; to educate the public as to the methods of treatment and 
 preventive measures, and to keep them informed as to the services 
 furnished by the Sanitarium. 
 
 Through this office the MTS Review, a 24-page monthly bulletin, 
 was established as a means of public relations within the sanitarium. 
 This bulletin has great meaning to the patients and is eagerly awaited 
 by them every month. 
 
 In addition to the publication of the MTS Review, the Office of 
 Patient Relations has carried out the functions of social service and 
 rehabilitation. From September 1 to December 31, 1946 this office had 
 126 referrals from the medical staff on social service problems. During 
 the same period 86 discharged patients were referred to the State 
 Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and as of December 31, fourteen 
 of these patients were in actual training, wh'le eight more were in 
 process of approval. 
 
 An occupational therapy program has been completely planned and 
 will be in operation the beginning of the year. A full time occupational 
 therapist has been employed. Seventy-six patients are already on the 
 list for bedside therapy in January, 1947. 
 
 146
 
 Dining room of the convalescent home. 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 More than a million needy people have 
 been aided by this great service agency. 
 
 On July 1, 1936, the City of Chicago became the first Illinois munici- 
 pality to be charged by the State Legislature with the responsibility, 
 for taking care of its poor and indigent citizens. On that date 191,284 
 persons in 75,000 Chicago homes, or roughly 6 per cent of the city's 
 population, were without means of sustenance through no fault of 
 their own. Men and women, able and willing to work, were unable 
 to find jobs. The paralyzing effect of the economic depression begun 
 in 1929 was as acutely felt seven years later. Contributions of Federal 
 funds for relief purposes were withdrawn six months earlier. State 
 funds were meager. It became necessary to cut already inadequate 
 relief allowances another 10 per cent and to provide essential needs 
 on an emergency basis only. 
 
 Chicago was faced with the problem of meeting an unprecedented 
 situation of mass need. That responsibility was undertaken in the 
 traditional "I Will" spirit. During ten and one-half years of operation, 
 the City's Department of Welfare provided financial help and social 
 
 147
 
 I'll? 
 
 
 Top: Headquarters of the Department c 
 Welfare at 25 S. Damen Avenue. Upper left 
 A Welfare physician makes an examinatio 
 in the Children's Division. Lower left: 0< 
 c-upational therapy in the Convalescent Hoin( 
 Loiver right: The Convalescent Home fc 
 Adults at 5059 Vincennes Avenue, which a( 
 commodates approximately 150 patients 
 month.
 
 services to more than 1,000,000 Chicago citizens. In the course of time, 
 these 1,000,000 people, 30 per cent of the city's population, who at 
 one time or another received assistance, have been restored to inde- 
 pendence. They have become useful and productive members of the 
 community. 
 
 Misfortune is no respecter of class, creed, color, age or origin. People 
 who applied for help came from every section of the city. They were 
 neighbors, friends, taxpayers, business men, professionals, and laborers. 
 They were the aged, the sick, the crippled, the handicapped, the tu- 
 bercular, the deserted mother, the homeless and neglected child, the 
 mentally ill, the inexperienced adolescent and school children. 
 
 1939 Peak 
 
 The peak of dependency was reached in March, 1939, with 278,000 
 persons on the relief rolls. As of February 1, 1947, there were 23,500 
 men, women and children still receiving assistance from the Depart- 
 ment of Welfare. 
 
 In the first six years of the city's relief administration, unemploy- 
 
 Applicanls for general assistance being interviewed at the central intake 
 service of the department of Welfare.
 
 Commissioner of Welfare, A. E. Rose, presents decennial report of the 
 department to Mayor Kelly at Civic Celebration, October 24, 1946. 
 
 ment was the major cause of dependency. The disastrous effects of 
 long-time unemployment on the individual, his family life, his chil- 
 dren and the community are many and varied. The administration 
 soon realized that in order to be effective, assistance must be teamed 
 tvith service; that it was essential to sustain the courage and self- 
 respect of the unemployed, to protect and maintain an individual's 
 own health and the health of the members of his family, to keep 
 family ties together, to provide a chance for children to grow up in 
 normal surroundings. To do so meant to expand a system of emer- 
 gency and haphazard relief giving to a comprehensive program of 
 human welfare. The objective was complete rehabiHtation to self- 
 sufficiency rather than temporary alleviation. 
 
 Sound Investment in Citizenship 
 
 From the point of view of the community as a whole, such a pro- 
 gram meant a sound investment in terms of better health and better 
 citizenship; prevention of crime, juvenile delinquency and other forms 
 of social disintegration. In the development of the welfare program 
 to its present stature, the Department of Welfare had the full support 
 of the Mayor, the City Council and the people of Chicago. 
 
 During the past ten and one-half years the Department of Welfare 
 
 150
 
 expended $239,187,877 for total welfare needs. Of these funds the 
 taxpayers of Chicago contributed an average of 34 per cent for the 
 period through a special mill levy on real estate; an average of 66 per 
 cent came from state funds derived from the cigarette tax. In the 
 first decade of operation, the major portion of the expenditures — 
 $114,630,799— was spent for food. The cost of shelter was $52,066,756; 
 fuel, $9,013,055; household necessities, $6,142,104. The administrative 
 costs of welfare activities throughout the entire program were less 
 than 10 per cent of total expenditures. 
 
 These funds provided not only food, shelter, clothing and living 
 comforts; they supplied needed hospitalization, medical appliances and 
 complete health, dental, clinic, nutritional and convalescent care; fur- 
 nished foster homes and supervision; provided homemal^ers for fam- 
 ilies hit by emergencies; institutionalized the chronically ill; placed on 
 jobs and rehabilitated for gainful employment persons difficult to 
 place; counseled in adjustment of social and family situations; found 
 and conserved unsuspected resources for recipients; provided private 
 
 burials. 
 
 Private Medical Care 
 
 From July 1936 to July 1946 the cost of total medical and health 
 care alone was $8,679,729. The department provides complete medical 
 care. This includes physicians' services, drugs, dental services, hospital 
 
 The central files of the department of Welfare maintain records of more 
 than 1,000,000 persons who have applied for aid since 1936.
 
 and clinic care, medical appliance, homemaker service and convales- 
 cent care, when needed. 1 he recipient selects a physician or dentist 
 of his own choice, and thus maintains the patient-doctor relationship) 
 on an individual basis. In addition, the department operates a Medical 
 Examining Unit to determine employability of applicants and recipi- 
 ents; a Dental Diagnostic Clinic for children and adults; a Preventive 
 Well Children's Clinic for periodic examination of children who are 
 not in clinic attendance. 
 
 In 1942, the department established a well equipped and modern 
 Convalescent Home at 5059 Vincennes Avenue, to provide services 
 for persons who recjuire medical and nursing care during periods of 
 convalescence following serious illness or injuries. An intensive pro- 
 gram of vocational and physical therapies is in operation under trained 
 supervision. The object is to achieve rehabilitation of handicapped 
 persons by maintaining their old skills and the training of new 
 skills. The cost of convalescent care was $1,441,372. 
 
 Safeguarding the Home 
 
 During the same year, a Homemakers' Service was established to 
 help keep families together in emergencies. Competent homemakers 
 are placed in homes in which the mother is either temporarily out or 
 
 Children's advisory committee of the department of Welfare. Left to 
 right, standing: Rev. Theodore Thormahlen, Rev. John Houlihan, Joseph 
 A. Moss. Left to right, seated: Mrs. Zephyr Stewart, Mabbeth K. Reckord, 
 Miss Ethel Verry, Miss Marion K. Craine. 
 
 152
 
 Clean, comfortable quarters are provided in the men's section of the 
 Convalescent Home. 
 
 Case workers of the department of Welfare discuss case with Dr. Walter 
 Adams, psychiatrist.
 
 Convalescent Home kitchen. 
 
 else too ill to care for her children, or in motherless homes in which 
 the father is incapacitated. 
 
 The Children's Division provides care for 2,251 children, who are 
 temporarily homeless or are in need of some sort of adjustment due to 
 domestic or family difficulties. For many of these children, foster 
 homes are provided in all parts of the city. Others are placed in insti- 
 tutions due to a lac\ of foster homes. 
 
 Finding Jobs for 17^600 
 
 With the consistent rise of employment opportunities in 1939, the 
 department launched a vigorous job placement program, and jobs were 
 found for 17,600 hard-to-place men and women. 
 
 Adequacy of budget allowance enables the recipient to live on a 
 level of decency and to maintain normal health standards. As more 
 funds became available, budgets were revised upward and were 
 adapted to meet increases in the cost of living. A 25 percent increase 
 in the food allowance was put into effect in 1946. A typical monthly 
 budget in 1947 for a family of four (man, woman, boy aged 13 years, 
 girl aged 8) is $142.27. In 1936 the budget for the same family was 
 $47.14. Although the purchasing value of the dollar was much higher 
 in 1936, the total allowance was not sufficient in terms of human 
 needs. Cash allowances are supplemented with available surplus food 
 commodities, clothing in kind, in addition to medical care and other 
 available services. In 1946 alone, more than one million pounds of 
 such commodities were distributed to recipients. 
 
 154
 
 THE CHICAGO 
 
 Chicago's present housing crisis is a direct result of the war. During 
 those years when man-power and materials were channelled into pro- 
 duction and services to aid the war effort, civilian construction prac- 
 tically ceased. Also since 1940, the city has gained more than 400,000 
 in population, partly due to a normal increase and partly because a 
 great number of workers migrated to Chicago during the war and 
 remained after hostilities ceased. As a consequence, returning veterans 
 could not find adequate housing accommodations. 
 
 In spite of a housing shortage unparalleled in the city's history, 
 however, the groundwork has been laid to move rapidly to provide 
 thousands of new housing units and redevelop Chicago's blighted 
 areas. Civic leaders recognize that this is a tremendous and challeng- 
 ing job. Its full success will depend upon the cooperation of both 
 private groups and public agencies. 
 
 The first problem is to care for the immediate, emergency needs 
 of those who must be housed at once, by providing temporary accom- 
 modations. The second is to rid the city of its growing areas of sub- 
 standard housing where decay and deterioration is serious. Chicago 
 
 155
 
 Today, in many areas, the children's playground is the street. 
 Tomorrow they will have spacious, landscaped community play- 
 grounds of their own. 
 
 Victory gardening at 
 Julia C. Lathrop 
 Homes. 
 
 The Ida B. Wells 
 Homes — another de- 
 velopment of the 
 Chicago Housing Au- 
 tliority. 
 
 5 ! i pi^im
 
 ^■■^::t 5_ ^. 
 
 Spacious, brick-bordered lawns of the Robert V. Brooks homes. 
 
 now has some 23 square miles of residential areas which are classified 
 as "blighted" and "near-blighted"' by the Chicago Plan Commission. 
 Of the city's total of 1,050,000 family dwelling units, nearly one-fourth, 
 or 242,000, are in these areas. These dwellings, a great majority of 
 which are substandard, house a total of approximately 840,000 persons 
 —almost one-fourth of the city's population. 
 
 Houses Over 60 Years Old 
 
 These neighborhoods contain the oldest housing in the city. Many 
 of the frame shanties, two and three flat brick structures, and "lean- 
 tos," are over sixty years old. Some even date back to the Chicago Fire 
 of 1871 and to Civil War days. Within the next twenty-five years ail 
 the structures in these blighted and near-blighted areas will have to 
 be replaced; many of them will fall in of their own weight or be 
 destroyed by fire if they are not removed. 
 
 During the recent war years, the processes of decay and deteriora- 
 tion of these slum communities has been accelerated. Although some 
 buildings have been destroyed by fire or from other natural causes, 
 their place has not been taken by any new construction. Vacant and 
 wasted land exists in some parts of the slums, while the total area 
 which is slum is steadily increasing and spreading. In fact, it has been 
 estimated that there are an additional 100,000 substandard dwelling 
 units in areas outside the so-called blighted or near blighted 23 square 
 miles. 
 
 Organized efforts to eliminate these disgraceful conditions have 
 been generally confined to a few federally-financed public housing 
 
 157
 
 Blighted 
 Areas 
 
 Areas where 
 
 NEW HOUSING 
 
 is needed 
 
 CHICAGO HAS 23 SQUARE MILES OF 
 BLIGHTED OR NEAR-BLIGHTED AREAS 
 WHICH MUST BE REBUILT WITH MOD- 
 ERN HOUSING. 
 
 IN THE CITY'S TOTAL OF 1,050.000 
 FAMILY DWELLING UNITS, NEARLY 
 ONE-FOURTH, OR 242,000, ARE IN 
 BLIGHTED AND NEAR-BLIGHTED 
 AREAS. 
 
 Lake 
 Michigan 
 
 ■-«r 
 
 Thousands of additional dwelling units, like the Altgeld Gardens, are 
 scheduled for construction by the CHA. 
 
 i
 
 Rattle-trap frame houses such as these are to be replaced with modern, 
 fireproof, low rent housing. 
 
 developments of the Chicago Housing Authority, as well as the com- 
 mendable, but difficult, efforts of civic groups and city departments 
 to obtain repair of dwellings through the enforcement of minimum 
 standards ordinances. In addition, the experience of two notable pri- 
 vate rental projects — the Town and Garden Apartments on the near 
 North Side and the Michigan Boulevard Apartments on the South 
 Side — have pointed clearly to the need for governmental assistance 
 in the slum redevelopment program. Both developments constructed 
 during the late "twenties" replaced blighted tracts, but proved that 
 publicly-subsidized dwellings would be required before a majority 
 of the present low income occupants of these areas could be housed. 
 
 CHA Started in 1938 
 
 It was for this purpose that both federal and state enabling legisla- 
 tion was enacted, the former by Congress to provide federal funds to 
 finance the construction of local public housing projects, and the latter 
 to set up local housing bodies, such as the Chicago Housing Authority, 
 to administer, operate, and supervise the development of the projects. 
 The Chicago Housing Authority since beginning active operations in 
 1938, has taken over and developed a total of eleven public housing 
 developments, totaling 7,900 dwelling units. In addition, it is now 
 
 159
 
 Trunibiill Park Homes constructed by the Chicago Housing Authority. 
 
 proceeding with the assembly of land for another 800 dwelling apart- 
 ment project on the near South Side. While four of these large public 
 housing developments have directly cleared and replaced 120 acres of 
 slum properties, others were built during the war period on vacant 
 tracts. The Chicago Housing Authority was able, however, to comply 
 with the federal requirement that one slum unit be eliminated for 
 each new dwelling built, because the city departments effected the 
 closing or repair of thousands of substandard structures during this 
 period. 
 
 Conforming to its purpose of providing low rent dwellings for 
 famiUes of low income, the CHA both before and since the war 
 accepts as tenants only those of low income who are living in sub- 
 standard dwellings. Those with incomes averaging as low as $65 per 
 month are able to secure homes in these developments. The CHA 
 has also insisted that only families with children be admitted to its 
 developments. During the war period, the CHA participated in the 
 program to provide additional dwellings for war workers, by admit- 
 ting only families of essential workers into projects which were then 
 under construction. Again meeting an emergency need, the CHA is 
 now giving preference to veterans' families for apartments which 
 become available in its low rent projects. 
 
 Financing 
 
 The low rent public housing developments are financed through 
 long term notes of up to a sixty-year amortization period at very low 
 
 160
 
 The Julia C. Lathrop Homes are arranged 
 with expansive play areas. 
 
 The Jane Addanis houses, one of th 
 rent projects of the CHA. 
 
 interest rates, and are subsidized by both the local and federal govern- 
 ments. Because of this, the CHA is able to provide efficiently designed 
 dwellings, each with a kitchen and bath, of up to six rooms in size 
 for monthly rentals as low as $15. These very low rates are charged 
 only the lowest income families in residence, while other families pay 
 higher rentals in proportion to their incomes. Before the war, when 
 only families earning less than $1,200 a year were accepted as tenants, 
 these rentals averaged only $21 a month, including utilities. To pro- 
 vide these modern dwellings for such low income families, the public 
 is called upon to contribute subsidies amounting to an estimated 
 $13 a month per family housed. 
 
 Slums Costly to City 
 
 Such subsidies are well warranted, civic leaders argue, if slums 
 which are costly in crime, disease, and municipal services can be 
 eliminated. It is known that slums in Chicago and other cities of the 
 nation contribute 45 percent of the major crimes, 55 percent of juvenile 
 delinquency, 50 percent of the arrests, 60 percent of tuberculosis deaths, 
 50 percent of the disease, 35 percent of the fires, and require 45 percent 
 of the city's service cost— despite the fact that they comprise only about 
 one-fifth of the metropolitan areas. 
 
 Children's Cities 
 
 The public housing developments, designed on a community plan 
 basis, have become known as "Children's Cities." Outdoor and indoor 
 playgrounds and other recreational space is available and the tenants 
 have made good use of it. 
 
 Child, "teen-age" and adult members of the public housing com- 
 munities, through Tenant Councils, have developed a wide range of 
 activities, including drama classes, home decorating and sewing 
 groups, athletic events, nursery school groups, garden contests, out- 
 door carnivals, dances, bingo parties, and project newspapers. 
 
 Recognizing that the future welfare of the city was inevitably tied 
 
 161
 
 Robert R. Taylor, chair- 
 man of the Chicago 
 Housing Authority. 
 
 into the success of making Chicago the 
 best place in which to Hve as well as 
 work, Mayor Kelly outlined the housing 
 job facing the city early in 1943. He 
 called for the clearance and rebuilding 
 of Chicago's slums in a joint private- 
 public program which must produce 
 "some half a million new homes to be 
 built during the next generation" for 
 families in all income groups. The 
 Mayor pointed to the need for "new 
 legislation, federal, state, and local." 
 
 Following through with his proposed housing plan, the Mayor, in 
 January 1945, announced that with his concurrence the Chicago 
 Housing Authority had applied to the federal government for funds 
 with which to construct an additional 40,000 public low rent housing 
 units in the early post-war years. Stating that in his opinion the pub- 
 lic housing program "ought to be but a part of the huge rebuilding 
 program Chicago contemplates," the greater part of which "must be 
 done directly by private enterprise," the Mayor then took steps to 
 secure for the first time both city and state funds to assist in the 
 assembly and clearance of slum sites which could then be used for 
 housing. 
 
 Slum Clearance Bond Issues 
 
 The City Council first recommended that a $5,000,000 slum clear- 
 ance city bond issue be submitted to the voters at the June, 1945, 
 
 Site of the Frances Cabrini Homes on the near north side. Of 581 dwell- 
 ing units in this area, 515 had stove heat and 433 had no bathtubs. 
 
 H 
 
 ■*'&^. 
 
 .iz.-^ ^-^ 
 
 1**** 
 
 ."'••
 
 judicial election. With the cooperation of the state, legislation was 
 enacted by the General Assembly authorizing such a city-aided pro- 
 gram and also providing $10,000,000 of state funds, $4,300,000 to be 
 turned over as Chicago's share, for the same purpose. The city bond 
 issue was overwhelmingly approved, and in the fall of 1945 the 
 Council enacted an ordinance designating three blighted areas in the 
 west and south sides for clearance. Actual purchase of land, which 
 was to be undertaken by the city, had to await judicial review by the 
 Illinois courts. A recent favorable decision of the Illinois Supreme 
 Court upholding the constitutionality of the city-aided slum clearance 
 program will now permit the purchase of land to proceed. 
 
 In the meantime, the Chicago Housing Authority, having received 
 the $4,300,000 of state funds in early 1946, is already at work pur- 
 chasing properties in the three blighted areas to be cleared and rebuilt. 
 Combining the land to be acquired under both of these programs, it 
 is expected that a total of some (SO acres of slum land can be reclaimed 
 and, when rebuilt, will provide sites for new housing for an estimated 
 16,000 persons. 
 
 Emergency Housing 
 
 With the end of the war, Chicago's housing program had to shake 
 oflf the necessary shackles which had prevented construction during 
 the war, in favor of the production of war material, and attempt a 
 speedy readjustment to meet an emergency. Knowing that, unless 
 
 Story-telling hour is a regular feature of the pre-school nursery spon- 
 sored by the Jane Addams Community Council. 
 
 163
 
 drastic measures were taken at once, the city could expect at least 
 100,000 married veterans and additional thousands of single veterans 
 to be in search of a place to live, Mayor Kelly and the City Council, 
 as well as the Housing Authority, swung into action. The Mayor 
 pleaded with housing and elected officials in Washington for legisla- 
 tion and funds to build a vast supply of both temporary and perma- 
 nent housing. He applied for the use of surplus temporary war 
 housing, and the City Council first appropriated a million, and then 
 another million dollars, to help get the "temporaries" up. 
 
 Public Agencies Cooperate 
 
 With the cooperation of the various public agencies, including the 
 Chicago Board of Education, Park District, Sanitary District, and 
 Forest Preserve District, which made vacant land sites available for 
 the "temporaries," free of charge, the houses went up. They were to 
 be operated by the Chicago Housing Authority with the Federal 
 government paying the cost of shipping and building the houses and 
 the city covering the expense of installing the utility lines. Under 
 this program the CHA is now completing units in 21 locations for 
 3,400 veterans' families. Of all types, including pre-fabs, quonsets, and 
 even trailers, the "temporaries" are for rent to married Chicago 
 veterans at the reasonable rates of from $22 to $41 a month. From 
 applications taken at the Chicago Housing Center at 61 E. Lake 
 
 Elizabeth Wood, executive secretary of the Chicago Housing Authority, 
 reviews blueprints with an assistant. 
 
 164
 
 Street the names of more than 25,000 certified veterans who have 
 asked for temporary housing have been sent to the CHA. Selected on 
 the basis of emergency need, veterans' famiHes in the most desperate 
 of circumstances are finding shelter in these dwellings until such time 
 as the construction of permanent housing catches up with the city's 
 housing needs. 
 
 THE NEED FOR PRIVATELY FINANCED 
 CONSTRUCTION AND CONSERVATION 
 
 In addition to low rent, subsidized housing, there exists a great 
 need for new rental housing and for the conservation and improve- 
 ment of many of the city's residential areas. 
 
 Studies made by the Chicago Plan Commission showed that dur- 
 ing the war, about 25,000 dwelling units were erected in Chicago, 
 but the net gain in the city's housing inventory amounted to less than 
 15,000 units. Fires and demolitions caused many new dwellings to 
 become merely replacements and not numerical additions to the local 
 supply of housing. 
 
 As a part of the city planning program, a new and more detailed 
 study of housing, embracing economic, financial, and legal factors 
 affecting the entire framework of the local market, was undertaken 
 by the commission. A committee on housing not only devoted much 
 time to the study of the mass of statistical data thus assembled, but 
 carefully considered every suggestion and objective proposed by those 
 interested in Chicago's housing problems. During the preparation of 
 the report, much of the information was employed in the development 
 of various studies which were made available to the governmental 
 agencies engaged in the regulation of new construction during the 
 defense and war periods. 
 
 As the study progressed, it became clear that Chicago is confronted 
 with a problem having both short- and long-term implications. The 
 current estimated population of 3,600,000 is an increase of 200,000 
 over that of 1940, while the total number of families has increased 
 relatively more. In order to make available adequate housing for 
 these additional families, the report indicates that approximately 
 100,000 new dwelling units are required almost immediately. Over a 
 twenty to twenty-five year period, during which Chicago's population 
 is expected to increase to 3,800,000, it is estimated that some 500,000 
 new or rehabilitated dwelling units will be needed. Of these about 
 150,000 will suffice to accommodate the further increase in families; 
 350,000 will be needed to offset the equivalent number of dwelling 
 units to be removed from blighted, near-blighted, and conservation 
 areas through programs of redevelopment and rehabilitation. 
 
 165
 
 In order to illustrate the many problems involved in the redevelop- 
 ment of blighted areas, the Plan Commission made a detailed study 
 of a near northwest neighborhood, the results of which are included 
 in "Housing Goals for Chicago." This sample study is indicative of 
 the treatment which must be accorded all blighted areas prior to their 
 redevelopment. After an analysis of all factors, the commission ar- 
 rived at the following conclusion: 
 
 "There is a compelling reason for municipalities to offer public aids 
 to stimulate redevelopment projects. In addition to the many social 
 benefits to be derived through the elimination of blight, there is a 
 practical dollars-and-cents justification for the expenditure. 
 
 "Every effort must be exerted to stimulate rental housing construc- 
 tion. The majority of those who are in direct need of housing, includ- 
 ing most of the veterans, want to rent instead of to buy. This demand 
 can and will be met when investors can feel assured of a reasonable 
 return on the outlay currently required to produce rental accommo- 
 dations. 'Housing Goals for Chicago' results from the sober determina- 
 tion of the Plan Commission to present the facts about housing and 
 the means most expedient to employ in attacking the housing prob- 
 lem. 
 
 "It should be remembered, however, that homes built today will 
 remain in the city for many years to come. For this reason, these 
 dwelling units, as pointed out in the housing study, should be soundly 
 designed and constructed in order that they will contribute to the 
 utility and stability of the neighborhoods of which they are to become 
 a part. Care should be taken to see that unattractive neighborhoods 
 are not created by hasty, unplanned construction that will exert an 
 unfavorable influence on future Chicago." 
 
 As the year unfolded, the soundness of the logic contained in 
 "Housing Goals for Chicago" became more and more evident. Most 
 of the recommendations contained in the Plan Commission's 14-point 
 program were adopted by other groups and government agencies. 
 More recently, many of these recommendations were incorporated 
 into the national housing program. 
 
 166
 
 Bess Myerson — Miss America of 1945 — attends a celebration at Altgeld 
 Gardens under the auspices of the Commission. 
 
 MAYOR'S COMMISSION ON 
 
 A distinguished group of citizens have joined 
 forces with the Mayor in the name of Tolerance. 
 
 When Mayor Kelly appointed the Mayor's Committee on Race 
 Relations in July 1943, the Detroit race riot had just occurred. The 
 committee met in the Mayor's office, appointed Edwin R. Embree, 
 President of the Julius Rosenwald Fund, as chairman, and received 
 the Mayor's mandate to do everything possible to maintain peace 
 and harmony between the various racial, religious and nationality 
 groups which make up the city. 
 
 The committee, as first appointed, consisted of eleven members, 
 representative of business, labor, religious and racial groups. Early 
 in 1946, the City Council changed the committee's name to the 
 "Mayor's Commission on Human Relations." In November, three 
 new members were added to represent nationality and other religious 
 groups and the field of industrial relations. 
 
 For the first half year the commission was financed out of alloca- 
 
 \67
 
 Miss Joy Schultz, Director 
 of the Department of 
 Community Service. 
 
 Left: Edwin R. Embree, Chairman of the Mayor's Commission on Human 
 Relations. 
 
 dons from the Mayor's emergency fund. For 1944 and 1945, the 
 City Council appropriated |25,000 annually and $58,000 for 1946. 
 
 The commission announced as its objectives: 
 
 1. Equal city services to all, except as expanded to meet human 
 needs, without discrimination. 
 
 2. Fair employment and upgrading in all city departments accord- 
 ing to abihty and seniority, without regard to race, creed or nationahty. 
 
 3. Public information to emphasize the contribution of all minority 
 groups which make up Chicago and to combat prejudice. 
 
 4. End discriminatory practices in private services offered to the 
 public, in employment and housing. 
 
 5. Co-operation with city departments and civic agencies to check 
 anti-racial, anti-rehgious and anti-nationality activity and to uphold 
 civil right of all citizens. 
 
 Support and Participation of Civic Leaders 
 
 In order to enhst the support and participation of a broad representa- 
 tive group of Chicago's citizens and civic leaders, the commission 
 estabhshed working committees in six fields, namely: education, 
 employment, housing, health and welfare, law and order, and recrea- 
 tion. Some 300 people work on these committees, which are composed 
 of representatives of city departments and civic organizations and 
 individual civic leaders. These committees meet regularly and serve 
 to inform and secure the democratic participation of responsible civic 
 leaders and, through them, their organizations in the planning of 
 solutions to the problems of human relations, and in carrying out 
 specific projects in conjunction with staff members. 
 
 168
 
 Law and Order 
 
 Because of the disturbances and racial conflicts which had recently 
 occurred in other American cities, the commission's first task was 
 to work with the city police and park district police, the fire depart- 
 ment, and the city law department to maintain peace and harmony 
 in Chicago. Fortunately, in only three instances since July, 1943, has 
 there been any need to use a considerable number of law enforce- 
 ment officers in situations where conflicts and tensions were high. 
 In each case the action of the police has held these situations in check. 
 Although local violence has been present, interracial conflict on any 
 considerable scale has not occurred in the city. The commission has 
 been on the actual scene in these situations, working cooperatively 
 with the police oificials. 
 
 In order to maintain a close check on situations which might 
 develop into anti-social violence, the commission analyzed and 
 mapped out the areas and communities of most acute tension between 
 racial, religious and nationality groups. Following this the commission 
 developed "listening posts" and "information centers" in all these 
 areas by enlisting heads of local institutions, business, labor and civic 
 leaders. With this information, the commission has been able to 
 alert local police officials and community leaders in time to take 
 needed action. 
 
 Edwin R. Enibree, chairman, left, presenting the awards in human rela- 
 tions at the first annual awards luncheon of the Mayor's Commission. 
 
 169
 
 The Mayor's Commission on Human Relations participated in a rally at 
 Orchestra Hall, sponsored by youth leaders in answer to hate strikes in 
 schools. Danny Kaye, radio and screen star, center, aided the rally. 
 
 When an analysis showed many non-white citizens moving into 
 new areas, the commission alerted police officials so that adequate 
 police protection could be given to the newcomers. By making it 
 clear to the community that law and order will be enforced by the 
 police, peace has been maintained. The new families have thus been 
 given time to adjust themselves to the community, local groups an 
 opportunity to assist in that adjustment. 
 
 When members of minority groups bring complaints of discrimina- 
 tion in civil rights to the commission's attention, the commission 
 seeks to achieve voluntary compliance by the ol?ender with the state 
 civil rights statutes. To accomplish this, conferences have been held 
 with associations representing hotels, restaurants, and tavern owners, 
 as well as with the heads of individual establishments. Many of these 
 establishments have voluntarily agreed to end discrimination. 
 
 Wherever a publicly Hcensed establishment refuses to abide by the 
 civil rights statutes, the commission works with the Civil Rights 
 Unit of the City Law Department to bring it into compliance with 
 the law and to eliminate discriminatory practices. The Mayor's Com- 
 mission receives and investigates complaints and seeks to obtain 
 voluntary compliance. Where legal action is involved, the entire 
 
 170
 
 matter is turned over to the Civil Rights Unit of the Corporation 
 Counsel. 
 
 The commission is publishing a Civil Rights Handbook, which 
 will contain the civil rights statutes of Illinois and practical sugges- 
 tions on what to do in cases of discrimination. 
 
 In-Service Training 
 
 The park district police have developed an excellent in-service 
 training course in human relations as a regular part of their Police 
 Academy. This course has already resulted in more effective handling 
 of tension situations. On the recommendation of the Mayor's Com- 
 mission, the City Commissioner of Police is now working on a similar 
 in-service training course for his department. 
 
 The commission has recommended that police officers who are 
 members of minority groups, be appointed and assigned to responsi- 
 biUty throughout the city and in all departments. The commission 
 has taken the position that an efficient police officer who is a member 
 of a minority group, can do a tremendous amount of good for human 
 relations. The city police department now has Negro officers serving 
 as follows: One captain in charge of a police district; one lieutenant; 
 seven sergeants, and 207 Negro patrolmen. 
 
 The commission has recommended that additional Negro officers 
 be employed by the park district police department, which had only 
 one in 1945, who was killed in line of duty in September of that year. 
 During 1946 this department added 20 Negro officers and a Negro 
 policewoman. 
 
 Public Information 
 
 The Mayor's Commission has held three public conferences in 
 City Hall which were called by the Mayor: February, 1944, "Plan- 
 ning in Race Relations"; May, 1945, "Home Front Unity"; Novem- 
 ber, 1945, "Human Relations in Chicago." These conferences presented 
 basic facts and problems of minority groups in housing, employment, 
 education, health and welfare, recreation, and law and order. Repre- 
 sentatives of city departments and some eighty civic organizations 
 participated. Out of the conferences of 1945 came not only the objec- 
 tives and goals of the Mayor's Commission but the cooperation of 
 civic organizations and city departments. 
 
 By the end of 1946, a high level of cooperation in action had been 
 developed. The commission made the findings of these conferences 
 available to a wide section of civic leadership and, with the aid of the 
 press and radio, developed a broad recognition of these aims. The 
 commission, too, has brought this program before a large number 
 
 171
 
 SlaflF conference of department heads — executive director, Thomas H. 
 Wright, Lt. Ralph H. Metcalf, Civil Rights, Capt. Russell H. Babcock, 
 Public Information and Education. 
 
 o£ city-wide and local community organizations through speeches 
 and discussions. Press releases, fact sheets, special stories for feature 
 articles — going to more than 500 newspapers — radio stations, com- 
 munity, church and labor papers, columnists and commentators have 
 been utilized to inform the public. 
 
 Education 
 
 The commission has worked with the Board of Education and 
 private schools, seeking to establish in-service teacher training in 
 human relations, in the expansion of intercultural education programs, 
 participation of school leaders in community human relations prob- 
 lems, and increased use of qualified teachers from minority groups. 
 
 The commission has aided the press and radio to take a construc- 
 tive attitude toward minority groups by eliminating race labeling, 
 developing more awareness of the contributions of minority groups 
 to the city's life, and recognizing their social responsibility in handling 
 tension situations. Two local newspapers have dropped race labeling 
 
 172
 
 in crime stories. All have assisted in maintaining the peace by factual, 
 non-inflammatory reporting and constructive editorials. 
 
 Employment 
 
 The Mayor's Commission cooperates with city department heads, 
 public employment officials, employers, personnel executives, and labor 
 union representatives in its task of eliminating discrimination in em- 
 ployment and with the Corporation Counsel in enforcement of the 
 city's FEP ordinance. 
 
 Housing 
 
 The Commission works constantly with the Chicago Housing 
 Authority, in veterans' emergency housing projects, where human 
 relations and community tensions are involved; with real estate firms, 
 insurance companies, banks and co-operative housing groups, the 
 Metropolitan Housing Council and the Commissioner of Buildings to 
 establish non-discriminatory practices in the field of housing. 
 
 Recreation 
 
 The commission works with park district officials, officials of 
 recreational associations, owners of skating rinks and other amuse- 
 ment enterprises, the Recreation Commission, the Council of Social 
 Agencies to see that facilities are open to all in accordance with 
 civil rights statutes, democratic practice and the rule of fair play. 
 
 Health and Welfare 
 
 The commission counsels with 
 the Health Department in mak- 
 ing facilities available to minor- 
 ity groups, has recommended ad- 
 ditional programs in the field of 
 dental care, tuberculosis and 
 V.D. control. It maintains liai- 
 son relationships with the City 
 Welfare Department, and makes 
 surveys of private hospitals as to 
 their practices and treatment of 
 members of minority groups and 
 seeks to get them to accept pa- 
 tients without segregation and 
 without discrimination. It has 
 also discussed with them the 
 opening of nurses" training 
 schools, technical and laboratory 
 departments, medical and cour- 
 tesy staffs to qualified members 
 
 173 
 
 Police commissioner John T. Pren- 
 dergast and Captain Peter H. An- 
 nen of the Park District Police 
 explain the distribution of minor- 
 ity groups to representatives of the 
 Youth Council.
 
 of minority groups. A subcommittee has conferred with deans of class 
 A medical colleges on the admission of qualified Negro applicants to 
 those schools and has been assured that they will accept applications 
 from qualified members of minority groups. 
 
 Awards in Human Relations 
 
 In 1946 the Mayor's Commission established a Committee on 
 Awards, which presented awards to eight organizations which had 
 demonstrated by their activities a fundamental belief in good human 
 relations. The organizations named were Roosevelt College, Radio 
 Station WBBM, Ricardo's Studio Restaurant, Adventure Island Camp, 
 the Chicago YWCA, the Chicago Welfare Department, the Chicago 
 Industrial Union Council, CIO, and the Catholic Youth Organization. 
 
 174
 
 The Congress Street Superhighway and West Side Subway will be con- 
 structed together at tremendous savings to the people of Chicago. 
 
 THE DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 D 
 
 AND 
 
 The city's transportation experts are again in action to give 
 Chicago better, faster, safer means of intra-city travel. 
 
 Chicago's first rapid transit subway — the State Street route — has 
 behind it more than three years of outstandingly successful operation. 
 
 To supplement this subway, and the Milwaukee Avenue-Dearborn 
 Street-Congress Street subway, which is now being completed, a West 
 Side subway and two streetcar subways across the loop — one in Jack- 
 son Boulevard and one in Washington Boulevard — are programmed 
 for the immediate future. 
 
 A longer-range subway program, subject to change as warranted 
 by conditions, has been prepared for construction of extensions in 
 Wells Street, in Archer and Ashland Avenues, in South Park Avenue, 
 North Avenue, Belmont Avenue, and a single track express subway 
 in Milwaukee Avenue from Division Street to Logan Square. 
 
 No property tax revenue has been used in the construction of sub- 
 ways. The first two routes are being financed from the City Traction 
 Fund, supplemented by a cash grant of $25,200,000 obtained by Mayor 
 
 175
 
 V. E. Gvinlock, commissioner of Subways and Superhighways. 
 
 Kelly from the Federal government. Funds for the immediate pro- 
 gram ahead will be obtained from the sale of subway revenue bonds. 
 This method of financing was insisted upon by Mayor Kelly to avoid 
 burdening the general property taxpayers with any part of the cost 
 of these extensive improvements. 
 
 Stvift and Safe 
 
 More than 270,000,000 riders have shared in and benefited from 
 the safety, time-savings and improved rapid transit service provided 
 by the State Street subway. Jackson Park-Howard Street "L" trains 
 and Ravenswood "L" trains to Englewood and Normal Park operate 
 through the State Street subway. 
 
 Not a single operating accident has occurred, although there are 
 746 trains every week day through the subway's twin tubes. Train 
 operation is constantly safeguarded by modern automatic signal and 
 train control systems. 
 
 The Chicago subway has won wide recognition. Engineers generally 
 recognize it as being equal, if not superior, to other subways of the 
 world in design and in construction. This is due not only to the excel- 
 lent basic design and construction but also to its setting of a new high 
 standard in subway ventilation and of its pioneering use of fluorescent 
 
 176
 
 lighting for all major subway structures, loading platforms, mezzanine 
 stations and sidewalk entrances. 
 
 It is the first major addition in more than a generation to Chicago's 
 rapid transit facilities and represents the realization of one of Mayor 
 Kelly's objectives for the betterment of his native Chicago. 
 
 Milwaukee — Dearborn — Congress Subway 
 
 Had not the war intervened, Chicagoans would now be enjoying 
 the benefits of a second subway route — the Milwaukee Avenue- 
 Dearborn Street-Congress Street subway. Construction of this route 
 was proceeding simultaneously with construction of the State Street 
 
 Gas masks to guard against dust fumes were worn by many workers in 
 the construction of our subway. 
 
 177
 
 The huge twin tubes of the State Street subway dwarf the engineers who 
 inspect them during construction. 
 
 route when work was stopped in 1942 by government order to con- 
 serve critical materials and manpower for the war effort. 
 
 With removal of wartime restrictions, construction of this subway 
 has been resumed. The route is scheduled to go into operation in 
 1949 with new, all-metal, subway-elevated cars provided by the Chicago 
 Transit Authority. 
 
 Humboldt Park and Logan Square "L" trains will operate in this 
 subway, turning back near the Chicago River by means of an under- 
 ground loop in Congress Street. It is estimated that the route will 
 serve 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 riders per year, whose individual time- 
 savings will range from 15 to 25 minutes per day. 
 
 West Side Subway 
 
 For his successor. Mayor Kelly leaves a Council-approved plan with 
 design and right-of-way acquisition already underway for construction 
 of a rapid transit subway to Chicago's great West side. 
 
 As outlined to the City Council by Mayor Kelly, the west side 
 subway will be constructed in three stages at a total cost of $42,000,000. 
 The first two stages will extend the Milwaukee Avenue-Dearborn 
 Street-Congress Street subway west in tubes to Halsted Street, then 
 proceed west as an open-air subway in the median strip of the de- 
 
 178
 
 pressed Congress Street Superhighway to Kedzie Avenue, and then 
 north in Kedzie Avenue in subway tubes to a connection with the 
 Lake Street "L" near Homan Avenue. These two initial stages will 
 cost an estimated $33,500,000, exclusive of new subway-elevated cars. 
 Construction will proceed simultaneously with work on the Congress 
 Street Superhighway, thus assuring major savings in construction 
 expenditures. 
 
 Between Halsted Street and Kedzie Avenue — a distance of approxi- 
 mately three miles — the West Side subway will be a 4-track vi\p\d 
 transit facility for Lake Street, Garfield Park and Douglas Park "L" 
 trains. 
 
 Through train service from the Northwest Side to the central 
 business district and the West and far West Sides will be possible 
 when this subway route is completed. It will serve an area of 37 square 
 miles with a population of 939,000. It is estimated there will be 
 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 West Side subway riders annually each of 
 whom will save 15 to 25 minutes per day in traveling to and from 
 the loop. 
 
 For later construction, there is proposed a twin tube subway in 
 
 Chicago River tubes for the .State Street subway were first eonstructed 
 in a dry dock, then towed tlirough the lake and up the river to the State 
 Street crossing. There the structure was sunk into a previously dug out 
 trough in the bed of the river.
 
 INITIAL 
 
 SYSTEM OF 
 
 SUBWAYS 
 
 INITIAL SYSTEM 
 OF SUBWirS 
 
 -•— EXISTING l" UHES 
 
 80
 
 181
 
 Downtown loading platform of the State Street subway 
 
 Chicago's modern 
 subways include such 
 up-to-date features 
 as fluorescent light- 
 ing and advanced ar- 
 chitectural design. 
 
 182
 
 The latest type, accident-proofed escalators operate between the mezza- 
 nine and the train platforms of the State Street Subway. 
 
 Clinton Street extending from the West Side subway to a connection 
 with the Milwaukee Avenue-Dearborn Street-Congress Street subway 
 near Milwaukee Avenue and Canal Street. This addition — forming an 
 underground rapid transit loop immediately west of the central dis- 
 trict — will permit exceedingly flexible operation of Lake Street, Gar- 
 field Park and Douglas Park "L" trains. It will cost approximately 
 $8,500,000. 
 
 Streetcar Subways 
 
 The two high-level, east-west streetcar subways through the central 
 business district were proposed ten years ago by Mayor Kelly as the 
 most effective means of combating the costly and ever-increasing 
 traffic congestion in the loop. 
 
 The Federal government, exercising its privileges as a substantial 
 contributor, insisted upon giving priority to the two routes of the 
 initial subway system. Accordingly, the streetcar subways were 
 relegated to a secondary position. Their construction in the immedi- 
 ate future is now more imperative than ever. Traffic delays in the 
 central business district are squeezing the life out of the very heart 
 of the city. 
 
 As proposed by Mayor Kelly, the streetcar subways are to be con- 
 structed in Washington Boulevard and Jackson Boulevard from Clin- 
 ton Street to Grant Park. All streetcars from the Northwest, West and 
 Southwest are to be removed frotn the streets of the loop! 
 
 These subways will, in effect, add seven miles of traffic lanes to 
 
 183
 
 the streets of the central business district. Aside from that, residents 
 of the West Side for the first time will have direct access by street- 
 car to State Street, to Wabash Avenue, to Michigan Avenue, to Grant 
 Park, to the rapid transit subways in the loop, and to the Randolph 
 Street and Van Buren Street stations of the Illinois Central. 
 
 Studies indicate that more than 161,000,000 people, entering the 
 central business district by streetcar, suburban railroads and auto- 
 mobiles in the course of a year will be materially benefited by 
 improved traffic conditions. 
 
 Looking up from the bottom of the svibway shaft, dviring construction. 
 
 84
 
 BEHIND THE SCENES 
 
 ABOVE — Diagram board for control of traction 
 power and operating equipment in the State Street 
 subway. 
 
 BELOW — The train control panel of the Northcen- 
 Iral Tower of the State Street subway. 
 

 
 SUPERHIGHWAYS 
 
 IN THE 
 GREATER 
 
 CHICAGO 
 PUBLIC 
 WORKS 
 
 PROGRAM 
 
 '^A 
 
 >Or 
 
 ^yri*'— ''BPj 
 
 THE FIRST STEP IN THE GREAT- 
 ER CHICAGO PROGRAM IS A 
 SEVEN-YEAR SUPERHIGHWAY 
 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. 
 
 IT WILL COST $205 MILLION— 
 OF WHICH CHICAGO WILL 
 PAY $68 MILLION. THE STATE 
 AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS 
 WILL PAY THE REST. 
 
 M 
 
 0/>-|U^ 
 
 ^r 
 
 iO: 
 
 'h 
 
 V/EST ROUTE 
 
 Austin Blvd. 
 
 ■» 
 ^*j 
 
 ^c 
 
 Lake 
 Michigan 
 
 Erie S+^ 
 
 ■pJ^Wacker Dr. 
 J^^ lU Extension 
 
 95th and State. 
 
 V 
 
 «>^. 
 
 h2V^-. ^A 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Q'
 
 35 MILES OF EXPRESSWAYS 
 
 Chicago has launched one of the most extensive and outstanding 
 superhighway programs in the nation. Modern, 8-lane expressways, 
 set in broad, park-Hke rights-of-way, will give Chicago, in effect, a 
 new high-capacity traffic system. It will supplement and relieve the 
 city's overloaded gridiron street pattern by segregating the fast- 
 moving through vehicles from local traffic and delivery services. 
 
 Conceived by Mayor Kelly to meet the pressing demands of today's 
 automotive age, the program in its entirety embraces 67 miles of 
 through-traffic superhighways, radiating from the central business 
 district to all sections of the city. The cost of this system is estimated 
 at $345,000,000. 
 
 Programmed for initial construction are the West (Congress Street) 
 Superhighway from Field Drive to the west city limits; the North- 
 west Superhighway to serve the rapidly developing northwest side of 
 Chicago and the new municipal airport near Park Ridge; a section 
 of the South Superhighway from the West Superhighway to 95th and 
 State Streets, and an extension of Wacker Drive from Lake Street 
 to the West Superhighway. The initial expressways total 35 miles in 
 length. Their cost is estimated at $205,200,000. 
 
 The next stage of construction includes the Southeast, Southwest, 
 North and Cross Town Superhighways, the balance of the South 
 Superhighway, and extension of Wacker Drive from Michigan Avenue 
 to the Outer Drive. The expressways will connect directly with the 
 highways in the state's primary road system. 
 
 Chicago Pays Only One-Third 
 
 Financing of the initial superhighway program is assured. Through 
 negotiations directed by Mayor Kelly, the State of Illinois and Cook 
 County are committed to sharing equally with Chicago the cost of 
 constructing the initial expressways. The one-third share of the State 
 will be partially made up of road funds contributed by the Federal 
 Government. This means that Chicago will obtain expressways cost- 
 ing an estimated $205,200,000 by the expenditure of only $68,400,000 
 of its own highway funds, and it assures a saving of $136,800,000 to 
 Chicago in the cost of the initial system alone. 
 
 Funds for financing Chicago's part of the cost of the initial sys- 
 tem are already provided for. Approximately $26,400,000 is being set 
 aside for superhighway construction from the city's share of the state 
 gasoline tax allotted by law to Illinois municipalities. The balance of 
 the city's share — $42,000,000 — will be obtained by the sale of general 
 revenue bonds authorized by the voters at a referendum on June 3, 
 1946. 
 
 187
 
 Wi^i?fif|i 
 
 '■•"'««4^i,j 
 
 The Chicago Civic Opera Building in its future setting on Wacker Drive. 
 
 Buying Rights of Way 
 
 Through the Department of Subways and Superhighways, $4,700,000 
 worth of right-of-way for the city's sections of the West Superhighway 
 has already been acquired. It is also purchasing right-of-way for its 
 sections of the Northwest Superhighway and the southward extension 
 of Wacker Drive. Approximately $675,000 has been spent for engineer- 
 ing studies and preliminary planning for the expressways. 
 
 The department's right-of-way acquisition activities are not, how- 
 ever, confined to the city's sections of the initial superhighway system. 
 Because of the demonstrated efficiency of its right-of-way purchase 
 procedures, it has been retained by the state to buy the state's share 
 
 188
 
 of the right-of-way for the initial superhighways, and is now pro- 
 ceeding with this commission. Most of the right-of-way for the West 
 and Northwest Superhighway and Wacker Drive undoubtedly will 
 be acquired this year. 
 
 To the department has fallen the task of preparing most of the 
 engineering studies and preparing the preliminary plans for the initial 
 system. This work is virtually complete and the department is now 
 intensively engaged in the preparation of the blueprints for actual 
 construction. 
 
 The initial superhighway program will require from four to five 
 years for completion, dating from the start of work on the roadways. 
 Construction, however, cannot get underway until the current critical 
 housing shortage eases. When this occurs, construction of the initial 
 system can and will proceed at a swift pace, since all of the prelimi- 
 naries to rapid, large-scale construction will have been completed. 
 
 Advanced Design of Expressways 
 
 Aside from its extent, Chicago's superhighway program is note- 
 worthy in other respects. Its design features have set new high stand- 
 ards for modern expressways. For example, all of the superhighways, 
 generally speaking, are to be of the depressed type. The roadways 
 will be below the grade of adjacent and intersecting streets and will 
 be situated in broad, landscaped rights-of-way. Thus two major causes 
 of accidents and delays — pedestrian traffic and the movement of 
 vehicles across the flow of traffic — are entirely eliminated. This assures 
 the safe and swift movement of the maximum amount of traffic. 
 
 Throughout the nation, other cities are following Chicago's lead 
 and are now planning to build extensive expressways of the depressed 
 type. The elevated expressway, except where required by special 
 engineering considerations, has virtually disappeared from advanced 
 highway planning. 
 
 The Chicago superhighway program also has the distinction of 
 pioneering in combining a mass rapid transit facility with an express- 
 way. In the West Superhighway, a 4-track rapid transit extension of 
 the Chicago subways will be combined with the 8-lane expressway. 
 This is the most efficient and economical use of traffic ways for the 
 movement of people and vehicles. Several other large cities are now 
 planning similar combined facilities. 
 
 Need for Superhighivays 
 
 The necessity for a city-wide system of superhighways has long 
 been apparent. In an effort to meet the rapidly-growing demands of 
 automobile traffic, the city some years ago set up a system of arterial 
 streets and embarked upon an extensive program of street widening. 
 
 189
 
 OPERATING SAVINGS 
 
 INITIAL SUPERHIGHWAY SYSTEM 
 
 AUTO MILES 
 
 ACCIDENT 
 
 TIME 
 
 $22,000.000 "I 
 
 TOTAL 
 SAVINGS 
 
 It has been amply demonstrated that street widening is not the solu- 
 tion. Some of the widened streets are the most hazardous in the city. 
 Automobile traffic has long exceeded the capacity of the arterial 
 street system. In rush hours, travel on some arterial streets is slowed 
 to 12 or 14 miles per hour. An ever-increasing volume of through 
 traffic is invading local streets. Consequently even residential streets 
 are hazardous. There is an alarming increase in automobile accidents 
 and fatalities. Local transportation is severely impeded. Community 
 and neighborhood residential and commercial development is seriously 
 retarded. Traffic congestion is becoming more severe with each pass- 
 ing month. A sharp increase is forecast for the next several years by 
 the Federal Public Roads Administration. It predicts a 33 percent 
 increase in automobile ownership and a 100 percent increase in urban 
 automobile travel by 1961. 
 
 190
 
 CHICAGO 
 AUTHORITY 
 
 Affer generations of fraction troubles, the 
 solution has been found in public ownership. 
 
 After years of unrelenting effort, Chicago has won its fight to 
 solve the local traction problem and to assure the city ever-adequate 
 local transportation faciUties. 
 
 Solution of the traction muddle was from the beginning one of 
 the major objectives of the present administration for the advance- 
 ment of Chicago. 
 
 Its accomplishment is something that previous administrations 
 were unable to achieve in all the years that the traction situation 
 had plagued Chicago and so harmfully retarded the city's physical 
 and economic progress. 
 
 Already in evidence — and in daily use^ — are the first benefits of the 
 historic settlement. 
 
 New Equipment on Streets 
 
 In recent weeks, almost two hundred noise-proofed, sleek transit 
 liners and more than three hundred modern buses have been acquired 
 and put in operation, and are now serving the people of Chicago. 
 
 This is more new equipment than Chicago's patient transit riders 
 have received at any time in the last thirty years. 
 
 191
 
 New bus lines are being established, including the first Surface 
 Lines express bus service in the history of Chicago. Existing lines are 
 being extended to give growing neighborhoods better service. Com- 
 fortable, easy-riding buses are being substituted for rattle-trap street- 
 cars that should have been derailed at the scrap heap years ago. 
 
 Hundreds more of the streamlined transit liners and buses, more 
 routes, more extensions of service, and more replacements of ancient 
 equipment on both the surface and elevated lines are on order and 
 assured, as the full measure of Mayor Kelly's achievement flows to 
 Chicago's transit riders. 
 
 For them — and for all Chicago — it means a $150,000,000 moderni- 
 zation program for both Surface and "L" lines; also a unified, one- 
 system service, a city-wide universal transfer system, and complete 
 home-rule over local transportation. 
 
 Litigation Ended! 
 
 Mayor Edward J. Kelly, aided by the City Council and his legal 
 and traction experts, fought through years of time-consuming litiga- 
 tion and seemingly interminable negotiations to arrive at the solu- 
 tion — the creating of the Chicago Transit Authority to acquire, unify, 
 modernize and operate as public properties for the public benefit the 
 local transit systems in Chicago and the metropolitan area. Mayor 
 Kelly brought the Chicago Transit Authority into being with the 
 cooperation of Governor Dwight H. Green and the Illinois General 
 Assembly. The Authority is empowered under specific conditions to 
 operate in and through 81 municipalities in Cook County. It must 
 be self-supporting. It has the power to issue bonds, payable out of its 
 revenue only, but it has no power to tax. Today the Chicago Transit 
 Authority is at the point of purchasing the Chicago Surface Lines 
 and the Chicago Rapid Transit Company, the two largest local transit 
 systems in Chicago. Both are in bankruptcy. 
 
 In addition to the purchase of the Chicago Surface Lines and the 
 Chicago Rapid Transit Company, the Authority is negotiating for the 
 purchase of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, the Bluebird Coach 
 Lines, Inc., the South Suburban Safeway Lines, Inc., and the Suburban 
 Transit System, Inc. The latter three companies operate in the suburbs 
 adjacent to Chicago's southern border. 
 
 Engineering studies have been made and other preliminary steps 
 have been taken for opening negotiations for the purchase of the 
 Chicago and West Towns' Railway Company, which operates in 
 the suburbs to the west of Chicago. Long-range plans contemplate 
 the acquisition of other suburban systems. All these lines will eventu- 
 ally be combined into one metropolitan transit system. 
 
 192
 
 The construction of a subway tube under State Street was a masterpiece of 
 engineering. 
 
 193
 
 Purchase Plans Approved 
 
 Under the terms of the purchase plans, the Chicago Transit Author- 
 ity will pay $75,000,000 for the Chicago Surface Lines and $12,162,500 
 lor the Chicago Rapid Transit Company, financing the transaction 
 by the sale of $90,000,000 of its own revenue bonds. 
 
 The purchase plans already bear the approval of the U. S. District 
 Court, the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Securities and Exchange 
 Commission, the major security holders of the two companies, and 
 the voters of Chicago. 
 
 For its $87,162,500, the Chicago Transit Authority will obtain the 
 transportation properties of the two companies, and also will receive 
 from the Chicago Surface Lines approximately $25,000,000 in cash in 
 various reserve funds or the equivalent in new equipment. 
 
 Thus, actually, the Authority will pay $50,000,000 for the Chicago 
 Surface Lines. This is in sharp contrast to previous values of over 
 $200,000,000 suggested and even included in previous ordinances. 
 
 Having stipulated that it would accept new equipment in lieu of 
 the reserve funds it is to acquire, the Authority, acting in cooperation 
 with the City, insisted upon immediate purchases of new rolling stock 
 by the Chicago Surface Lines. This explains the presence of new 
 transit vehicles on the streets of Chicago. 
 
 Extension of Subway 
 
 Through Mayor Kelly's eflforts, Chicago's first subway — the State 
 Street route — was built. It has been operating with noteworthy suc- 
 cess for more than three years. A second subway — the Milwaukee 
 Avenue-Dearborn Street-Congress Street route — delayed by the war, 
 is now being completed, and will be in service in 1949. 
 
 Other subways — a West Side Subway combined with the West 
 Superhighway and east-west streetcar subways across the loop from 
 Clinton Street to Grant Park- — are programmed for the immediate 
 future. Preliminaries to construction are underway. Additional sub- 
 way routes have been outlined for later construction. 
 
 Latest type Transitliner now in service on Clark Street.
 
 Clybourn Avenue-North Avenue station of the State Street subway. This 
 is the only above-ground station on the State Street route. 
 
 No part of the cost of these subways will be borne by the city's 
 property taxpayers. The State Street and the Milwaukee Avenue- 
 Dearborn Street-Congress Street subways are being financed from the 
 City Traction Fund supplemented by an outright cash grant of 
 $25,200,000 obtained by Mayor Kelly from the Federal Public Works 
 Agency. The remaining subways will be financed by the sale of 
 revenue bonds. 
 
 All city-built subways will be operated under lease by the Chicago 
 Transit Authority. Compensation payments to the City for the use 
 of these subways will be deposited in a special fund for extending the 
 subway system. 
 
 Background of Traction Solution 
 
 In the years preceding the start of this administration, every 
 attempt to solve the traction problem was deeply involved in political 
 maneuvering and manipulation. In this unwholesome atmosphere, 
 there was no possibility of reaching a solution and no progress toward 
 a solution was achieved. The problem merely became more compli- 
 cated while transit service steadily deteriorated. 
 
 Mayor Kelly quickly removed local traction from the realm of 
 politics. On his recommendation the City Council cancelled the 
 Insull ordinance of 1930, which had been inherited from a previous 
 administration. This ordinance provided for privately financed unifica- 
 tion of the Chicago Surface Lines and the Chicago Rapid Transit 
 Company, but the depression rendered it absolutely unworkable. 
 
 With the slate wiped clean, this administration carefully prepared 
 the campaign for modern local transportation. Approaching the prob- 
 lem as an engineer, Mayor Kelly with Council approval, appointed 
 Philip Harrington, formerly Chief Engineer of the Chicago Sanitary 
 
 195
 
 District, as City Traction Engineer. He was directed to outline 
 Chicago's transportation needs. 
 
 Thus fortified, above-board negotiations for a non-political, non- 
 partisan solution of the traction problem were reopened. 
 
 Public Ownership the Answer 
 
 The next several years were crowded with activity on the traction 
 front but increasing attempts to reach a solution through privately 
 financed modernization and unification ended only in failure. Finally, 
 after repeated efforts of the Federal Court to reorganize and unify the 
 properties, and despairing of a solution through private ownership, 
 Mayor Kelly and the City Council, late in 1943, approved the principle 
 of public ownership as offering the last remaining hope for good local 
 transportation for Chicago. 
 
 Early in 1945, Mayor Kelly proposed the creation of the Chicago 
 Transit Authority. The City Council approved. U. S. District Judge 
 Igoe suggested that the City and State cooperate to reach a solution. 
 Governor Green endorsed the proposal and it was enacted into law in 
 April, 1945, as the MetropoHtan Authority Act. 
 
 Less than two weeks later, on April 23, 1945, the City Council by 
 unanimous vote adopted an ordinance granting the Chicago Transit 
 Authority an exclusive franchise for a term of fifty years. 
 
 On June 4, 1945, both the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act 
 and the franchise ordinance were submitted to the voters of Chicago 
 as required by law. Both were overwhelmingly endorsed by the vote 
 of the electorate and approved by the State Supreme Court. 
 
 Organization of Chicago Transit Board 
 
 The Chicago Transit Board, administrative body of the Chicago 
 Transit Authority, consists of seven members — four appointed by the 
 Mayor and three by the Governor. 
 
 Philip Harrington, who conducted the lengthy traction settlement 
 negotiations for the administration and designed and supervised the 
 construction of Chicago's first subways, is chairman. Members ap- 
 pointed by the Mayor are Irvin L. Porter, treasurer; W. W. McKenna, 
 secretary and James R. Quinn. Those appointed by the Governor are 
 John Q. Adams, vice-chairman; Philip W. CoUins and George F. 
 Getz, Jr. 
 
 The Board met and was organized June 28, 1945, and at a sub- 
 sequent meeting adopted an ordinance authorizing the issuance of 
 $90,000,000 in bonds for financing the purchase of the Chicago Surface 
 Lines and the Chicago Rapid Transit Company. 
 
 196
 
 Aerial view of" Chicago Municipal Airport, showing location of new 
 terminal building. 
 
 CHICAGO'S 
 
 DJ D 
 
 DEVELOPMENTS 
 
 assure the city's future as a hub of world aviation. 
 
 Ever since aviation was first recognized as an essential mode of 
 travel and transport, Chicago has been determined to have the world's 
 greatest airport. Studies to that end were initiated at the request of 
 Mayor Kelly by the Economic Advisory Council during 1944, and a 
 report by that body was published in December of that year. 
 
 At that time our experiences in World War II had clearly demon- 
 strated the strategic importance of Chicago as an air center and the 
 necessity of adequate airport facilities, not only to serve industry 
 when geared to war output, but to provide for essential military 
 movements. 
 
 Commercial studies by the air lines indicated that normal increases 
 
 197
 
 The Chicago Municipal Airport, with cinder runways and meager equip- 
 ment, as it appeared in the early 1930's. 
 
 in air travel and transport while interrupted by the necessities of war 
 would soon exhaust the capacity of the Chicago Municipal Airport and 
 would, within a few post-war years, require facilities far beyond the 
 possibilities of expansion at the present airport. 
 
 On August 27, 1945, an Airport Selection Board was appointed to 
 select a site for "the best airport — the safest, the most convenient and 
 with the most capacity of any airport on this continent." 
 
 This board was under the chairmanship of Merrill C. Meigs, who 
 is chairman of the Chicago Aero Commission and has long been 
 recognized as a leader in aviation circles. 
 
 Douglas Site Selected 
 
 During the many hearings of this committee, reports and studies 
 from all interested groups were discussed. The unanimous conclusion 
 was reached that the Douglas site, on the northwest edge of Chicago, 
 offered the greatest advantages for a principal airport for Chicago. 
 The recommendation was made that this site, expanded as needed 
 to provide adequate facilities for the foreseeable future, be acquired. 
 The report of the Airport Selection Board was presented to the Mayor 
 and City Council on November 6, 1945. 
 
 The administration proceeded immediately to negotiate with the 
 Federal government, which had developed and now owned the Doug- 
 las aircraft plant and adjacent proving ground, to secure the necessary 
 releases from the Army Air Forces, the U. S. Engineer Corps and the 
 Surplus Property Administrator. As a result, the major part of the 
 
 198
 
 government holdings were presented to the City of Chicago without 
 charge for use as part of a pubHc airport on March 21, 1946. By this 
 act, Chicago acquired 1,080.60 acres as a start toward its future prin- 
 cipal airport. The Army Air Forces retained the existing buildings as 
 a storage depot and 281.24 acres for continued military use. Chicago 
 also thus came into possession of the existing runways built during 
 the war as a proving ground and is now carrying on limited operations 
 in the field as a public airport. 
 
 Burke Appointed 
 
 While these negotiations and developments were under way, more 
 detailed studies and designs were needed to determine the ultimate 
 requirements of Chicago in creating a principal airport second to none 
 in the nation or in the world. Informal studies were continued at the 
 request of the Mayor by Ralph H. Burke, chief engineer of the Chicago 
 Park District, who, as an engineering member of the Mayor's Airport 
 Selection Board, had contributed some of the preliminary studies upon 
 which their recommendations were based. 
 
 It became apparent to the Mayor and to members of the City Coun- 
 cil active in airport matters — and it was also the recommendation of 
 Oscar E. Hewitt, Commissioner of Public Works, in charge of opera- 
 tions and management of municipally owned airports — that a special 
 organization be formed to direct the engineering studies and designs 
 and supervise the construction of new airports. Ralph H. Burke was 
 designated as Airport Consultant by contract approved by the City 
 Council on November 26, 1946. 
 
 In the meantime, the suggestion had been made by the Chicago 
 Aero Commission, and strongly endorsed by' Mayor Kelly, that a 
 lakefront air strip or single runway be developed as an adjunct to 
 
 The present administration building at Chicago Municipal Airport. 
 
 
 ■^y^^^: 
 
 «».*«>*«>l»».
 
 the major airports in order to provide a downtown delivery point 
 for air passengers. Such an air strip would be usable most of the time 
 and would obviate the delays incident to surface transportation for 
 those whose appointments require economy of time. Northerly Island 
 in Burnham Park is the location selected. 
 
 The present status of airport development for Chicago may be 
 summarized as follows: 
 
 Chicago Orchard Airport (Douglas Site) 
 Planning 
 
 Two general plans have been developed, both of which have been 
 presented to the Civil Aeronautics Administration for final determina- 
 tion. 
 
 The first plan consists of 12 runways each 6,150 feet long arranged 
 tangentially around a central terminal zone. It has a theoretical capacity 
 of 360 plane movements per hour. It requires the assembly of 4,456 
 acres (including 281.24 acres retained by the Federal government and 
 1,080.61 acres now owned by the city). It is bounded by existing rail- 
 roads, on the east (the Soo line), on the south (the Milwaukee Rail- 
 road), and on the west (the Northwestern Railroad); and will be 
 bounded on the north by the proposed Northwest Superhighway (at 
 about the line of Higgins Road). Its estimated cost is $64,000,000. 
 
 This massive machine is used at the Municipal Airport to test the run- 
 ways. As airplanes grow larger and heavier the runways must be able to 
 sustain increasingly heavy landing pressures. 
 
 4__4 
 
 '■>. 
 
 200
 
 j<n,<SS!».n!»p#» 5.. 
 
 This artist's conception shows the proposed arrangement of the new 
 airport with tangential runways leading to a central terminal. 
 
 The second plan consists of 12 runways each 8,000 feet long, ar- 
 ranged tangentially around a central terminal area. It has a theoretical 
 capacity of 360 plane movements per hour. It requires the assembly 
 of 6,904 acres (including 281.24 acres retained by the Federal govern- 
 ment and 1,080.60 acres now owned by the city). It is bounded by 
 existing railroads, on the east (the Soo line) and on the south (the 
 Milwaukee Railroad). It will be bounded on the north by the proposed 
 Northwest Superhighway. On the west, however, it will extend over 
 a mile west of the existing Northwestern tracks and will require the 
 relocation of the railroad. Its estimated cost is $72,000,000. 
 
 Final determination of plans depends on agreement of the City of 
 Chicago, the Department of Aeronautics of the State of Illinois, the 
 Civil Aeronautics Administration of the Federal Government, and 
 the commercial airlines. 
 
 Land Acquisition 
 
 Surveys and appraisals are under way and all preliminary steps 
 have been taken leading to city ordinances under which offers of 
 purchase negotiations and condemnation suits may proceed for the 
 acquisition of land. 
 
 Financing 
 
 The City of Chicago was authorized by popular vote on June 5, 
 
 201
 
 1945, to issue $15,000,000 in general obligation bonds for airport pur- 
 poses. Approximately $14,000,000 of this amount is available for the 
 Chicago Orchard Airport. A request has been made of the CAA that 
 $38,000,000 of federal funds be allotted to Chicago to aid in the con- 
 struction. 
 
 Request will likewise be made for participation by the State of 
 Illinois. The balance should be provided by the revenue bonds, serviced 
 by income from operation of the airport and underwritten by the 
 air lines. 
 
 Northerly Island Airport 
 Planning 
 
 General plans have been developed for a single runway — 2,800 feet 
 long (conforming to specifications for a Class II Airport) and show- 
 ing the enlargement of the island needed to establish required clear- 
 ances. 
 
 Application for approval of the airport and of the enlargement of 
 the islands have been made to the Federal government and the State 
 of Illinois. 
 
 The CAA has approved the plan and has made a tentative alloca- 
 tion of $572,000 toward the cost of construction. 
 
 Control tower of the Chicago Orchard Airport. 
 
 202
 
 The control tower of Chicago Orchard Airport, 61 feel above the ramp, 
 gives a clear view of the entire field and air traffic pattern. 
 
 Army landing mats to form a temporary surface have been pur- 
 chased from the War Assets Administration and are now on hand 
 ready for placing as soon as grading can be undertaken in the spring. 
 
 Plans and specifications are ready for the steel sheet piling to form 
 a bulkhead for enlargement of the island, and the work will be put 
 under contract in the near future. 
 
 203
 
 Northerly Island airport will give the city a much needed lake-front, 
 downtown landing strip. Construction is already under way. 
 
 Land Acquisition 
 
 The city entered into a lease with the Chicago Park District on 
 September 17, 1946, granting to the city for a nominal consideration 
 the right to use Northerly Island as a public airport. 
 
 Financing 
 
 The estimated cost of the Northerly Island Airport is $1,397,000. 
 The Federal government has indicated its willingness to pay 50 per 
 cent of its cost (present allocation $572,000). Application has been 
 made to the State of Illinois for state funds to match funds of the 
 city (approximately $350,000). The balance is on hand from the pro- 
 ceeds of the sale of airport bonds of the city. Initial construction will 
 thus cost the city about $350,000. 
 
 Future Prospects 
 
 Within the next five years, when Chicago will have outgrown its 
 
 204
 
 800,000 square feet of steel runway matting arrived this January for 
 the construction of the city's new, waterfront airplane landing strip on 
 Northerly Island. 
 
 The spacious and modern new Terminal Building at the Municipal Air- 
 port. It is now nearing completion, and is in partial use. 
 
 205
 
 present Municipal Airport, the way is cleared for the construction at 
 the Douglas site of the world's greatest airport. Its capacity will be 
 larger than any existing airport. Its 8,000 feet clear length of runways, 
 with extensions to over 12,000 feet for the occasional extraordinary 
 flight, will accommodate the largest and fastest aircraft in either mili- 
 tary or civilian use. Its central terminal area will provide conveniences 
 and facilities for the traveling and general public not possessed by 
 any other airport in the world. Its general arrangement and the instal- 
 lation of post-war equipment soon to be available will provide greater 
 elements of safety than exist in any airport today. 
 
 Its completion in the near future will insure that Chicago will be 
 acknowledged the air center of the nation and the world. 
 
 The Northerly Island airport will be put into preliminary use during 
 the summer of 1947 and should be completed within the year. It will 
 provide added conveniences for shuttle service for fast travel between 
 the main airports and the business center of the city, will allow down- 
 town delivery of passengers with limited time for business and other 
 appointments and, as an adjunct to the main airports, will keep 
 Chicago ahead in its position of industrial, cultural and civic su- 
 premacy. 
 
 206
 
 63rd and Western before the installation of safety lighting. 
 
 W'lfh 3,800 miles of paved streets, and thousands 
 of street lights, to be maintained in all kinds of 
 weather, two great bureaus are busy day and night. 
 
 For the convenient movement of people and commodities, Chicago 
 possesses approximately 3,800 miles of paved streets. Over these 
 thoroughfares move daily 2,500,000 or more people, possibly 500,000 
 automobiles, trucks and transit vehicles, and thousands of tons of 
 goods. 
 
 In its streets Chicago has a capital investment of perhaps $300,000,000, 
 and the replacement value at today's prices is, of course, much higher. 
 Few of the nation's railroads liave a greater capital investment. 
 
 Upon the Department of Streets and Electricity rests the responsi- 
 bility of caring for a total of 3,300 miles of streets, which are the city's 
 primary traffic ways. The department maintains and repairs these 
 vital public ways, constructs new pavement, keeps the streets clean, 
 lights them and equips them with safety devices to protect the huge 
 numbers of people and vehicles that use them. 
 
 This is a big job — and an important one — for the 3,800 miles of 
 streets under the department's care constitute the main circulatory 
 system of Chicago, and, as such, have a direct bearing upon the 
 economic health of the city. 
 
 ' / 207
 
 This is the corner of 63rd and Western Avenue after the installation of 
 modern safety lighting. Compare it with the picture on the preceding page. 
 
 L. M. Johnson, commissioner of Streets and Electricity, displays 
 one of 30,000 refuse containers distributed by the city. 
 
 208
 
 Joseph J. Butler, superintendent of 
 tlie Bureau of Streets. 
 
 Chester S. ShaflFer, superintendent 
 of the Bureau of Electricity. 
 
 Out of the Red I 
 
 Statistical records of the Department of Streets and Electricity show 
 that this administration is doing a better job — and a more economical 
 job — of servicing and improving the primary street system than has 
 been done in the past. This has been accomplished without bond issues 
 or the levy of any special assessments against real estate, even though 
 this adtninistration was compelled to use a substantial portion of its 
 street funds to retire street improvement bonds issued by previous 
 adm inistrations. 
 
 In the past fourteen years, this administration built 48.7 miles of 
 new concrete pavement and 19.1 miles of new asphalt pavement at 
 a total cost of $14,521,293.91, financing all but a fraction of the cost 
 out of its share of the state gasoline tax allotted by law to Illinois 
 municipalities. It did this job at a saving of 25 per cent compared to 
 costs in preceding years. 
 
 Extensive repairs were also made to existing pavements. These 
 included 20,844,277 square yards of asphalt pavement repairs, 2,700,000 
 square yards of brick and granite pavement repairs, 9,474,465 square 
 yards of macadam repairs to unimproved streets and alleys, and 
 extensive seal coating to protect and prolong the life of older pave- 
 ments. Unit repair costs were also less than in preceding years. 
 
 More streets would have been paved and more streets would have 
 been repaired had not the war brought street improvement work to 
 a virtual standstill. Nevertheless, the new pavement added to the pri- 
 mary system was three times the amount constructed in the preceding 
 fourteen years, while repair work was four times that done in the 
 preceding twenty-one years. 
 
 State participation in highway construction in Chicago with its own 
 
 209
 
 Channelization, safety 
 island and traffic control 
 at 55th and Archer and 
 Narragansett help to pre- 
 vent accidents at a poten- 
 tially dangerous intersec- 
 tion. 
 
 STREET 
 IMPROVEMENT 
 
 The installation of new 
 traffic lights at loading 
 zones was begun in 1946 
 . . . for increased safety.
 
 Refuse collection crew emptying standard refuse containers into hopper 
 of modern, conveyor loading truck. Conveyor belt in truck packs the 
 refuse in. 
 
 funds and with Federal aid allotted to it has been on a very limited 
 scale, although annually almost half of the gasoline tax revenue col- 
 lected by the state comes from residents of Chicago. 
 
 Through the efforts of this administration, however, Chicago is 
 henceforth assured of very substantial financial aid from the State, the 
 County and the Federal governments. This was accomplished in two 
 ways — one, by obtaining commitments from the County and the State 
 to share equally in the cost of constructing Chicago's $205,200,000 
 initial superhighway system; two, by inducing Congress to adopt the 
 policy of specifically allocating a certain percentage of Federal aid for 
 urban highway construction. 
 
 These extremely advantageous highway financing arrangements will 
 give Chicago its initial superhighway system and at the same time 
 will enable it to continue to improve its primary street system. 
 
 Aside from its regular street improvement work, the Department 
 of Streets and Electricity cooperated with the Works Progress Admin- 
 istration for the nation's economic recovery, and, from 1933 to 1939, 
 built 562 miles of penetration macadam and 17 miles of cement bound 
 macadam streets. 
 
 Paving Programs 
 
 In 1943, the department established an organized program of pave- 
 ment maintenance chargeable to the city's share of the State gasoline 
 tax. Under this programming, necessary repair work is being made 
 
 211
 
 yearly on more than 180 separate repair projects, each averaging over 
 a half mile in length. 
 
 Similar careful programming has also been applied to funds that 
 will be available for adding paved mileage to the primary street system. 
 
 A six-year program terminating in 1952 has been established for 
 paving 180 miles of major thoroughfares throughout the city at an 
 estimated cost of $34,000,000. In addition, $5,700,000 has been set aside 
 for street maintenance and the installation and operation of traffic 
 controls during this period. This work will be financed from the city's 
 share of the state gasoline tax revenue. 
 
 To round out the street improvement program, extensive moderni- 
 zation and reconstruction of the city's secondary streets and alleys is 
 also contemplated during this six-year period. For this purpose, a bond 
 issue of $8,000,000 — approved by referendum — will be available. 
 
 The department is prepared through advance planning to proceed 
 with these programs as soon as materials and manpower are no longer 
 monopolized in easing the housing shortage. 
 
 STREET LIGHTING 
 
 There has been decided improvement in lighting Chicago's streets 
 in the past fourteen years. More than 10,000 new street lights have 
 been added, and a new type of lighting unit, giving considerably more 
 
 A new Asphalt finishing machine lays bituminous asphaltic concrete at 
 64th St. and Central Avenue.
 
 An experimental in.slallation of 22 of these modern street lighting units 
 has proved that they do a much better job of street illumination than 
 the older types. The standards for these new type lights — 6,600 of which 
 will be installed in 1947 — are twenty feet high. 
 
 213
 
 Refuse iroiii Chicago's strccls and alleys loaded onto cars for shipment 
 to disposal point. 
 
 useful light per dollar of expenditure, has been designed by the 
 department's Bureau of Electricity. 
 
 The lighting system is being extended to outlying sections of the 
 city now lacking lights, or inadequately served by out-moded gas, 
 gasoline or old-type electric lights. In addition, a considerable part of 
 the faciUties in the older areas of Chicago will be rehabilitated and 
 modernized. This $8,000,000 modernization program has been author- 
 ized by referendum. 
 
 The initial installations, for which plans are now ready, will be 
 made in the outlying areas. Approximately 8,200 new street lamps 
 will be placed in these areas this year. The remainder of the program 
 will proceed as rapidly as equipment deliveries will permit. 
 
 $100,000 Yearly Savings 
 
 Along with the improvement in lighting service have come major 
 economies in the cost of operation. A new contract for electric service 
 to city departments negotiated in 1942, has been saving the city 
 $100,000 a year ever since. Another new contract arrangement materi- 
 ally reduces the overall cost of electric street lighting in areas remote 
 from city sub-stations. 
 
 Through legislative enactment sponsored by diis administration, the 
 
 214
 
 discriminatory prohibition against Chicago's use of gasohne tax allot- 
 ments for street lighting has been lifted. This has enabled the city to 
 light 50 miles of heavily-traveled streets for which it lacked funds. 
 More installations are to be financed from this source. Use of gasoline 
 tax allotments for maintenance of street lighting and traffic signals on 
 arterial streets has also reduced operating charges against other city 
 revenues by $200,000 a year. 
 
 The substantially enlarged street lighting and traffic control systems 
 are being maintained and operated by this administration with less 
 personnel and smaller annual expenditures than preceding administra- 
 tions required for less extensive systems. This achievement is the result 
 of steady and continuing elimination of obsolescent and costly-to- 
 maintain facilities. 
 
 Modern Luminaires and Standards Used 
 
 The standard of lighting used in residential areas, where large 
 installations were made from 1924 to 1931, consisted of an open 
 reflector mounted on a cast iron pole at a height of 14 feet; the pole 
 being three feet back of the curb line. In recent years, in cooperation 
 with street lighting authorities throughout the country, Chicago has 
 developed a type of lighting which will place more of the light pro- 
 duced onto the roadways and sidewalks — thus resulting in obtaining 
 more useful light per dollar of expenditure. The new standard consists 
 of a light-directing control fixture, mounted at a height of 20 feet on 
 a mast arm which throws the light ten feet into the roadway beyond 
 the curb line. 
 
 An experimental installation of twenty-two of these units has been 
 made, and illumination tests proved that this type of installation pro- 
 vides much better distribution and utilization of light than units 
 heretofore used. Installation of 6,600 of these units will be completed 
 in 1947. 
 
 High Intensity Lighting at Hazardous Intersections 
 
 At five arterial street intersections in Chicago, which accident reports 
 show to be the most dangerous, experimental installations of high 
 intensity lighting at greater-than-standard mounting heights have 
 been made. The result, in the two years since the installations have 
 been made, is a substantial reduction in the accident rate. Similar 
 installations at other locations, where the high accident rate justifies 
 the use of high intensity lighting, are being planned. 
 
 Traffic Control and Safety 
 
 Traffic engineers generally accord Chicago highest honors for its 
 traffic control system. 
 Some of the progressive traffic control measures which brought it 
 
 215
 
 This sanding machine, put into operation in 1945, does a swift job ol" 
 sprinkling sand on icy pavements. 
 
 this recognition are the installation of 1,328 additional traffic control 
 signals at 299 previously unprotected street intersections, the chan- 
 nelizing of traffic at 47 of the most hazardous locations, and con- 
 tinuing field studies that are followed by proper corrective measures. 
 Since 1939 the city has also marked cross walks at school crossings 
 and other heavy pedestrian intersections. Each year 4,500 such cross 
 walks are painted on the pavement. 
 
 Another Tremendous Saving 
 
 As another safety measure, 16,300 sharp street corners have been 
 rounded, together with the replacement of pavements and the re- 
 arrangement of drainage facilities. In connection with this project, 
 175,983 lineal feet of new tangent curb have been constructed. 
 
 During the war years, when the city was faced with the problem 
 of replacing 6,973 battery operated curb flashing signals for which 
 repair materials were not available, an eminently satisfactory reflector 
 substitute was developed. This prevented a "black-out" of these traffic 
 signals and is saving the city $150,000 a year. Other economies have 
 been put into effect through the substitution of mechanical devices 
 for handpower in cleaning traffic signals and marking traffic lines. 
 
 In 1942, Chicago was honored by the American Automobile Associa- 
 tion with an award for having one of the best records for pedestrian 
 safety in the United States. 
 
 216
 
 Sidewalk Construction 
 
 During the fourteen years of this administration, there have been 
 9,419,335 square feet of sidewalk repairs and replacements. In the 
 same period, a considerable total of new sidewalk was constructed 
 by property owners on permits issued by the department. In 1946 
 alone, 1,746,777 square feet of sidewalk was built by property owners 
 under department supervision. 
 
 Snow Removal 
 
 By a cooperative arrangement in which the department, the Chicago 
 Surface Lines, the Chicago Motor Coach Co., the Chicago Park 
 District, the County and State Highway Departments pool their 
 equipment, a much more effective and efficient system has been 
 perfected for snow removal. 
 
 Refuse Removal 
 
 Refuse collection and disposal is now at its all-time peak of efficiency. 
 For the first time collections are on a regular once-a-week schedule, as 
 compared with a frequency of once in two weeks or once in three 
 weeks during previous administrations. 
 
 Chicago's alleys are cleaner than ever before, and the danger of a 
 waste-borne disease has been materially reduced. 
 
 Keeping the alleys clean, however, is not the sole responsibility of 
 the city. Homeowners have a definite share in this responsibility, 
 which can be discharged by storing their refuse in rat-proof cans 
 instead of tossing it into malodorous heaps in the alleys. 
 
 A campaign of public education being conducted by the department 
 is making definite headway in winning the cooperation of the public. 
 In an area bounded by Halsted, Division and Pershing Road and the 
 lake, 30,000 metal refuse cans were provided. The resulting tremen- 
 dous change for the better in the appearance of the alleys demon- 
 strates that refuse control is being achieved on a larger scale than at 
 any time in the city's history. 
 
 The stepped-up collection schedule was one of the principal objec- 
 tives of this administration. It was achieved by Commissioner Lloyd 
 M. Johnson through drastic revision of refuse collection administra- 
 tive control and by the inauguration of an extensive equipment 
 modernization program. 
 
 The equipment modernization program will be completed by May 
 of this year, when the city will have 300 modern, conveyor-type trucks 
 in service. Fifty of these trucks were purchased in 1945, and 50 in 
 1946. Fifteen of the remaining 200 on order have arrived and are 
 now in use. 
 
 217
 
 One of the efficient, motorized street sweepers introduced by the Depart- 
 ment of Streets and Electricity in 1945. 
 
 Dobbin On the Way Out 
 
 A considerable amount of outmoded, expensive-to-operate, horse- 
 drawn equipment has already been replaced, and the balance of this 
 equipment will be retired as soon as the remainder of the conveyor- 
 type trucks arrive. Then collections will be limited to one daylight 
 shift. At the present time two, and even three, shifts per twenty-four 
 hours are required to maintain the present schedule. 
 
 When this administration went into office, there was no control 
 over refuse collection at the top administrative level. Centralization 
 of administrative control was undertaken immediately. Five district 
 offices were set up to direct operations. Finally, in 1945, complete 
 central control was established. 
 
 Under the new control system, all refuse collection equipment and 
 manpower are pooled. Routes are laid out each day of the week for 
 each truck and its crew. By a posted schedule, changed frequently 
 during each day, a supervisor knows exactly where each truck is 
 operating, and whether it is rigidly adhering to its schedule. 
 
 218
 
 „-^ fcA g" ^j^'i^Vt <J? 
 
 The beautiful Marine Drive apartments, constructed within recent years 
 on the north side of the city. 
 
 THE DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 D 
 
 administers the cify's building codes 
 and issues building construction permits. 
 
 When someone wants to build a house, or an apartment, or a ten 
 milUon dollar skyscraper, our citizens want to be sure that it is a 
 safe building and a credit to our city. To make sure that it will be, 
 we have a building code — and an alert Department of Buildings to 
 guarantee that the code is observed. 
 
 In addition to its interest in seeing that our new buildings are safe, 
 livable and durable, the department keeps an eagle eye on old build- 
 ings for the very same reasons. And if the oldtimers are unsafe beyond 
 repair, down they come! 
 
 The need for new housing, more office space and new industrial 
 space is so urgent today, it's interesting to look back to the depression 
 years when most builders thought long and hard before they started 
 to build anything. 
 
 During the fourteen year period beginning in 1933, when Edward 
 J. Kelly became Mayor, construction activity resumed its importance 
 
 219
 
 • fl 
 
 * ■ !• 
 
 ■'-i*.!. 
 
 W 3 
 
 lift 
 
 if iiii it 
 
 I 11 i 
 
 ^g g ^ ^ " , g 
 
 
 • ■ ii 
 
 « SB 
 
 » . B« • i « • " * 
 
 m . 
 
 
 Wesley Memorial — one of the great hospitals recently constructed in 
 Chicago. 
 
 220
 
 This Sears store was completed in 1938 at Cicero and Irving Park 
 Boulevard. 
 
 and magnitude in the City of Chicago, with a steadily increased re- 
 sponsibility to the Department of Buildings. In 1933, a total of 412 
 permits were issued, having an estimated construction value of 
 $3,407,100. Since then, except for three of the war years, 1942-44 in- 
 clusive, there has been a steady increase in both the number of build- 
 ings constructed annually and their value. In 1946, 6,529 building 
 permits were issued, having a construction value of $116,382,777. 
 
 During this fourteen year period the total number of new building 
 permits issued was 40,288, having a total value of $466,361,234. This 
 amount does not include permits for minor alterations, small garages, 
 sheds, etc., nor war plants or public housing projects constructed with 
 Federal funds. 
 
 Construction increased from a low of 21 apartment units and 143 
 residences in 1933, to a total in 1946 of 1,954 apartment units and 
 4,283 single family residences. During this fourteen year period 13,408 
 apartment units were developed and 27,037 single family residences 
 erected. Many of the apartments were constructed in accordance with 
 the liberalized 1942 ordinance, which permitted freer conversion of 
 larger homes or apartments into multiple dwellings. 
 
 Earnings of the department in the form of permit and inspection 
 fees, compared with the expense of administration, reflect the growth 
 that has taken place. In 1933 earnings totaHng $351^635.25 required an 
 expenditure of $309,266.61; during 1946 total earnings amounted to 
 $1,297,226.50, at an operating expenditure of $925,175.04. 
 
 The increase in department expense resulted not only from increased 
 
 221
 
 Tlie 44-story Field Building at 135 S. LaSalle Street was completed in 
 1934. It is one of the most beautiful office buildings in America. 
 
 building activities, but from greatly increased inspection services of 
 the department. These inspection services were taken over from other 
 city departments at a saving, over the thirteen year period, of close 
 to one miUion dollars. 
 
 14 Years of Progress 
 
 Highlights of the work of the Department of Buildings between 
 1933 and 1946 include many noteworthy achievements. 
 
 A program of demolition of dilapidated or structurally unsafe 
 
 222
 
 Plant of the Kraft Cheese Company on Peshtigo Court, completed in 1938. 
 
 buildings was initiated. A total of 12,583 unsafe and dilapidated 
 structures were wrecked during these fourteen years. 
 
 In 1939 a new building code was completed and put in force, re- 
 placing an antiquated ordinance which had been in effect since 1911. 
 This presently existing code has been amended with the aid of 
 recommendations of the committee on Standards and Tests of this 
 department, consisting of technical authorities, together with coun- 
 cilmen, to recommend code amendments as a result of current im- 
 provements or developments in building construction or building 
 materials. In addition, the Building Department from time to time 
 has recommended amendments to clarify and make more workable 
 the various provisions of the building code. 
 
 Eliminating Red Tape and Expense 
 
 In 1940 the first step was taken in a plan to consolidate various 
 types of inspection involved in buildings, by the transfer from the 
 supervision of the Board of Health to the responsibility of the De- 
 partment of Buildings, the Bureau of Plumbing Inspection, which was 
 charged with supervising the installation of sanitary plumbing piping. 
 
 223
 
 Plant of Korle, Inc. — one of many modern plants recently constructed in 
 the Central Manufacturing District. 
 
 This consolidation was subsequently amplified in 1945 by the transfer 
 of the Bureau of Heating, Ventilation and Industrial Sanitation from 
 the Board of Health to the Department of Buildings, and again in 
 1946 with the transfer to the Department of Buildings of the Bureau 
 of Housing Inspection and the Bureau of Electrical Inspection. 
 
 As a result, at the present time, responsibility for all phases of 
 building construction now rests with the Department of Buildings. 
 // is possible for a single permit to be sought and issued covering all 
 portions of building ordinance requirements. This simplification of 
 jurisdiction has received the praise of national and local interests and 
 authorities. 
 
 Emergency Changes 
 
 With the beginning of war activity in 1942, ordinances were passed 
 and directives issued by Mayor Kelly to minimize building construc- 
 tion requirements, not only to expedite construction of defense indus- 
 tries, but also to provide housing for war workers. Close cooperation 
 with Federal agencies, including the Federal Housing Administration 
 and the War Production Board, was maintained during this period. 
 
 From time to time these regulations have been adjusted or modified 
 as the emergency needs required. Most recently, during the past year, 
 a modified emergency housing code was developed by the Department 
 of Buildings and authorized by the City Council, to be effective for 
 a two year period, in an endeavor to stimulate the construction of 
 housing units for returning veterans. This relaxation in certain code 
 provisions includes, among others, permission during this interval to 
 construct wood-frame single-family residences within the fire limits 
 of Chicago, under certain circumstances. 
 
 In 1942 a major amending of the zoning ordinance was made in 
 accordance with the growth of Chicago. No previous major change of 
 
 224
 
 The Valentine and Sinclair plant recently erected in the Central Manu- 
 
 facturing district. 
 
 these ordinances had been undertaken since the original zoning or- 
 dinance came into force in 1923. 
 
 Microfilm Records 
 
 In 1944 the department began to have all permit plans microfilmed, 
 to provide a permanent record of all building structures erected 
 within the city. Previous to this time, it was the policy of the depart- 
 ment to retain drawings for only two years after the building was 
 constructed, after which the drawings were destroyed. The permanent 
 retention of record drawings in public hands will prove invaluable in 
 years to come. 
 
 ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS 
 
 Anofher cJfy agency, closely associated with the deparf- 
 menf of buildings, is fbe Zoning Board of Appeals. 
 
 During 1946, 600 cases were filed with the board and 591 of them 
 were heard and disposed of. This was the busiest year in the history 
 of the board except for 1925 when 726 cases were filed. 
 
 Due to the fact that the present zoning ordinance (12/3/42) diilers 
 from the previous ordinance in respect to usable land areas, use, vol- 
 ume, height of buildings, and so forth, a large number of the 1946 
 cases involving commercial and manufacturing property were vigor- 
 ously contested, all of which required considerable time, patience and 
 understanding. 
 
 In addition to the work incident to public hearings on applications 
 for variations and appeal cases, the staff of the board also rendered 
 considerable service to various members of the City Council and 
 council committees with respect to amendments to the zoning ordi- 
 nance. 
 
 225
 
 HH^H^^^^^^^I 
 
 The new plant of Frederick H. Levey, Inc., manufacturers of printing inks. 
 
 RECORD OF CASES 
 BOARD OF APPEALS— ZONING 
 
 VARIATIONS 
 Granted 
 Denied 
 
 APPEALS 
 Granted 
 Denied 
 
 WITHDRAWN 
 
 DISMISSED 
 
 DISMISSED AS CONFORMING 
 
 EXTENSION OF TIME 
 
 DISMISSED AS PREVIOUSLY 
 ADJUDICATED 
 
 SPECIAL USES 
 
 1942 1943 
 
 23 
 
 36 
 
 9 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 102 
 50 
 
 7 
 
 
 9 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 2 
 
 1944 
 
 149 
 72 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 23 
 
 12 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 1945 
 
 213 
 94 
 
 15 
 3 
 
 36 
 
 10 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 9 
 
 1946 
 
 394 
 101 
 
 29 
 
 28 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 15 
 
 TOTAL 84 
 
 85 280 387 591 
 
 226
 
 
 'tV^^"" 
 
 Applicants for licenses as stationary engineers taking their examinations 
 under the supervision of officials of the Board of Examiners. 
 
 BOARDS OF 
 
 Because the lives and property of Chicago's milUons depend on 
 the skill of mason contractors, stationary engineers and plumbers, it 
 is necessary for the city to pass on the qualifications of persons serving 
 in these capacities. To accomplish these specialized tests, three boards 
 of examiners have been appointed by the Mayor so that all examina- 
 tions will be made by specialists in accordance with the highest prin- 
 ciples of safety engineering. 
 
 In addition to safeguarding the safety of our citizens, the boards 
 also afford economic protection to citizens who desire to build, pur- 
 chase, repair or maintain industrial, domestic, institutional or com- 
 mercial structures. The citizen has the assurance that when he pays 
 fees, entrusts valuable materials or property to Chicago masons, 
 plumbers or stationary engineers, he will be served by men who 
 are trained, experienced and competent. 
 
 Each board charges fees for its examinations, and a study of the 
 figures reveals that over a period of 14 years, 1946 represented an 
 all-time high for the activities of each board. 
 
 227
 
 LEFT: President Frank J. Smith of the Board of Examiners of Stationary 
 Engineers, center, and Vice-President Michael Konkolewski, right, review 
 examination requirements with an applicant. 
 
 RIGHT: Julius Newman, seated, has served as chairman of the Board of 
 Examiners for plumbers since 1939. 
 
 BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF MASON CONTRACTORS 
 
 Year Receipts 
 
 Expenditures 
 
 Deficits 
 
 Net Revenue 
 
 1933 $ 8,250.00 
 
 $ 9,200.00 
 
 $950.00 
 
 
 1946 42,057.50 
 
 10,084.00 
 
 
 % 31,973.50 
 
 1933 to 1946 247,647.50 
 
 126,064.00 
 
 950.00 
 
 122,533.50 
 
 Net Revenue for years 1933 to 1946 Inc. 
 
 
 121,583.50 
 
 BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF STATIONARY ENGINEERS 
 
 Year 
 
 Receipts 
 
 Expenditures 
 
 Net Revenue 
 
 1933 
 
 % 34,239.00 
 
 % 19,254.26 
 
 $ 14,984.74 
 
 1946 
 
 38,205.20 
 
 22,514.18 
 
 15,691.02 
 
 1933 to 1946 
 
 465,037.50 
 
 287,809.62 
 
 177,227.88 
 
 BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF PLUMBERS 
 
 Year Receipts 
 
 Expenditures 
 
 Deficits 
 
 Net Revenue 
 
 1933 $ 12,342.00 
 
 % 13,379.92 
 
 $1,037.92 
 
 
 1946 34,603.40 
 
 25,967.25 
 
 
 % 8,636.15 
 
 1933 to 1946 355,368.30 
 
 275,169.74 
 
 2,344.84 
 
 82,543,40 
 
 Net Revenue for years 1933 to 1946 Inc. 
 
 ' 
 
 80,198.56 
 
 228
 
 DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 Meet the "Can do" guys of 
 Chicago's government — fhe ar- 
 cb'ifects, fhe engineers, fhe con- 
 sfrucfors who build fhe bridges, 
 pump the wafer and dig fhe 
 sewers. Meef fhe chemisfs, cartog- 
 raphers, yes, and foresters, too!
 
 Oscar E. Hewitt, commissioner of Public Works. 
 
 THIS IS THE WORKS! 
 
 Public Works in Chicago is most assuredly "big business," 
 
 Why? 
 
 Because — according to all the rules under which private business is 
 evaluated — the Department of Public Works in Chicago is a one bil- 
 lion dollar enterprise. 
 
 For example: 
 
 A few years ago, a group of eastern capitalists made it known that 
 they would pay 400 million dollars for the municipally-owned water 
 plant of the City of Chicago — meaning the cribs out in the lake; the 
 water tunnels in the sheer rock underneath the lake and the city and 
 leading to the pumping stations; the stations themselves; the network 
 of water mains that blanket every inch of the 212 square miles that is 
 Chicago; the buildings; the shops; the laboratories, and the ware- 
 houses. That was at a time when the income of the water plant was 
 less than 9 million dollars a year. It now is close to 17 million dollars 
 a year. If the water plant was worth 400 million dollars at that time 
 
 230
 
 PUBLIC WORK! 
 
 On GUicatfO- 
 
 IS 8/G BUSINES5 
 
 OUR WATER SYSTEM 
 
 Including the cribs, tunnels 
 and pumping stations has a 
 value currently estimated at . 
 
 OUR NEW SOUTH 
 DISTRICT FILTRATION 
 PLANT 
 
 now nearing completion, has 
 been built at an actual cost of 
 
 3500 MILES OF SEWERS 
 
 have a current value of about 
 one million dollars per square 
 mile, or 
 
 104 BRIDGES AND 
 VIADUCTS 
 
 many of which have been com- 
 pleted or replaced in the last 
 fourteen years, are worth . . 
 
 450 MUNICIPAL 
 BUILDINGS 
 
 including the City Hall and 
 other large structures are worth 
 
 $700,000,00 
 
 $24,000.00 
 
 $212,000,00 
 
 $60,000.00 
 
 $2S«000.00 
 
 ^^ORE THAN ONE BILLION DOLLARS FOR THESE PUBLIC 
 
 ^ORKS ALONE . . . AND THERE ARE MANY MORE $1,021,000.00
 
 Walkways and screens in the new filtration plant. 
 
 to the investors, they probably would figure it at 700 million dollars 
 at present. 
 
 It goes without saying that this offer was promptly and finally re- 
 jected, because Chicago has the finest drinking water and supplies it 
 at the lowest cost of any city or community of anywhere near com- 
 parable size in the United States. 
 
 Furthermore, the water plant — as large and efficient as it is — is but 
 one part of the Department of Public Works. Consider sewers. In 
 every street or alley, and serving every building lot from the loop dis- 
 trict to the small home owner at the outer edge of the city, the enor- 
 mous Sewer System of Chicago stands second only to water in insur- 
 
 232
 
 ing the continued good health of its citizens. The sewers have cost 
 the taxpayers a total of 106 million dollars — spread over the period 
 from about the Civil War down to today. Their replacement value 
 easily could be twice this amount. The water works and the sewer 
 system do more for public health than any other factor or agency. 
 Without an adequate water plant and an effective sewer system, Chi- 
 cago could not exist. They constitute the fundamental basis of any 
 large city. 
 
 102 Bridges and Viaducts 
 
 Add to the department's evaluations of its water and sewer system 
 the replacement value of the sixty city-owned movable bridges, 
 twenty-four fixed bridges and eighteen viaducts, and you probably 
 have another 60 million dollars. Without these connecting links, Chi- 
 cago would be but a series of isolated communities — separated by the 
 water of the several branches of the Chicago River and canals. 
 
 As if this enumeration of highly valuable and very real property 
 owned by the people of Chicago still is not convincing, consider the 
 more than 450 buildings belonging to the City of Chicago that are 
 maintained by one of the bureaus of the Department of Public 
 Works — the City Hall, the Central Court and Police Station, police 
 and fire stations, shops and warehouses throughout the city — col- 
 lectively having an appraised valuation running up into 25 millions 
 of dollars. In facilities for water-borne commerce, the city has in- 
 vested several more millions of dollars — about 5 million dollars in the 
 Navy Pier, and other large sums in wharves and docks and similar 
 facihties. To these investments should be added 24 million dollars 
 which will be spent on the South District Filtration Plant. 
 
 Responsibilities of the Commissioner 
 
 The Department of Public Works never seems to stand still for an 
 instant. It continues to grow and expand, and very rapidly at times — 
 particularly during the past fourteen years. This will be made clear 
 when it is understood how the different divisions of city government 
 in Illinois were created by the state legislature — away back in earlier 
 times — by the passage of what is called the "Cities and Villages Act." 
 This directed that cities have a mayor, aldermen, a "city marshal," 
 and next — seemingly in Hne of importance— a Commissioner of Public 
 Works. It follows that in the founding of Chicago's government, and 
 continuing down to the present date, services and functions that defi- 
 nitely were not classed as belonging to the sphere of the mayor, or the 
 aldermen, or police, fire or health — found their way into the Depart- 
 ment of PubUc Works. 
 
 233
 
 BUREAUS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF 
 
 PUBLIC WORKS 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 
 1 wm^ 
 
 CENTRAL PURCHASING 
 
 acts as a consolidated purchasing agency in 
 buying thousands of itenns required by the city. 
 
 ARCHITECTURE AND 
 BUILDING MAINTENANCE 
 
 serves as architects for city constructed buildings 
 and handles the maintenance and repair of 450 
 municipal buildings. 
 
 MAPS AND PLATS 
 
 prepares and distributes municipal maps and 
 plats and operates public information service. 
 
 SPECIAL IMPROVEMENTS* 
 
 constructs and maintains crossings, underpasses 
 and subways at grade separations. 
 
 'Special Improvaments is a division. 
 
 234 

 
 ENGINEERING 
 
 operates the city's water supply system, con- 
 structs water supply and distribution facilities, 
 airports and other public works, tests materials 
 and places municipal contracts. 
 
 f 
 
 i 
 
 BB 
 BB 
 
 1 1 
 
 L 
 
 SEWERS 
 
 cleans, maintains, repairs, replaces and extends 
 the city's 3,500 miles of sewers. 
 
 RIVERS AND HARBORS 
 
 administers the port of Chicago including Chi- 
 cago and Calumet harbors, the lake front and 
 the Chicago and Calumet Rivers, operates 55 
 bridges and Navy Pier. 
 
 WATER 
 
 serves as the business office of the municipal 
 water system, sending and collecting water bills 
 
 from thousands of consumers in and out of the 
 City of Chicago. 
 
 PARKS, RECREATION 
 AND AVIATION 
 
 operates and maintains municipal parks, play- 
 grounds, beaches, public baths, natatoriums and 
 airports. 
 
 in
 
 Public Works Organization 
 
 State statutes, of course, allow Chicago's City Council considerable 
 latitude in determining the makeup of its municipal organization — 
 merely requiring that the setup conform to the overall requirements 
 of the statutes. The Department of Public Works is created in the 
 City Code in these words: 
 
 "There is hereby established an executive department of the munici- 
 pal government of the city which shall be known as the Department 
 of Public Works. The said department shall embrace the commissioner 
 of public works, the deputy commissioner of public works, and such 
 other officers and employes as are herein designated and such as the 
 city council, may provide by annual appropriation ordinance." 
 
 The Code goes on to say that the department shall include the: 
 
 Bureaus Required by Code 
 
 Bureau of Engineering, Bureau of Water, Bureau of Sewers, Bureau 
 of Maps and Plats, Bureau of Rivers and Harbors, Bureau of Archi- 
 tecture and Building Maintenance, Bureau of Parks, Recreation and 
 Aviation, Bureau of Central Purchasing. 
 
 The detailed description of the duties of the Commissioner of 
 Public Works, as prescribed by the City Council, takes up almost nine 
 full pages of fine type in the Municipal Code. 
 
 In brief, these are: "To take special charge and superintendence of 
 the following public places and property: bridges, viaducts, docks, 
 wharves, public landings, the Municipal Airport and public grounds; 
 all markets and market places; all public buildings in the city belong- 
 ing to the city; all works for the widening, deepening or dredging of 
 the Chicago River and of its branches, and the harbor of the city; all 
 sewers and works pertaining thereto and of all sewerage permits and 
 licenses; the water works of the city, and the collection of all water 
 rates and fees for the use of water or for permits issued in connection 
 with the water works system. He shall take charge of all pubHc im- 
 provements . . . award and execute all contracts . . . which exceed 
 $500 (except subways or improvements by special assessment); direct 
 the removal of any object obstructing any public way; remove any 
 buildings from land taken for the purpose of widening or opening a 
 public way; purchase materials, supplies and equipment, to be fur- 
 nished to any department; engage in the wrecking of buildings, pub- 
 lic or private; have city bench marks established from and referring 
 to city datum; designate a bench engineer." 
 
 Chicago's Airports 
 
 In the past fourteen years, one of the activities that has grown the 
 fastest in the Department of Public Works is the municipal ownership
 
 "Inside" view of chlorinator at the Cemiak pvimping station. 
 
 and operation of airports. In 1933, Chicago's Municipal Airport at 63rd 
 Street and Cicero Avenue was but a quarter mile square, and had 
 little else but a few cinder runways. Today, at this same location is 
 one of the world's largest — and admittedly — the safest commercial 
 airports. It has a value of upward of 50 million dollars. More value 
 is being added all the time. In addition, initial steps have been taken 
 to expand Orchard Place Airport, located just north and west from 
 Chicago's city limits, of which 1,080 acres were acquired from the 
 
 237
 
 Federal Government after the war. It is contemplated, at present, that 
 5,900 more acres will be acquired, which will make it suitable to 
 handle not only air traffic within continental United States but that 
 of the entire globe. It is in partial operation now. In its entirety, this 
 international airport may cost 70 million dollars. Further, the Lake 
 Front Island Airport now is assured by Federal grants already ap- 
 proved. This air terminus is to serve as an air taxi station for sur- 
 rounding cities and airports, and probably will be in operation early 
 this year. By these improvements in aviation terminal facilities — 
 made in the last 14 years in Chicago — air passengers, arriving at, de- 
 parting from, or just passing through Chicago — now number 2,500,000 
 in 1946 — and the number is ever-increasing. In addition, the freight 
 traffic handled now is averaging 2,500 tons a month, and it, too, is 
 going up by leaps and bounds. 
 
 Filtration Plants 
 
 Another major improvement and addition to the capital structure 
 of the Department of Public Works is the new filtration plant located 
 offshore in the lake at 76th Street. This now is in partial operation 
 and has improved the quality of the water. It will give the 1,500,000 
 citizens living in the south part of Chicago, and in the south suburbs, 
 clean, clear, pure and excellent-tasting water. Other filtration plants, 
 to serve the remainder of the city, are now in the planning stage. 
 
 Income Holds Down Taxes 
 
 The total of all improvements and additions to the capital structure 
 of the Department of Public Works — made in the last fourteen years — 
 might be construed to mean that the taxpayers had been required to 
 pay in more and more tax funds to cover the increase in values. 
 Actually, that assumption is in error. 
 
 Taxes — that is, real estate taxes — that would have been required by 
 the Department of Public Works either for operation or improvement 
 of its facilities, would have been larger than they were if the depart- 
 ment had not made an effort to increase its income by means of sales, 
 rentals and fees. 
 
 For example: The Department of Public Works sells water to 
 440,000 consumers — office buildings, factories, apartments and homes — 
 within Chicago and in the suburbs. The department collects landing 
 fees from the commercial airline companies at the airports. It leases 
 space at the Navy Pier, Chicago Municipal Airport, Orchard Place 
 Airport, and at other places. As examples, Marshall Field & Company 
 have entered into a long term lease for space for a restaurant at the 
 Chicago Municipal Airport and are supplying part of the funds for 
 its construction. The University of Illinois is leasing space for an 
 
 238
 
 >€r 
 
 This is the nietliod used for transporting members of an inspection party 
 at the time of the opening of the State Street subway. Third man from 
 left is Oscar E. Hewitt, commissioner of public works. 
 
 extension university, particularly for veterans, at the Navy Pier. Hangar 
 space at the airports is at a premium. 
 
 It should be readily realized that, as the revenue from sales and 
 rentals is increased, and operating efficiencies put into effect, just so 
 is the burden on real estate lessened to that extent. 
 
 Figures taken from the City Comptroller's Annual Report, indicate 
 that the expenditures, which are on a comparable basis, averaged 
 $26,793,600 for each of the four years 1928 to 1931. They also show that 
 the average expenditures for the years 1932 to 1940 were $20,871,804. 
 This means an average reduction, for the years compared, of $5,921,796. 
 
 This increased revenue from the sale of water (23 per cent), with 
 only a corresponding increase in water pumped of only (4 per cent), 
 means — among other things — that the exhaustive leak tests carried 
 on by this administration, and the resulting repairs, and the bigger 
 percentage of the water bills collected, were indicative of the improved 
 general efficiency of the Department in the last fourteen years. 
 
 Architecture and Buildings 
 
 Another important group of public works functions are handled 
 by the descriptively named Bureau of Architecture and Building Main- 
 tenance. This bureau, headed by the City Architect, renders architec- 
 
 239
 
 tural service to the entire city 
 administration and, in addition, 
 is responsible for the mainte- 
 nance and repair of 450 city- 
 owned buildings and plants. The 
 bureau is also charged with the 
 operation of such public build- 
 ings as the City Hall, the Central 
 Police Building at 1121 S. State 
 Street, the Hubbard Street 
 Building and the Board of 
 Health Clinic. During the war, 
 the bureau also operated the 
 buildings which housed the 
 Servicemen's Recreation Centers 
 on Washington Street and 49th Street. 
 
 In the fourteen years between 1933 and 1946, the bureau handled 
 the preparation of preliminary sketches, designs, architectural drawings 
 and specifications, and supervised construction work for $12,612,969.84 
 worth of projects. The administrative, architectural and clerical ex- 
 pense in connection with these accomplishments was less than VA 
 per cent of the value of the work. The building and maintenance 
 repair division in this same period of time handled 53,543 maintenance 
 and repair jobs at a cost of $6,098,990.97. 
 
 Paul Gerhardt Jr., city architect. 
 
 240
 
 n 
 
 Model of the South District Fihration plant, now under construction. 
 The Bureau of Central Purchasing saved the city $383,000 on the pur- 
 chase of fill for this project. 
 
 CENTRAL PURCHASING 
 
 — o consolidated purchasing agency which 
 has saved fhe cify millions of dollars. 
 
 In its very first year, this administration recog- 
 nized the savings and other advantages to the city 
 of a central purchasing agency. It then created 
 such an agency and placed it in charge of the 
 Commissioner of Public Works. 
 
 The Bureau of Central Purchasing, as shown 
 in the Council Proceedings, is charged with the 
 buying of the items needed in the "housekeeping" end of the city's 
 operation — purchases of such things as stationery, pencils, paper, small 
 tools and supplies — in fact, everything that is not sufficiently large to 
 merit the letting of a contract. While its individual purchases are 
 small, in the aggregate they run into millions of dollars a year. 
 
 The centralizing of the city's purchasing machinery had been advo- 
 cated for many years by civic organizations — it remained for this 
 administration to bring it about. The efficiencies and savings in dollars 
 and cents to the taxpayers by virtue of buying centrally over the 14- 
 
 241
 
 John A. Cervenka, superintendent 
 of the Bureau of Central Purchas- 
 ing, Department of Public Works, 
 
 year period would amount to a 
 large sum. Some of this saving 
 is a matter of record. The larger 
 portion is not. If a buying agency 
 gets a reputation of being "hard" 
 in its purchases, all bidders take 
 this into account in submitting 
 their bids. It is the consensus of 
 opinion, that in the last fourteen 
 years the Commissioner of Pub- 
 lic Works has established a 
 widespread knowledge that the 
 City of Chicago gets value 
 commensurate with the money 
 it expends on its purchasing — 
 whether on contract or on 
 requisition. 
 
 Huge Savings on Fuel 
 
 The Commissioner of Public Works buys annually on contract 
 some $700,000 worth of steam coal and about $300,000 worth of heat- 
 ing coal — a total of nearly a million dollars. Originally, the contractors 
 felt that they were compelled to submit prices which would cover any 
 possible increase in wages or freight. Under centralized purchasing, 
 the Commissioner of Public Works caused the city's specifications to 
 be revised. In effect, the city assumed any increase in wages or freight 
 that actually occurred — thereby taking the speculative factor out of 
 bidding on city purchases. Lower prices were the result. 
 
 On steam coal, the city buys heating. That is, the city awards the 
 contract to the bidder who guarantees to deliver to the city the largest 
 number of British thermal units (BTUs) for one cent. 
 
 Since the installation of centralized purchasing and the newer 
 method of buying coal, the city's statisticians check the bid prices 
 being received by the city on coal as against those of all private con- 
 cerns and public agencies from which figures could be obtained. In 
 every instance, the city saved money. 
 
 Further, a check of three years shows that the city was buying coal 
 cheaper than any other buyer consulted. In fact, two mine operators 
 asserted that Chicago, under this administration, was buying coal for 
 less money than any other buyer in Chicago — ^with the exception of 
 certain refineries and packers who make a practice of buying "distress" 
 coal — coal that has been shipped to Chicago and cannot immediately 
 upon its arrival be delivered to a purchaser and upon which freight 
 demurrage, by its accumulation, forces a "distress" sale. 
 
 242
 
 During this period, the city's purchase of steam coal ran from two 
 cents to a maximum of seventy cents (that, for a short period only) 
 a ton below the market price. The actual savings to the taxpayers is 
 apparent when it is recalled that the city uses some $700,000 worth of 
 coal annually — principally for pumping water and sewage. The city's 
 coal rec]uirement is constant in that coal is needed every hour of the 
 day and every day of the year for such purposes. 
 
 Financial Gains from House Wrecking 
 
 Privately-owned house wrecking concerns bid $18,000 to wreck the 
 old Harrison Street steam boiler station. The Commissioner of Public 
 Works rejected this bid and readvertised. On the second bidding, the 
 low bid was $28,000. On the third letting, the low bid was $13,000. 
 On the face of it, it would appear that the city had saved $5,000. While 
 it possibly did, this was not the maximum saving that it was possible 
 for the city to make. 
 
 Why? Because: some time later, the wreckers wanted from $5,000 
 to $8,000 and all the salvage to demolish the old County Jail. The 
 department undertook the job with relief labor, and came out with a 
 profit of some $14,000. 
 
 Subsequently, the Commissioner of Public Works carried out a 
 demolition program with such labor — a program that was undertaken 
 first by the Metropolitan Housing Commission, then the Fire De- 
 partment, and lastly by the Building Department. The total of the 
 buildings demolished was 1,850 — and, on these, the purchasers of 
 the salvaged materials were, in most of the instances, the wreckers 
 who previously had tried to get from the city not only the salvaged 
 material for nothing, but a fee for wrecking the buildings! Besides 
 getting valuable salvaged materials, the city actually put $42,000 into 
 the city's treasury by the wrecking operation. The salvage brick, for 
 instance, relieved the Bureau of Sewers from buying any sewer brick 
 for three years. 
 
 As reported elsewhere, the central purchasing agency's success in 
 buying materials, tools and supplies led the Federal government to 
 ask for the privilege of buying on the city's contracts for WPA. This 
 was done. 
 
 More Savings 
 
 The Commissioner of Public Works took bids on a fire boat for 
 the Fire Department. It had an appropriation of $150,000. The bids 
 ran from $177,000 to $260,000. The bidders themselves suggested 
 changes in the specifications when their first bids were not readily 
 accepted — the result being that the city finally got the boat for 
 $134,000. Incidentally, the Fire Department and other experts now 
 
 243
 
 pronounce ihc fire boat iluis oblainecl as being "ibe best diesel operated 
 fire boat in the country." 
 
 In securing fill, in connection with the South District Filtration 
 Plant, the city obtained part clay and part granulated slag covered 
 by a thin coating of sand for 30.8 cents per cubic yard. When based 
 on prices previously paid, the cost of sand alone would have been 
 50 cents per cubic yard. At 50 cents a yard, the cost would have been 
 a million dollars. Actually, it cost $617,000. 
 
 $98,302,419.01 
 
 worth of public purchases 
 
 in 14 years — by the 
 
 Confracf Section of the 
 
 Bureau of Engineering. 
 
 Each Coin Symbol 
 Represents $250,000 
 
 $10,451,992.00 I Estimated Amounts | ^"''^^^^ 
 
 $6,321,606.85 
 
 I HI Ji 
 
 1 ^li 111 
 
 111 ui 
 
 III m 
 
 ill_LUl.' 
 
 $4,482,901.84 S 
 
 lui UMi 
 
 $3,699,470.14 
 
 It 
 
 I 1 ]i: 
 
 ^ 
 
 m uiliu. 
 
 u iiul 
 
 iU 'M. 
 
 HI 11 
 III il 
 
 HI II 
 
 1933 1935 
 
 244 
 
 1937 
 
 1939 
 
 1941 . 1943 
 
 1945 
 
 1946 -
 
 THE BUREAU OF 
 
 OF THE DEPARTMENT 
 OF PUBLIC WORKS 
 
 engages in many acfivities buf its main 
 business is providing Chicago and Chi- 
 cago's suburban neighbors with a pure and 
 abundant supply of water. 
 
 The old water tower on Michi- 
 gan Avenue stands as a symbol 
 of good water service.
 
 Chicago Avenue water tunnel. 
 
 AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM 
 
 is created by the fact that Chicago pumps 
 more water than any other city in the world. 
 
 Chicagoans not only enjoy a greater abundance 
 of good drinking water than any city or com- 
 munity of comparable size in the United States, 
 but they also obtain it at the lowest cost. The 
 quality, abundance and economy of Chicago's 
 water is the planned result of an efficiently man- 
 aged and scientifically operated system of munici- 
 pal ownership. This tremendous enterprise, with a network of water 
 mains that serve over three million people in Chicago and approxi- 
 mately 426,000 people outside of Chicago, is a $700,000,000 investment 
 in good living, good health and unrivaled fire protection, operated by 
 the Bureau of Engineering of the Department of Public Works. 
 
 This task of supplying and distributing over 300 billion gallons of 
 water per year for domestic purposes alone — an average of 265 gallons 
 per person each day — is carried out by a group of five engineering 
 divisions: 
 
 246
 
 CRIB 
 
 WM. E.DEVER 
 CRIB 
 
 CRIB 
 
 CRU 
 
 CRIB 
 
 MAP 
 OF 
 
 CHICAGOS 
 
 WATER SUPPLY 
 
 SYSTEM 
 
 SHOWING IMPROVEMENTS 
 IN 
 
 SOUTH DISTRICT 
 
 WITH 
 
 FILTRATION PLANT
 
 1. The Operating Division, which manages the six lake in- 
 take cribs, the 65 miles of tunnels and twelve water supply 
 pumping stations. 
 
 2. The Water Pipe Extension Division, which distributes 
 the water from pumping station to consumer. 
 
 3. The Water Purification Division, which safeguards and 
 improves the quality of the water. 
 
 4. The Water Works Design Division, which prepares plans, 
 estimates and specifications for the supply and distribution 
 system. 
 
 5. The Water Meter Division, responsible for the inspection, 
 control, installation, repair and replacement of Chicago's 
 •115,000 water meters. 
 
 In addition to these engineering divisions, there is the Bureau of 
 Water of the Department of Public Works, which performs the im- 
 portant administrative task of sending out water bills and collecting 
 from thousands of water users in and out of the city. 
 
 A more detailed picture of the work of these important bureaus and 
 divisions, which produce and sell Chicago's water, is presented in word 
 and picture on the pages which follow — together with facts which 
 show how the Department of Public Works since 1933 has succeeded 
 in providing more water and better water at lower cost to more than 
 4,000,000 consumers in the Chicago metropolitan area. 
 
 How steel sup- 
 porting beams are 
 lowered into the 
 river as part of 
 the job of build- 
 ing our new State 
 Street bridge. 
 
 248
 
 A cutter brings supplies through icy waters to a crib. 
 
 THE OPERATING DIVISION 
 
 of the Bureau of Engineering 
 
 Chicago's inexhaustible source of water is Lake Michigan, ob- 
 tained by six cribs located from two to four miles out in the lake. 
 They are operated by the Operating Division of the Bureau of En- 
 gineering. The cribs and their location are shown on the map on 
 page 247. 
 
 The diagram on page 250 gives a simplified idea of how a crib 
 operates. The water enters inlets at the bottom of the crib, after passing 
 through filter screens which prevent the entry of fish or other objects. 
 Water is chlorinated in the Edward F. Dunne crib. At the other five 
 cribs the water is tunneled to pumping stations at strategic locations 
 throughout the city, and chlorinated. From the pumping stations the 
 water passes into distributing mains and is thus carried to the 
 consumer. 
 
 As a means of further improving the quality of the water distributed 
 to south side consumers a great filtration plant is now nearing com- 
 pletion on the south side, and the Greater Chicago Seven Year Plan 
 
 249
 
 /QP/^RTM£f\/T BLD& 
 
 TV OTH£R^ 
 PUMPIN6 SVIT/0/W3 
 
 -y-T- -^^^7 ^--^^ —J—T 
 
 '.«-s.iV. *^ CHICAGO'S WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM 
 TYPICAL CROSS SECTION 
 
 
 ■5^--_S;^ 
 
 provides for the construction of additional filtration plants to filter 
 the water distributed to other areas of the city. 
 
 It is the responsibility of the Operating Division to operate the six 
 cribs, the twelve pumping stations and the 65.5 miles of tunnels which 
 carry the water from the cribs to the pumping stations. In addition, 
 it also operates the Municipal Power Plant which delivers service to 
 the Contagious Disease Hospital, the Cook County Jail and Criminal 
 Courts Buildings, as well as other municipal users, at an average year- 
 ly revenue of $316,750. 
 
 The total yearly water pumped for domestic purposes in the four- 
 teen years of 1933 through 1946 averaged 316,917 million gallons at 
 an average total head of 124.2 feet. The average daily pumpage was 
 992 million gallons. The per capita daily pumpage was 265 gallons, but 
 a maximum daily pumpage of 1,406 million gallons of water was 
 attained on July 29, 1941. 
 
 Such figures, huge as they are, are almost meaningless until com- 
 pared with something else; but in this case, they are incomparable. 
 For Chicago has more and larger intake cribs than any other city 
 in the world. Chicago has more major pumping stations in its water 
 supply system — and pumps more water — than any other city in the 
 world! 
 
 Pumping Station Efficiency 
 
 To maintain all of this pumping station equipment in a high state 
 of efficiency is the responsibility of the Section of Pumping Station 
 Efficiency. The work and methods used include time period testing, 
 close observation of mechanical condition and recommendations for 
 changes in operating procedures. This section has reported findings 
 and results that form a basis for future design. 
 
 250
 
 This is the type of modern pumping station needed to maintain the city's 
 water pressure at a safe and convenient level. 
 
 The Carter H. Harrison (left) and William E. Dever Cribs. 
 
 fiin
 
 An interior view of the Cermak pumping station. 
 
 One of the outstanding improvements in pumping station equip- 
 ment during this period is the modernization of the boiler equipment. 
 This has been completed in the Central Park Ave. Pumping Station 
 and is approaching completion in the Roseland Station. 
 
 The modern type of boiler is now equipped with the vastly im- 
 proved type of underfeed stoker which, in connection with an effi- 
 cient combustion control, is practically automatic in action and saves 
 a great deal of fuel. 
 
 252
 
 WATER PIPE 
 
 EXTENSION DIVISION 
 
 has the job of delivering the 
 water to your faucet from the 
 pumping station. 
 
 Bernard Cullen, superintendent of 
 Water Pipe Extension. 
 
 The Water Pipe Extension Division takes the water from the pump- 
 ing station and deUvers it to you at your faucet — jealously safe- 
 guarding its purity every inch of the way and making certain that 
 it is delivered in sufficient quantities and at ample pressures to assure 
 a more than adequate measure of convenience and protection. 
 
 The Water Pipe Extension Division operates 3,900 miles of pipe, 
 every foot of which must be constantly inspected and maintained at 
 high standards of performance, dependability and security to health. 
 The job that the division has done since 1933 is demonstrated in the 
 total elimination of water-caused epidetnics and in the fire protection 
 water-availabiHty which has been enjoyed. Since 1933 Chicago has not 
 had one fire in which the water supply proved inadequate. 
 
 Increasing the Water Pressures 
 
 Although your water comes from an underground source, it rises 
 in the pipes of the building and flows from your faucet — when you 
 want it, and every time you want it — because it is maintained under 
 pressure. This pressure is created at the pumping station and sustained 
 as it flows through the city's water pipe system to your faucet. The 
 experience of the Water Pipe Extension Division has shown that a 
 minimum of 25 pounds of pressure is needed at the critical points or 
 the limits of the water pipe system. Except under the most unusual 
 circumstances, this is enough to assure a constant and dependable 
 supply of water at all types of water outlets. 
 
 As a means of controlling this pressure, and making certain that 
 the pressure is maintained at all times in all parts of the water system, 
 the Extension Division has installed 62 recording water pressure 
 gauges at critical points throughout the system. These critical points 
 
 253
 
 This miniature exhibit at the plumbing testing laboratory is used to 
 demonstrate how polluted water may back-flow into hospital building 
 fixtiu-es through water main in street from unsafe plumbing installations 
 in factory building to the right. 
 
 are pumping stations, points at the limit of a pumping station area" 
 or near the city Hmits or on high ground. Recordings are obtained 
 from these guages each day; they are compiled, graphed and studied 
 daily by the City Engineer. His records show that in the last fourteen- 
 year period Chicago water users have had the benefit of greatly in- 
 creased water pressures over the preceding fourteen-year period. The 
 pressures for normal weather from 1919 to 1932 inclusive averaged 27 
 pounds. For the years 1933 to 1946 inclusive, the average was 36 
 pounds. 
 
 In the 1919 to 1932 period the pressures varied from 10 to 45 pounds. 
 From 1933 to 1946 the range has varied from 25 pounds to 50 pounds. 
 A minimum of 25 pounds has been maintained quite consistently since 
 1940. 
 
 The largest single factor in bringing about the improvement in 
 pressures, particularly during high hour pumping, for the past 
 fourteen years, was an intensive program by the Water Pipe Extension 
 Division to reduce underground water leal^age. Contributing also, but 
 to a lesser degree, was the house to house inspection resulting in the 
 repair of faulty plumbing. This activity was begun in 1942. 
 
 254
 
 WATER FOR OUR NEIGHBORS 
 
 TOWNS IN SANITARY DISTRICT 
 SUPPLIED WITH CHICAGO WATER 
 
 ANNUAL AVERAGE ESTIMATED 
 
 DAILY CONSUMPTION POPULATION 
 
 IN 1,000 GALLONS PER DAY 1945 
 
 Berwyn 
 
 3.687 
 
 Blue Island 
 
 2.671 
 
 ♦Midlothian 
 
 
 *Robbins 
 
 
 Burnham 
 
 97 
 
 Calumet City 
 
 1,336 
 
 Calumet Park 
 
 234 
 
 Cicero 
 
 10.880 
 
 Dolton 
 
 298 
 
 Elmwood Park 
 
 1,361 
 
 Evergreen Park 
 
 373 
 
 Forest Park 
 
 1.202 
 
 Harvey 
 
 4,310 
 
 *Dixmoor 
 
 
 *Hazelcrest 
 
 
 *Markham 
 
 
 ♦Phoenix 
 
 
 ♦Posen 
 
 
 ♦South Holland 
 
 
 Lincolnwood 
 
 790 
 
 Morton Grove 
 
 290 
 
 *Golf 
 
 
 Maywood 
 Melrose Park 
 
 2.140 
 
 1,684 
 
 Niles 
 
 206 
 
 Oak Park 
 
 5.585 
 
 Park Ridge 
 
 1,418 
 
 Riverdale 
 
 834 
 
 River Forest 
 
 1,005 
 
 River Grove 
 
 719 
 
 Skokie 
 
 94 
 
 Stickney 
 
 523 
 
 ♦Forest View 
 
 
 Summit 
 
 951 
 
 Schiller Park 
 
 342 
 
 WATER COMMISSIONS 
 
 
 Brookfield 
 
 
 North Riverside 
 
 1,330 
 
 Broadview 
 
 
 Westchester 
 
 1,516 
 
 ♦Hines & Vaughn Hospitals 
 
 
 ♦LaGrange Park 
 
 
 TOTAL 
 
 45.876 
 
 49,400 
 
 18,100 
 
 2,800 
 
 1,700 
 
 900 
 
 15,200 
 
 1.850 
 
 69.600 
 
 3.300 
 
 16.100 
 
 5.500 
 
 16,000 
 
 19,100 
 
 1,100 
 
 1,400 
 
 1,500 
 
 3.100 
 
 1,500 
 
 1.200 
 
 1. 100 
 
 2.300 
 
 175 
 
 27.500 
 
 13.200 
 
 2.400 
 
 70.000 
 
 15.200 
 
 4,000 
 
 10,100 
 
 3,700 
 
 8,800 
 
 2,800 
 
 300 
 
 7,600 
 
 900 
 
 12,100 
 1.200 
 2,200 
 1.300 
 
 5,900 
 3,900 
 
 426.025 
 
 ^Indirectly supplied with Chicago wafer through re-sale. 
 
 255
 
 Underground Street Leakage Program 
 
 Prior to 1931 the Water Pipe Extension Division employed only tour 
 underground street leakage parties. No well planned program for the 
 elimination of such leakage could be initiated with so small an engineering 
 force. Primarily these leakage gangs were assigned to locate and stop 
 underground leakage in advance of paving work. Between 1916 to 1932 
 about 33 million gallons per day leakage was stopped. 
 
 The division realized large quantities of water were still being pumped 
 daily into the sewer system because of underground pipe leaks. Such leak- 
 age increased the cost of operation and maintenance of pumping stations; it 
 greatly reduced the operating pressures throughout the city — and all with- 
 out any revenue return. Action to cope with this problem was taken, and 
 by 1934 twelve underground street leakage parties were organized with 
 four parties each assigned to the North, Central and South Districts of the 
 City of Chicago Water System. 
 
 During the period from 1934 to date this organization of underground 
 leakage parties has been continuously engaged in locating underground 
 leakage in the city water system. They have stopped more than 253 mil- 
 lion gallons per day of such leakage while testing 2,900 of the 3,900 miles 
 of city pipyes. Such leakage stopped by this activity is immediately available 
 to supply new demands upon the city, which is revenue producing and 
 without any additional cost. 
 
 The daily amount of leakage stopped from 1933 to date is equivalent to 
 one-fourth the average daily 1946 pumpage for the entire city. It is equal 
 to the combined 1946 average daily pumpage of the Western Avenue and 
 Mayfair Pumping Stations, two major pumping stations in the City of 
 Chicago. 
 
 The stoppage of 253 million gallons per day (M.G.P.D.) leakage since 
 1933 has made possible the operation of the city water system at higher 
 pressures, has resulted in increased revenue with a decrease in pumpage, 
 and has made available large volumes of water for fire prevention. 
 
 In 1944 the engineers of the central district of the City of Chicago 
 began a re-test of sections of mains originally tested some twelve years 
 previously. Of approximately 215 miles of pipe re-tested, the total leakage 
 measured originally was approximately 37 M.G.P.D. while on re-test twelve 
 years later the total leakage measured was approximately 21 M.G.P.D. 
 This result indicates clearly the need for the uninterrupted continuation of 
 an underground leakage program. 
 
 House to House Plumbing Inspection 
 
 In April, 1942 a house to house inspection program was started in the 
 Mont Clare area to reduce the waste of water due to faulty plumbing 
 fixtures inside buildings. This program was adopted purely as a war 
 measure to make available water necessary for water industries. A report of 
 lune, 1945 indicates an estimated 37 M.G.P.D. waste water saved through- 
 out the city. The house to house inspection program for the elimination of 
 water waste through faulty plumbing fixtures continues in effect today. 
 
 Fire Protection Improvement 
 
 The water distribution system has been reinforced during the years 
 1933 to 1945, inclusive, by the addition of many miles of mains, valves 
 
 256
 
 ANNUAL AVERAGF nAll Y 
 
 1_ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 PUMPAGE TO CH 
 
 CAGOANS 
 
 t 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1100 
 
 1 
 
 
 ™" 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 k 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 g^. 
 
 1000 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 h 
 
 
 ^; 
 
 \ 
 
 /\^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 ~4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 fi 
 
 >^M 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^^> 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 ^lA^ 
 
 N 
 
 
 , 
 
 U-- 
 
 firafes^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 u 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 •^^^^^^^l-:- 
 
 900 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 // 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 _J 1 1 1 1 
 
 MILLION GALS AVERAGE 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DAILY PUMPAGE 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 // 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 /i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 too 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 h^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 700 
 
 
 
 
 // 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 // 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 t 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .JBL « . ' 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Trt-^^/ 
 
 
 / 
 
 y 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 /A 
 
 r 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J soo 
 
 1__. ,9, 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 - ^^^^m 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ,, 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 /-^^H — 
 
 1 
 
 2 n 
 
 \ 
 
 t 1 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 2 
 
 < 2 
 
 !> 2i 
 
 3C 
 
 3 
 
 2 3 
 
 4 3 
 
 [> 3 
 
 1 4 
 
 42 44 
 
 46 
 
 
 ANNUAL AVERAGE DAILY 
 PUMPAGE TO CONSUMERS 
 BEYOND CITY LIMITS 
 
 1910 1915 _ 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 
 
 257
 
 and hydrants with those of larger capacity. It has also been aided by 
 the stoppage of an enormous quantity of leakage. 
 
 As a result of these improvements the water distribution system 
 now has a capacity to satisfactorily meet the demands for domestic, 
 industrial, commercial and fire services at almost every location within 
 the city. The hydrant pressures have increased from an average of 
 33 pounds in 1933 to an average of 38 pounds in 1945 (normal weather 
 pressure) despite the decrease in pumpage and the increase in de- 
 mand. 
 
 The general increase in fire engine supply, plus higher pressures 
 available throughout the system during the period of 1933-1945, has 
 been an important factor in the decision of the fire underwriters to 
 grant several reductions in fire insurance rates on buildings and 
 contents. It has also made possible the installation of approximately 
 2,500 private sprinklered fire protection systems. Such systems 
 have resulted in savings of 15 to 80 per cent in the insurance premiums 
 on these risks. It is conservatively estimated that the annual savings 
 to the citizens of Chicago, resulting from these reductions in insurance 
 rates, amounts to more than $1,000,000 annually. 
 
 Chicago Plumbing Testing Laboratory 
 
 In 1939 the Chicago Plumbing Testing Laboratory was established 
 at 765 Cabrini Street. The purpose of the laboratory is to educate not 
 only the general public but also employees of the City of Chicago, 
 as well as plumbers, master plumbers, manufacturers of plumbing 
 equipment, sanitary engineers, and architects, concerning the inherent 
 dangers of improper and cross-connected plumbing installations. 
 
 Lectures accompanied by demonstrations using transparent tubing 
 and colored fluids make visible to the visiting public the actions of 
 water under varying conditions in piping systems, with particular 
 stress placed on the dangers of back-siphonage. To date approximately 
 10,000 people have attended the lectures and demonstrations. 
 
 Water Service to Consumers Outside Chicago 
 
 Under the terms of the Sanitary District Act, the City of Chicago is 
 required, upon request, to furnish all towns in the Sanitary District, 
 with a supply of water at the limits of the city — and at no greater 
 price than it collects from Chicago consumers within its own limits. 
 
 To date Chicago supplies some 39 towns with water. Revenue 
 from the sale of water to such towns for the year ending 1932 approxi- 
 mated $896,000, as compared with approximately $1,345,000 for the 
 year ending 1945. The increase in revenue is due to the addition of 
 other towns to the group supplied with Chicago water and also to the 
 growth of the towns themselves. 
 
 258
 
 The most modern scientillf equipment is used in the laboratory of the 
 new South District Filtration Plant. 
 
 PURE WATER 
 
 is the aim, and the achievement, of these scientists 
 and technicians in the division of Water Purification. 
 
 A vitally important service, involving the highest degree of public 
 responsibility, is carried out by the Water Purification Division of the 
 Department of Public Works. This division is headed by a staff of 
 scientists and engineers who concern themselves exclusively with the 
 development of controls to safeguard and improve the purity of Chi- 
 cago's water. The safety control research work which they carried on 
 during the pre-war years has gained national recognition and it is 
 being prosecuted with equal vigor and resourcefulness today. The 
 ammonia chlorine work of the division, for example, was published 
 by a national organization and distributed to every water works plant 
 in the United States. A new process— utilizing silicate to increase 
 filtration plant capacities — was hailed by the American Water Works 
 Association as the greatest advance in water filtration practice in 
 decades. 
 
 During the past fourteen years the Water Purification Division has 
 collected more than a half million water samples from various parts 
 
 259
 
 of the water system, and analyzed them as part of the city's water 
 safety control program. During the same period the division investi- 
 gated over 2,600 water consumer complaints, and, in the process, 
 collected 3,900 samples for testing. 
 
 A marked reduction in the typhoid fever death rate from over ten 
 per year prior to 1938, to three or fewer per year during the last five 
 years, was accompanied by a similar reduction in amebic dysentery 
 deaths. These reductions reflect to a great degree the effectiveness of 
 the division's safety control measures. 
 
 Research in Filtration 
 
 The staff of the Water Purification Division has conducted 
 numerous investigations of filter plant materials, equipment and 
 operational procedures at their experiment filtration plant. Their 
 developments included new methods of treating water, and their 
 studies on the use of activated carbon for taste and odor-removal are 
 proving of great value to water works throughout the United States. 
 Many features of the new South District Filtration Plant are based on 
 the division's research work and will not only result in better and 
 purer water but, over a period of years, will benefit Chicago's tax- 
 payers through the saving of millions of dollars. 
 
 Extremely accurate gauges are used to control the treatment of the water 
 we drink. 
 
 260
 
 John R. Baylis, engineer of water 
 purification. 
 
 Chicago's South District Fil- 
 tration Plant, the world's largest, 
 is ninety per cent complete. 
 Although it is in partial opera- 
 tion, full use of the plant will 
 not begin until the filters are 
 placed in service. When the fil- 
 tration plant is in full operation 
 Chicago's water in the south 
 water district will be equal in 
 taste and clarity to that supplied 
 any city in the United States. 
 
 Definite steps toward filtra- 
 tion were taken in 1938 when 
 the first appropriation for initial 
 construction was made by the 
 City Council. The granting of funds by PWA to cover 45 per cent of 
 the cost of constructing a portion of the plant resulted in work being 
 started the latter part of 1938. The plant was 50 per cent completed 
 when the United States entered World War II. This prevented the 
 starting of new work on the plant for a period of nearly two years. 
 In 1943 the War Production Board allowed work to be resumed on 
 a limited scale in order that water could be passed through the plant 
 with partial treatment. This is the part of the plant now in operation. 
 None of the water is filtered at the present time. 
 
 Fourteen Years of Safety Control 
 
 Since 1933 the Division has: 
 
 Conducted daily quality surveys within the Century of Progress 
 grounds to insure the delivery of a safe water supply to World's Fair 
 visitors. 
 
 Maintained chlorination control at a high efficiency as reflected by 
 a quality of water consistently better than required by the U. S. 
 Public Health Service Standards. 
 
 Installed residual chlorine automatic recording devices in several 
 of the pumping stations. These devices are producing improved con- 
 trol of the chlorination of the water, making still more remote the 
 possibility of inadequately chlorinated water passing the station. 
 
 Investigated and eUminated factors responsible for cross-connections 
 with secondary water supplies, thereby preventing the spread of many 
 illness outbreaks within local premises. 
 
 Recommended sanitary improvements for 42 adjacent villages and 
 towns supplied with Chicago water as well as several major war 
 
 261
 
 Sterilizers in the bacteriological laboratory of the new filtration plant. 
 
 plants, and maintained a check on the quaHty of water within their 
 local systems. 
 
 Made sanitary surveys of all new and repaired water mains, 12-inch 
 and larger (later extended to include all water mains), and arranged 
 for their chlorination and bacterial sampling, as well as subsequent 
 approval for services. 
 
 Instituted a system for controlling and treating waste material at 
 the lake intake cribs. This included amebic dysentery and typhoid 
 examinations of every one who stayed at a crib for more than one 
 day, to detect carriers. 
 
 Provided inspection surveys for dredging and lake front improve- 
 ments in conjunction with the Park District lake front improvement 
 plan. This embraced direct supervision over all lake and land dump- 
 ing, as well as river improvements. 
 
 262
 
 The cylindrical object is a one-ton chlorine container in evaporator bath 
 on scales in the Dunne Crib. 
 
 The plumbing testing laboratory maintains a number of educational 
 exhibits to encourage safe plumbing practices in the city. 
 
 
 m\ 
 
 I tgegs 
 
 '1 
 
 it r' 
 
 D 
 
 1 
 
 * J 
 
 1
 
 Aerial view of the South District Filtration Plant, taken in April, 1946. 
 
 WATER WORKS DESIGN 
 
 Here are fhe engineers who prepare fhe plans for 
 a bigger and better water supply system for Chicago. 
 
 Another engineering organization in the Department of PubHc 
 Works is the Division of Water Works Design, whose duties consist 
 of the preparation of plans, estimates and specifications pertaining to 
 Chicago's water supply system. 
 
 The engineering of the enormous and varied amount of work called 
 for to maintain buildings and equipment in the best possible condition, 
 and for additions and betterments, requires the services of a skilled 
 staff of engineers with years of specialized experience in the many 
 branches of engineering, such as hydraulic, mechanical, structural 
 and electrical. It is the experience and judgment of these men that has 
 made it possible to carry on studies of the most efficient and reliable 
 materials and equipment, keeping abreast of the latest manufacturing 
 developments. 
 
 Before any actual construction can be started on any rehabilitation, 
 replacement or addition to the water supply system, plans must be 
 
 264
 
 prepared which will show, in detail, all phases of the work. Analysis 
 must be made of the most reliable and efficient types of equipment; 
 estimates must be prepared and specifications written. 
 
 The Water Works Design Division has contributed much to the 
 betterment of water works engineering. It has pioneered the use of 
 ribbed fittings for large, high pressure water lines and has developed 
 the designs for individual fittings. It has also pioneered and been 
 instrumental in the development of the application of large, cone-type 
 automatic check valves, which now may be seen in use not only in 
 Chicago's pumping stations, but in many other stations and industrial 
 plants throughout the country. 
 
 Greatly improved methods have been developed in the last fourteen 
 years in the installation of chlorine equipment, in the safeguarding of 
 chlorine application to the water and in the handling of chlorine 
 containers. 
 
 Major Accomplishments 
 
 Among the major accomplishments of this division from 1933 to 
 1946 arc: 
 
 Central ParJ^ Avenue Pumping Station — plans and specifications 
 were completed for a large boiler plant and for one 80 M.G.D. tur- 
 bine driven centrifugal pump. Also a contract was awarded and plans 
 are 20% complete for a second 80 M.G.D. unit. 
 
 Springfield Avenue Pumping Station — plans and specifications were 
 completed for two 80 M.G.D. pumping units and plans for a new 
 boiler plant are 50% complete. 
 
 Roseland Pumping Station — design plans were completed for a new 
 boiler plant and a new 75 M.G.D. steam turbine driven pumping unit. 
 A second 75 M.G.D. pumping unit is under contract and plans for this 
 are 20% complete. 
 
 68th Street Pumping Station — design plans and specifications arc 
 completed for the rehabilitation of the entire electrical equipment and 
 for one new 50 M.G.D. motor driven pump. One additional 50 M.G.D. 
 pump is under contract and plans for this are 25% complete. 
 
 Plans were prepared for the Cerma\ Pumping Station, which has a 
 capacity of 300 M.G. per day. 
 
 During the past fourteen years new pumping equipment was 
 installed amounting to 665 million gallons per day with additional 
 equipment under contract amounting to 205 million gallons per day. 
 
 Two new boiler plants were constructed having a total boiler ca- 
 pacity of 4900 H.P., and one new pumping station was built. 
 
 Chlorination Progress 
 
 The past few years have seen great improvements in chlorination 
 facilities at the various pumping stations. The division has designed 
 
 265 
 
 ■^^
 
 four complete chlorinaiion plants and a number of additions to other 
 plants, having a capacity to treat 500 million gallons of water per day. 
 One of these plants is located at the Edward F. Dunne crib and 
 represents the first installation located at a lake intake, all other 
 chlorination being done at the pumping stations. Nowhere is chlorin- 
 ation applied on so large a scale, or at so many points of application, 
 as in Chicago. This has necessitated a great amount of original design 
 work in order to furnish completely successful installations. Methods 
 developed here have been used in many plants throughout the coun- 
 try. 
 
 Early in the war, the division of Water Works Design constructed this 
 and other models for Civilian Defense training to show what could 
 happen in event of enemy air attack on Chicago.
 
 A new pi!«lon wheel for a meter costs $96.00. 
 The meter division repairs old ones for only $13.97. 
 
 115,672 WATER METERS 
 
 ore the business of this engineering division. 
 
 The Department of Public Works owns and operates 115,672 water 
 meters ranging in size from five-eighths of an inch to twelve inches. 
 These meters must work at all times, and they must be accurate, 
 because readings taken from the meters are the basis for milUons 
 of dollars worth of water charges. Other meters are employed for 
 highly important control or protective purposes at cribs, pumping 
 stations and elsewhere. 
 
 The colossal task of maintaining these tens of thousands of meters 
 in good working condition is the responsibility of the Water Meter 
 Division of the Department of Public Works. The division repairs 
 and replaces water meters in the field and in its own shop. It also 
 inspects and controls all meters installed by master plumbers. Leaks 
 in meters or meter connections are repaired and the division promptly 
 investigates all complaints in which the operation or accuracy of water 
 meters is involved. 
 
 From 1933 to 1946, the meters of the Chicago water works system 
 measured 292,235,980,000 cubic feet of water — an annual average of 
 20,873,998,000 cubic feet as against a total of 151,204,066,000 cubic feet, 
 an average of 15,120,406,000 cubic feet for the years 1923 to 1932. This 
 is an increase of 38 per cent during the past fourteen years. 
 
 To handle the shop and field work required for the installation and 
 
 267
 
 repair of meters to measure this vast amount of water, the Water 
 Meter Division has performed 1,133,336 jobs, an average of 80,953 jobs 
 per year from 1933 to 1946. This is an increase of 17.2 per cent over 
 the preceding ten-year period, 1923 to 1932, when 690,992 were done, 
 an average of 69,099 per year. 
 
 Control of New installations 
 
 When master plumbers install meters, examinations are made in 
 advance to determine the correct size and type of meter to be fur- 
 nished, the proper location and its conformity to all city requirements. 
 After the meter has been installed, the job is inspected for correctness 
 and a report of the location and control is made for the records of the 
 Water Meter Division, a copy being sent to the Bureau of Water. 
 
 Salvaging a Fortune in Meters 
 
 In the shop, all meters which are brought in for repairs are taken 
 apart, cleaned and inspected, after which necessary repairs are made 
 t* restore them to new condition. They are then tested and put into 
 stock until needed for replacement in the field. 
 
 Experience of the division has shown that in many instances it is 
 possible to rehabilitate worn out meter parts in the shop at a cost 
 which is considerably lower than the price of new parts. These repair 
 parts are equal to, and sometimes better, than new parts purchased 
 from manufacturers or others. Worn out meter parts are rehabilitated 
 in the division shop whenever such work will show a saving — an 
 activity which few water meter shops perform. In most shops, worn 
 out meter parts are junked and replaced by new ones. 
 
 During the years 1933 to 1946, 268,958 meter parts were rehabili- 
 tated — an av«rage of 19,211 per year. From 1923 to 1932, only half as 
 many parts were saved. This operation saved the City of Chicago 
 an estimated $537,189.87, an average of $38,370.71 per year, or 54.6 per 
 cent of what would have been paid for new meter parts. 
 
 Quieting Noisy Meters 
 
 During the past two years, the division has developed a method 
 of quieting noisy meters. This device has enabled the division to 
 completely eliminate disturbing noises in water meters, reducing com- 
 plaints and saving substantial amounts of money. To date, over 
 100 of these corrected meters have been installed, and all have been 
 completely successful. 
 
 268
 
 m «■ 
 
 
 ''^Kastess^.::-,, ,;».„. ,^- . ^ i^ijjiKf5p^N| 
 
 -rlsri- 
 
 ..-iv--^' ■;:<■■'.■: ,.>.:^:¥' 
 
 Building the South District Filtration Plant is a $24,000,000 job. 
 
 Build a tunnel? Erect an airplane hangar? Move 
 a building? You name it. These men do it in 
 
 THE CONSTRUCTION DIVISION 
 
 When there is a construction job to be done— the building or repair 
 of a bridge, the blasting of a tunnel, or the erection of an airplane 
 hangar — the job is either done or supervised by the Construction 
 Division of the Bureau of Engineering. With its own force of experi- 
 enced mechanics and laborers, the division is capable of performing 
 almost any type of construction job; but when it becomes desirable 
 to have a project handled by an outside contractor, the division's 
 engineers oversee the work and make sure that it conforms to the 
 city's specifications and standards. 
 
 The Construction Division with its own forces makes major altera- 
 tion: to the city's pumping stations, tunnels and intake cribs. It fur- 
 nishes foremen, mechanics, tools and special equipment for repair or 
 maintenance projects carried out by engineers of the Division of 
 
 269
 
 ..'>-;• 
 
 Tunnel connection from filtration plant to southwest land tunnel. 
 
 Bridges and Viaducts. At the present time, the Construction Division 
 is supervising the final stages of the construction of Chicago's great 
 South District filtration plant. 
 
 In the years of 1933 to 1946 inclusive, the amazingly resourceful 
 engineers, mechanics and laborers of the Construction Division have 
 saved countless millions of dollars for the tax payers of Chicago, per- 
 forming their tasks under the supervision of John S. Dean, Engineer 
 of Waterworks Construction. Among the accomplishments of the 
 division in the fourteen-year period just ended are the following major 
 construction projects: 
 
 Tunneling Five Miles Through Rock 
 
 Work on the Chicago Avenue lake and land tunnel was accelerated 
 in 1933 so that the task was completed, and the tunnel and crib placed 
 in service, early in 1936. The completion of this tunnel to the Central 
 Park Avenue and Springfield Avenue pumping stations ended a seri- 
 ous water shortage in Chicago's West Side, as well as in the western 
 suburbs. 
 
 The magnitude of the project can be appreciated when it is realized 
 that the total length of the tunnel — every inch of which was in solid 
 
 270
 
 rock — amounted to more than 
 50,000 feet, or nearly 10 miles! 
 
 Cermak Pumping Station 
 
 In 1933 plans were made, gov- 
 ernment loan was obtained, and 
 excavation started for a 30() mil- 
 lion gallons per day pumping 
 station to relieve the water 
 shortage in the central and loop 
 districts. Work on this station 
 was completed to a point which 
 permitted its operation in 1935. 
 
 Dunne Crib Treatment Plan 
 
 Previous to 1933 the south side 
 citizens were disturbed by dis- 
 agreeable phenol tastes and smells in the city water, and this was 
 accentuated by the large dosages of chlorine that had to be applied 
 at the pumping stations. 
 
 In 1933 plans were made and work started on the installation of 
 an ammonia-chlorination plant at the Dunne Crib. By this method 
 the chlorine action on the water takes effect before the water reaches 
 the pumping stations. The treatment has resulted in a more palatable 
 
 -^•^ _ 
 
 Jolin Dean, sviperintendent of Con- 
 struction. 
 
 Compressor room of the 85th Street shaft. 
 
 271
 
 A pumping station calls for a huge job of excavating as part of its con- 
 struction. The pumping station at Pershing and Racine, as it appeared 
 in February, 1939. 
 
 and safer water supply, pending the completion of the South District 
 Filtration Plant. 
 
 Federally Assisted Projects 
 
 The Construction Division cooperated with the Federal Civil Works 
 Administration and its successors in the starting and supervision of 
 projects to place as many of the unemployed as possible on work 
 of value to the city. These projects included the long-deferred and 
 much needed paving of coal storage yards at five coal burning pump- 
 ing stations, the construction of a storage building (100 ft. x 200 feet) 
 for protection of the city's construction equipment, the painting of 
 pumping stations, the building of three large steel scows to carry on 
 the city's marine construction and major repairs to city owned 
 buildings. 
 
 ^^Hotne Made''' Scows 
 
 Certain Construction Division projects, some of which have already 
 been briefly mentioned, are deserving of special attention. 
 
 One such project was the construction of three steel scows for use 
 by the PubUc Works Department in the water transportation of equip- 
 ment and materials. This was carried out during the depression as a 
 
 272
 
 project under the Civil Works Administration to give work to mechan- 
 ics, other than common labor, and to provide useful equipment for 
 the city. 
 
 The accompanying picture of one of these scows gives some con- 
 ception of their enormous proportions. The largest scow was 42 feet 
 wide, 120 feet long and 9 feet in height. The others were equally as 
 long, but narrower and shallower. They were successfully constructed 
 by the division, with the aid of WPA labor, in spite of the fact that 
 the Construction Division does not own or operate shipyards, nor 
 possess any kind of shipbuilding equipment. The scows were built 
 on platforms which, in turn, were supported on piles, driven in a slip 
 alongside the city's shop. The scows were launched by cutting the 
 supporting piles by dynamite — an unorthodox but thoroughly success- 
 ful launching technique. 
 
 Another task performed by these "do anything" constructors was 
 the erection of the tremendous aircraft hangar at the Douglas Airport. 
 This 43-foot high hangar was 148 by 162 feet in size and presented 
 unusual construction problems in connection with grading the site 
 and erecting the steel trusses which supported the building. This 
 hangar has since been purchased for the city at a great saving from 
 the War Assets Administration. 
 
 One of three huge scows biiill by the construction division of the Depart- 
 ment of Public Works.
 
 Salvaging Steel and Lumber 
 
 As most of us know only too well, there was a great scarcity of 
 structural steel and lumber during the war. Yet it was necessary for 
 the Construction Division to continue with emergency repairs for 
 pumping stations and bridges. 
 
 A great deal of structural steel had been salvaged from the remodel- 
 ing and replacement of pumping stations and other public structures. 
 More steel had been obtained from the demolishing of public build- 
 ings, as part of another WPA project which the division handled. 
 These precious construction materials were saved by the Construction 
 Division so that the division had a salvage stockpile of its own. From 
 this it could draw the necessary materials to maintain the city's pump- 
 ing stations and bridges during the war. The steel was fabricated in 
 the city's own structural shop at 31st Street and Sacramento Avenue. 
 
 86,000 Feet of Tunnels 
 
 A summary of the tunnel construction is an essential part of the 
 story of the Construction Division. From 1933 to 1945, inclusive, the 
 city constructed 86,862 feet of concrete-lined tunnel which had been 
 blasted out of solid rock. These tunnels varied from ten to sixteen feet 
 in diameter, and all but about 10,000 feet were constructed by City- 
 employed day labor. 
 
 Waterproofing 
 tlie filter bed wall 
 of the South Dis- 
 trict Filtration 
 Plant.
 
 
 
 -- e 
 
 In this impressive aerial view of downtown Chicago, tlie immense 
 importance of bridges to the commercial life of the city is apparent. 
 
 THE DIVISION OF 
 
 BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS 
 
 ore the constructors of the many bridges which unify our city. 
 
 As with so many of our modern necessities, we Chicagoans have 
 a habit of taking our bridges for granted. Yet, Hfe would be very 
 difficult indeed — in this lake and river town of ours — without our 
 scores of city-owned bridges and viaducts. As a matter of fact, with- 
 out them Chicago wouldn't be Chicago. At best it would be nothing 
 more than an aggregation of small, isolated communities. 
 
 Our bridges and vi.T ducts carry us swiftly over or beneath barriers 
 made by nature and m.^n, welding our many communities into a 
 single great city . . . an inland seaport and the central jewel of a 
 vast empire of navigable waterways. Chicago's 60 movable bridges, 
 
 275
 
 W. W. De Berard, city engineer, left, discusses the operation of a scale 
 model swing bridge with Stephen Michuda, engineer of bridges. 
 
 24 fixed bridges and 18 viaducts — constructed and maintained by the 
 Division of Bridges and Viaducts — permits the use of its rivers by 
 vessels of great size and capacity and link the Great Lakes with the 
 Gulf of Mexico. Ultimately it is hoped that additional waterways 
 will Imk Chicago with the Atlantic. 
 
 The composite advantages of this system, in its local and national 
 function have more than oflset some of its disadvantages, such as 
 occasional delays to street traffic when vessels must have the right 
 of way. Oh, yes, when the gates come down and the bridges go up, 
 dozens of impatient drivers get that "everything happens to me" 
 feeling. But, in reaUty, such traffic delays are but a fraction of the 
 time delay resulting from stops for ordinary traffic signals. The speed 
 and efficient operation of Chicago's huge bascule bridges has reduced 
 interruptions to a minimum. And even these interruptions are being 
 greatly reduced in number by the construction of new bridges or the 
 reconstruction of old bridges at higher levels which permit the passage 
 of larger vessels beneath their arching spans. 
 
 From either the viewpoint of the citizen or the bridge engineer, 
 1946 was a poor year for construction because of the great scarcity 
 of materials; but in the thirteen years from 1933 to 1945 great accom- 
 plishments were achieved by the division. Greater still are the projects 
 and promised benefits for the next ten years to come. 
 
 1933 to 1945 
 
 In the twelve-year period from 1933 to 1945 the bureau built eleven 
 new bridges. It also carried out a series of twelve major reconstruction 
 
 276
 
 This is the old Canal Street bridge which is now being replaced. 
 
 South Western Avenue bridge at 31st Street, fully opened. 
 
 277
 
 
 How the new State Street bridge Mill appear when completed. 
 
 projects on bridges — which increased their allotted "life span" of forty 
 years to a total of sixty years. This work, accomplished in accordance 
 with plans and designs by the City Engineer, was carried out at a 
 total cost of approximately $1,500,000 at an estimated sailing to the 
 taxpayers of $4,000^000. These projects increased the safety of our 
 bridges, adding numerous new traffic lanes and breaking bottlenecks. 
 It increased the height of certain bridge structures, greatly reducing 
 the necessary number of openings per year and it also resulted in 
 many new advantages for the facilitation of water traffic. All of this 
 construction and reconstruction was accomplished without the issuance 
 of bonds or the levying of special assessments. New bridges and via- 
 ducts were financed from motor fuel tax funds and a substantial part 
 of the cost of 7naintaining bridges and viaducts was also financed from 
 motor fuel tax funds. 
 
 Aiding the War Effort 
 
 The advent of war stopped new bridge construction and prevented 
 completion of the State Street and Canal Street bridge projects. 
 Material and manpower shortages made maintenance of existing 
 structures a difficult task. But engineers and men of the Bureau of 
 Bridges and Viaducts carried on with great resourcefulness, maintain- 
 ing these essential links in the city's system of war production traffic 
 arteries. In addition, they rehabilitated six bridges over the drainage 
 
 278
 
 canal which had been inoperative for about fifteen years to permit 
 passage of Navy vessels en route to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 Making W^ay for the ISavy 
 
 A notable achievement in this connection was the conversion of 
 a 10-lane fixed bridge on south Western Avenue into a lift bridge. 
 
 As a fixed bridge, its 21-foot vertical clearance over the sanitary and 
 ship canal was inadequate to permit passage of newly-built war vessels 
 from Great Lakes shipyards to the Gulf of Mexico. Some vessels had 
 been taken through by omitting their superstructures and lowering 
 the canal four feet, but this method had serious drawbacks. In July, 
 1942, the city entered into a contract with the Navy department for 
 the alteration to be done by the city. The first shipment of steel for 
 the towers arrived at the site on January 22nd. During the next ten 
 weeks — in one of Chicago's coldest winters — the basic job of con- 
 version was done. Trial tests were made on April 4th and on the 
 following day naval vessels passed through the open draw of the 
 reconverted bridge! One of the great aspects of this achievement is 
 the fact that traffic on the ten lanes provided by the 140-foot deck of 
 the crossing — including two street car tracks, and two sidewalks — 
 was not seriously interrupted during the remodeling. 
 
 The South Canal Street bridge, as it will appear upon completion. 
 
 279 
 
 -A
 
 The ISeed for New Bridges 
 
 In spite of the very great accomplishments of the Bureau of Bridges 
 and Viaducts since 1933, there is a definite hmit to the amount of 
 reconstruction or rehabiUtation which can be carried out in a system 
 that includes many structures forty or more years old. Many of these 
 bridges were not designed for the heavy traffic capacities of an auto- 
 motive age, and their present-day use results in excessively heavy 
 annual maintenance and repair charges. 
 
 Among these old timers, certain narrow bridges constitute traffic 
 bottlenecks on major thoroughfares; in fact their widths are barely 
 sufficient for street cars alone. The replacement of these obsolete struc- 
 tures cannot safely or economically be delayed for any appreciable 
 length of time. 
 
 In addition, there are many obsolete viaducts in all sections of the 
 city which must be modernized to meet present and future traffic 
 needs. They, too, are creating serious bottlenecks and traffic hazards. 
 
 The Greater Chicago public works program provides for a series 
 of urgently needed bridge and viaduct improvements, all of which 
 will be financed out of motor fuel tax funds, with no charge on 
 Chicago's real estate tax payers. 
 
 The Ashland Ave- 
 nue bridge, as it 
 appeared in 1938 
 shortly after com- 
 pletion.
 
 Construction progress on the Canal Street Bridge. 
 
 Will it work? Is it as good as they claim it is? Is it a bargain? 
 
 THE TESTING SECTION 
 
 finds out by scientific analysis. 
 
 The work of the Testing Section consists of inspecting, testing and 
 analyzing all engineering materials and suppHes purchased by all 
 divisions of the Bureau of Engineering. In a minor way, a similar 
 service is extended to the departments of Fire, Health, Police, Streets 
 and Electricity, and Building Maintenance and Repair. The section 
 also furnishes consulting and chemical engineering services whenever 
 requested, and conducts research work to determine the suitability of 
 various materials for the purposes intended. During the past several 
 years this research work has been greatly augmented, due to the 
 scarcity of essential materials required in the war eflfort and the neces- 
 sity to find satisfactory subslitiites. 
 
 Among Other Things .... 
 
 The Testing Section has inspected, tested and analyzed all engineer- 
 ing materials used in the construction and maintenance of the public 
 water supply system, bridges over the Chicago River, and the new 
 
 281
 
 This is the chlorinating machine >vhicli aids in maintaining accurate 
 chlorination control at the Chicago Avenue pumping station. Many 
 pumping station needs are tested by the Testing Section. 
 
 South District filtration plant. Its engineers have passed upon the 
 acceptance of such items as fire hydrants, valves, venturi meters, cocks, 
 shut-ofF boxes, bridge machinery, hydraulic equipment, electrical equip- 
 ment, turbines and pumps, cast iron water pipe and special cast iron 
 fittings, brick, terra cotta, tile, limestone, cement, concrete and con- 
 crete aggregates, coal, fuel oil, lubricating oils and greases, gasoline, 
 kerosene, lumber and timber (plain, creosoted and wolmanized), 
 structural and reinforcing steel, iron, lead, copper, brass, bronze, 
 solder, babbitt, paints and protective coatings, plastics, rubber (natural 
 and synthetic), filter sand, soils, clays, boiler water, boiler compounds, 
 leather, flax and jute packing, mercury, silver, and diamonds. 
 
 Rat Extermination Research 
 
 The Testing Section, cooperating with the Commissioner of Public 
 Works, conducted extensive research work on the problem of rat 
 extermination during 1940. This research involved the making of 
 chemical and physiological analyses of numerous poisons, as well 
 as the actual destruction and examination of hundreds of captured 
 rats under test conditions in the section's laboratories. This campaign 
 was successful in ridding our city of hundreds of thousands of rats. 
 Its value to the city in safeguarding public health and property is 
 inestimable in dollars and cents value. 
 
 During the existence of the Works Progress Administration, millions 
 
 282
 
 of dollars worth of materials and tools were inspected and tested under 
 the supervision of the Testing Section, and with laboratory facilities 
 made available by the Commissioner of Public Works. This service 
 was extended without expense to the government. It is readily appre- 
 ciated that this testing and inspection insured the best of materials 
 for use on projects executed for the benefit of the people of Chicago 
 by the Works Progress Administration. 
 
 Field and Laboratory Tests 
 
 From 1933 to 1946, field representatives of the Testing Section in- 
 spected and tested approximately 1,100,000 valves, hydrants, water pipe, 
 cocks, etc., at manufacturing plants throughout the country. A hydro- 
 static test was made on each of the finished products mentioned above. 
 In addition, over 20,000,000 individual parts were gauged to insure 
 accuracy and interchangeability. 
 
 Chemical analyses and physical tests were made on an extensive 
 variety of materials, from samples submitted by section inspectors and 
 samplers, from samples submitted by bidders, and on materials sub- 
 mitted for tests by various departments of the city. In the performance 
 of this necessary laboratory work over 100,000 chemical analyses were 
 made during the period under discussion. 
 
 Increase in Efficiency 
 
 In 1932 the average cost of inspection of materials by the Testing 
 Section amounted to 3^4%, whereas during the period of 1933 to 
 1946, the average cost of inspection has been reduced to 2%. This is 
 a reduction in cost of 38% or a fourteen-year saving which may be 
 estimated at $812,500. 
 
 Savings by Inspection 
 
 It will be realized that it is practically impossible to compare, item 
 by item, the classes of materials inspected during the period of 1933 to 
 1946, because of the advancement in engineering practices and the 
 necessity of substitutions during the war years. For example: in 1933 
 the city was just starting the change-over from exclusive coal con- 
 sumption to partial use of fuel oils. In 1933 the section inspected coal 
 to the value of $817,000 and fuel oil to the value of $5,000, whereas 
 in 1946 the section inspected coal to the value of $1,100,000 and fuel 
 oil to the value of $71,000. In 1933 the only water pipe used was cast 
 iron, whereas during the past several years reinforced concrete pipe 
 and steel pipe have also been used. 
 
 Cost of Inspection 
 
 A careful comparison of the fees charged by outside inspection 
 agencies for inspection and testing services is approximately 6 per cent, 
 
 283
 
 which, compared to the average of 2 per cent for the city's testing sec- 
 tion, would involve a saving of 4 per cent on $65,000,000 value of 
 materials purchased, or a saving of $2,600,000. 
 
 Personnel 
 
 To handle the large volume of work assigned to the Testing Section, 
 a force of thirty-one individuals is necessary. All employees in the sec- 
 tion have had many years of training and experience in their particular 
 lines of endeavor and can well be considered experts. 
 
 The work of the Testing Section is uniformly spread over the entire 
 year, with no seasonal let-downs. It is essential that all inspectors be 
 in a position to make inspections outside of Chicago, compelling them 
 to be away from home for considerable lengths of time. Most of the 
 materials must be inspected at the point of manufacture and while they 
 are in process. A good example of this kind of material is cast iron 
 water pipe. If this pipe were inspected after delivery, the city would 
 have to provide necessary shop and test equipment to conduct the 
 hydrostatic tests, such as high-pressure test pumps, hydraulic presses, 
 cranes and labor. It would also have to have painting facilities includ- 
 ing racks, heating ovens, and vats, as it is impossible to make surface 
 inspections after pipe has been painted. 
 
 Resume of Savings for Period of 1933 to 1946 Inclusive 
 
 Estimated expense of consulting and chemical engi- 
 neering services, if obtained through outside agencies . $ 150,000.00 
 
 Estimated differential between cost of inspection if 
 performed by outside agencies, and Testing Sec- 
 tion costs 2,600,000.00 
 
 Estimated savings on materials that would have been 
 accepted and paid for if not rejected on inspection . 6,285,788.67 
 
 Estimated cost of replacement of cast iron water pipe, 
 if installed without inspection (on basis of 10% re- 
 , jected pipe) 1,256,370.00 
 
 Estimated cost of damage suits, due to defective water 
 pipe, if material had not been inspected before instal- 
 lation 350,000.00 
 
 Total (16.37% of $65,000,000 material purchased) . $10,642,158.67 
 
 284
 
 * W : ** 
 
 
 It takes a big staff, and a competent one, in the Bureau of Water to turn 
 out and collect thousands of water bills each year. 
 
 THE BUREAU OF WATER 
 
 sent bills to 422,235 water users and 
 collected $16,922,309 for the city in 1946. 
 
 Every business has an office — a certain place 
 at which you inquire as to prices — and where 
 you go to pay your bill after you have purchased. 
 For the City of Chicago's 700 million dollar 
 municipal water plant the Bureau of Water is 
 that "business office." 
 The Bureau of Water, as a part of the Depart- 
 ment of Public Works, is charged with inspecting property and 
 assessing rates for the usage of water based upon the number of feet of 
 frontage and the number of faucets. These rates are fixed by the 
 City Code. Other users of water pay on the basis of meter readings. 
 In either event— whether their basis is "assessed rates" or "meter 
 rates" — all make their payments to the water office in the City Hall. 
 The number of water users fluctuates from day to day, but as this 
 is being written the Bureau of Water has 422,235 water users or 
 accounts. Very few public utilities in the nation can boast of serving a 
 greater number of accounts. 
 
 In 1946, the Bureau of Water collected $16,922,309 from users of 
 water. Other public utilities can show larger collections, but the Bureau 
 of Water deserves a place among the larger utilities because of the 
 
 285
 
 Joseph Higgins, superintendent of 
 tlie Bureau of \^'ater. 
 
 number of accounts it serves and the area it covers. The total amount 
 collected is relatively small, however, for it should be borne in mind 
 that Chicago has the lowest water rate of any city of a comparable 
 size in the United States. 
 
 The Bureau of Water also lays claim to being the most efficient 
 among the larger of such offices of the nation. Beginning in 1932, its 
 operations have undergone an almost complete change over, from old- 
 time hand operations to the most modern mechanized bookkeeping 
 and billing methods in use anywhere. Between fifteen and twenty of 
 the larger cities have sent representatives to Chicago to check on the 
 system used; nearly all of them have copied it, in whole or in part. 
 Some foreign countries, such as New Zealand, Australia and Japan, 
 have also investigated the system installed in Chicago. 
 
 Collecting an Extra $36,000,000 
 
 The accomplishments of the Bureau of Water in the last fourteen 
 years — the general increase in effectiveness — is traceable, partially, to 
 modernization of methods and a closer application of good business 
 practises. 
 
 Here are the results: 
 
 In the last fourteen years. Bureau of Water collections have averaged 
 annuaUy $14,239,266. The average for the preceding 10 years was only 
 $11,662,023. In a word, this administration collected on the average 
 $2,577,243 more every year — or 36 million dollars more than if the 
 previous rate of collections had continued. 
 
 Another way of stating the above is that this administration has col- 
 lected 22 per cent more than previous administrations. The water rates 
 have not been changed except the discount rate. 
 
 Some of this increase, of course, is due to the increased use of 
 water — air conditioning, more car washing, larger population; but 
 
 286
 
 much is traceable to other causes. For example, in the ten years just 
 prior to 1933, delinquent water bills at the end of each year averaged 
 $2,138,161.62 — or 18.3 per cent of one whole year's collection. Under 
 this administration, it has steadily decreased, as follows: 
 
 
 Delinquency 
 
 
 Delinquency 
 
 Year 
 
 {Per Cent) 
 
 Year 
 
 {Per Cent) 
 
 1933 
 
 16.0 
 
 1940 
 
 
 4.7 
 
 1934 
 
 16.6 
 
 1941 
 
 
 4.2 
 
 1935 
 
 15.6 
 
 1942 
 
 
 3.6 
 
 1936 
 
 14.3 
 
 1943 
 
 
 3.1 
 
 1937 
 
 9.2 
 
 1944 
 
 
 3.6 
 
 1938 
 
 5.1 
 
 1945 
 
 
 2.9 
 
 1939 
 
 5.2 
 
 1946 
 
 
 3.0 
 
 Perhaps a view of the collection results can be conveyed vividly by 
 a comparison of two figures. The delinquencies at the end of 1932 
 were $3,012,035. That was 26 per cent of the collections in that year. 
 The delinquency at the end of 1946 was approximately $511,271, which 
 was three per cent of the collection for that year. 
 
 It should be said that 100 per cent collection of water bills is impos- 
 sible because some buildings burn down and others are abandoned 
 by the owners. For this reason, it is thought that an accumulative 
 delinquency of three per cent is a close approach to a perfect record 
 in collections. 
 
 A further study of the delinquency at the end of 1946 shows that, 
 if there be deleted all sums owed by other governmental agencies and 
 similar items, current delinquencies amount to only $52,773 — and of 
 this small amount, the majority of bills owed are for less than $10 each. 
 
 The Bureau of Water has been changed from a receiving agency 
 to a collection agency. Everyone who uses water is billed according 
 to the rates prescribed by the City Council. 
 
 Here is the real story behind the figures given above: 
 
 Actually, the $3,012,035 accumulative delinquency inherited by this 
 administration at the close of 1932 is directly comparable with the 
 current delinquency of $52,773 — in the main, the other items unpaid 
 at present being in the nature of sums owed one agency of govern- 
 ment by another. Thus, this administration has saved the taxpayers 
 almost three million dollars by collecting that much more of the bdls 
 rendered for water used. 
 
 As any customer will verify, this large increase in the percentage 
 collected on water bills, by this administration, has not been because 
 of "high pressure" collection methods. Rather, it has been because of 
 the institution of better business methods in the Bureau of Water. 
 
 287
 
 Each year thousands of Chicagoans examine plats in the bureau of maps 
 and plats. The counters on which the books are kept are bathed in light 
 from modem fluorescent fixtures overhead. 
 
 BUREAU OF 
 
 MAPS AND PLATS 
 
 Also information. Also the home of the unsung 
 heroes who simplified our sfreef-numbering system. 
 
 The men who man the Department of Public Works take pride in 
 the tradition that no job is too big, too tough or too strange to handle. 
 A good example of this attitude is the variety of work performed by 
 the Bureau of Maps and Plats. To be sure, they do make maps and 
 plats by the thousands, but beyond this, they also serve in a number 
 of other important, seemingly unrelated, capacities. For example, the 
 Bureau of Maps and Plats operates the information booth on the 
 main floor of the City Hall, publishes informative books and sponsors 
 a system of tours and instruction on city government. Furthermore, 
 
 288
 
 they are the unsung heroes who unscrambled, rationaHzed and simpU- 
 fied Chicago's street naming and street numbering system. 
 
 Reducing the Cost of Maps 
 
 In spite of its demonstrated talent for handling side Hnes, the prin- 
 cipal activity of the bureau is the construction and maintenance of 
 basic map records of the City of Chicago. In the initial years of the 
 present administration, a new system of construction of basic maps 
 was inaugurated for the purpose of reducing costs. There are nearly 
 2,000 pages in the map records which are open to the general public, 
 and frequent handling causes these pages to wear out at a rapid rate. 
 Under the old system there was a replacement cost of approximately 
 $60 when a page was worn out. Under the new reproduction method, 
 a complete, double page, mounted on linen, hinged and ready to be 
 inserted into a looseleaf map atlas can now be turned out for about 
 $6 a page — a saving of 90%. Because of the low cost and flexibility 
 of the new method, it is now cheaper to have a new page made than 
 to plat a ten acre subdivision by hand. The new lithographic process 
 is one in which a tracing is made for each page; from these tracings 
 prints are readily produced for sale to the public. 
 
 As all of the construction of these basic map records is done in the 
 bureau, it is only necessary for other city bureaus to obtain prints from 
 the up-to-date tracings for their map records. 
 
 There are 100 map atlases on file in the bureau, twenty-three of 
 which are open for public use. Based on a thorough search of the 
 records, fourteen of these public atlases have been reconstructed — 
 a service which has conserved the time of the public and greatly 
 facilitated the work of city employees. 
 
 A special set of maps was also constructed for each square mile of 
 Chicago, thereby making it possible to combine — and offer for public 
 sale — a number of these maps to cover any particular area. 
 
 Howard C. Brodman, superintend- 
 ent of Maps and Plats. 
 
 289
 
 I 
 
 Constant growth and change in a great city requires corresponding 
 additions and changes for its maps. 
 
 Among other special maps that have been constructed in recent 
 years is a basic map on a scale which makes it available for making 
 ward maps, community maps and other special maps, at great savings 
 of time and money to other departments of the city and county. 
 
 During the war, numerous special maps were made for the Civilian 
 Defense warning centers, and instructions given for reading and post- 
 ing them. Although the ordinary block map was not made by the 
 bureau, information was continually being given to the thousands of 
 block captains and air-raid wardens in the construction of such maps. 
 At the same time, of course, many other types of maps, such as sec- 
 tional maps, were available for defense activities. 
 
 Helpful Guide Book 
 
 The Bureau of Maps and Plats has also compiled a guide in book 
 form which quotes state laws and city ordinances pertaining to sub- 
 divisions and vacations of public streets and alleys. This book also 
 contains numerous certificates which have been passed on by the 
 courts for subdivision plats. Much other information is contained in 
 the book for the benefit of subdividers and engineers. The bureau 
 
 290
 
 has had numerous requests from all over the United States for this 
 authoritative book, which has been approved by the Corporation Coun- 
 sel, the Torrens System of Cook County and the Chicago Title and 
 Trust Company. 
 
 Simplifying Street Nantes 
 
 Since 1830, over 9,000 street names have been used in Chicago and 
 the villages which have been annexed to Chicago. It follows that over 
 this period of more than a century there have been many dupHcations 
 of street names, as well as abandonments, changes, exceptions and 
 variations. These in turn have produced an endless amount of con- 
 fusion, much of which has been serious and costly from legal or per- 
 sonal viewpoints. 
 
 To end this confusion, the Bureau of Maps and Plats undertook 
 the monumental task of simplifying street names, of eliminating 
 duplications and of establishing a historic card index file which shows 
 the meanings of all the present street names in Chicago and lists all 
 of the old and new street names. It also shows the present street names 
 and all other predecessor street names which have been on the exten- 
 sion of the same line. 
 
 Today there are only 1,369 different street names in the city as 
 compared to over 2,000 street names in Philadelphia and St. Louis- 
 cities which are much smaller in size. All duplicate street names have 
 been eliminated, all streets have a prefix, and all streets are numbered 
 from two base lines. 
 
 The simphfication of the street name system is of immense value 
 in facilitating the delivery of goods and mail, the rapid location of 
 fires, and the convenient location of persons or addresses for business 
 or personal reasons. 
 
 The street numbers in Chicago were changed in 1908, and the 
 Loop district was brought under the same system in 1910. The bureau 
 has compiled books showing all of the old and new street numbers 
 in the city. These books have been of particular value in obtaining 
 birth certificates where it is first necessary to obtain the new number 
 which superseded the old. 
 
 This simplification and historic recording of Chicago street names 
 is one of the great services which the present administration has ren- 
 dered to the citizens of Chicago. 
 
 Popular Information Booth 
 
 A public information booth, under the jurisdiction of the bureau, 
 was inaugurated by Mayor Kelly in 1933. The booth is located in the 
 
 291
 
 The information booth on the main floor of the City Hall handles 
 3,000 inquiries per day. 
 
 lobby of the City Hall, where an average of 3,000 questions a day are 
 asked and answered. Many of these questions, of course, pertain to 
 governmental activities — requiring a broad knowledge of the entire 
 country — but all information is handled entirely on a non-political 
 basis and coincides closely with other informational services at depart- 
 ment stores, railroad stations and hotels. 
 
 292
 
 ^^-^ 
 
 This picture, taken in 1938, shows a typical sewer outlet. Here the sewer 
 is emptying into a part of the drainage canal at Albany Avenue and 
 31st Street. 
 
 THE BUREAU OF 
 SEWERS 
 
 is winning its baffle fo modernize fhe cify's 
 sysfem and eliminafe flooded basemenfs. 
 
 Efficient maintenance of Chicago's sewer system 
 is responsible, to a great degree, for sanitation and 
 public health. Taxpayers benefit by the constant 
 vigilance of this department, yet are unaware of 
 the system's extent and the large number of work- 
 ers required to service it. 
 
 At the present time, Chicago has more than 3,500 
 miles of sewers — enough to construct a continuous sewer pipe from 
 Maine to California. This tremendous system, underlying and serving 
 the entire 212 square mile area of the city, has a valuation of $106,000,- 
 000; but its value in terms of good health and good living are, of course, 
 are incalculable. The task of cleaning, maintaining, repairing, replac- 
 ing and extending this vast underground network is the responsibility 
 of the Bureau of Sewers. 
 
 The Need for More Sewers 
 
 In the fourteen-year period from 1933 to 1946, the bureau has 
 attained many goals and set many new standards for efficiency, econ- 
 
 293
 
 An excellent view ot the deep trench needed for the Mount Greenwood 
 
 sewer. 
 
 294
 
 omy and improved public serv- 
 ice; but no achievement is greater 
 than the job it has done in 
 arousing the interest of the city, 
 and its citizens, in the urgent 
 need for a major program of 
 sewer extension and improve- 
 ment. 
 
 It was recognized that some 
 sections of Chicago's sewer sys- 
 tem have been in service sev- 
 enty years, and are in immediate 
 need of enlargement or replace- 
 ment. The city has outgrown its 
 sewer system — ^a condition of 
 which we are sharply reminded 
 
 when basements and underpasses become flooded following a heavy 
 rainfall. 
 
 Up to the early 1930's, pioneer sewerage for Chicago — as well as 
 reconstruction (where older parts of the system had become too small) 
 —proceeded in a more or less routine manner. Most of the necessary 
 money came from special assessments, although some of it came from 
 general funds for public benefits. 
 
 In the last twenty years, fifteen large pioneer and relief sewers have 
 
 Thomas D. Garry, superintendent 
 of the Bureau of Sewers. 
 
 The First District yard of the Bureau of Sewers is ready at all times for 
 the handling' of emergencies. 
 
 295
 
 been built. Some of these have cost more than $3,000,000; and the 
 total amounts to $18,000,000 or more. In the sam.e period about fifteen 
 smaller systems were constructed, at an average cost of one million 
 dollars per year. 
 
 The Bureau of Sewers submitted a detailed plan for sewer expan- 
 sion, through the Commissioner of Public Works, to the Engineering 
 Board of Review in March, 1944. This plan was accepted by the board 
 and became part of the Greater Chicago public works program. 
 $58,000,000 in sewer expansion bonds were approved by the voters in 
 1946 and upheld as valid by the Illinois Supreme Court in January, 1947. 
 
 The sewers included in this program are large outlet sewers and 
 branches paralleling existing main sewers and cross-connected with 
 them at frequent intervals, so that existing sewers and new sewers 
 will operate as one large channel. The new sewer in virtually all cases 
 will be deeper and will have two or three times the capacity of the old 
 one, and are designed to preclude flooded basements and underpasses. 
 
 The plan calls for the construction of large sewers by the Sanitary 
 District of Chicago (some of which are now in construction) to furnish 
 
 We can take our sewers for granted, but it takes good men and brave 
 men to build them. Here they burrow through clay, in January, 1937, 
 forty feet under the Loop. 
 
 296
 
 The Mount Greenwood sewer was built with the aid of WPA. 
 
 outlets for some of the city sewers and to convey the discharge to treat- 
 ment plants or the drainage canal. 
 
 Work Accomplished in 1946 
 
 The accomplishments o£ the bureau in 1946 show a high degree of 
 progress in public service for all the bureau's major divisions and 
 sections. 
 
 The seven districts of the Sewer Cleaning Division flushed more 
 than 27,000,000 feet of sewers at a cost of only $4.27 per 1,000 feet, 
 and scraped 2,264,000 feet of sewers at a total cost of less than $150,000. 
 This work will be more advantageous and eflfective in many parts of 
 the city when better outlets are provided by the anticipated sewer 
 construction. 
 
 For some time the Bureau of Sewers has been submitting (and 
 collecting) bills for costs of sewer cleaning to property owners and 
 industrial plants clearly responsible for sewer stoppages by discharge 
 of deleterious waste which should have received preliminary treatment 
 on the premises. 
 
 Sewer Repair Division: The number of jobs on sewers and appur- 
 tenances in the three districts of the Repair Division exceeds that of 
 last year by about 5 per cent. As in the case of sewer cleaning, repair 
 bills have been sent to those clearly to blame for damage, and collected. 
 
 297
 
 The Kostner Avenue sewer during construction. 
 
 House Drain Division: The house drain division consists of an 
 Inspector-in-Charge and thirty-six inspectors, assigned to definite dis- 
 tricts, who supervise installation o£ all sewers 6 inches and less in 
 diameter in streets or in private property. Inspectors make detailed 
 drawings of the completed work for each house drain permit issued. 
 These are bound in books and placed in a file, dating from the 1871 
 fire, in the Bureau of Sewers. The file number of all jobs are posted 
 in house drain atlases. 
 
 Inspection of garages, filling stations, cleaning and dyeing establish- 
 ments, and other places where explosive or inflammable materials 
 are kept, is routine duty of the inspectors. Complaints of odors, flooded 
 basements and other matters are also investigated. 
 
 During the past year, the house drain division has been unusually 
 active inspecting smaller size installations in veterans' housing proj- 
 ects and industrial plants. 
 
 Permit Section: In 1946, a total of 1,112 rod and repair and 5,951 
 drain permits were issued, an increase over 1945 of more than 20 
 per cent. 
 
 Since adoption by the City Council of the rental system, governing 
 the granting of permits to connect properties outside city limits to 
 city sewers, work has been done toward obtaining agreements for 
 previously existing connections, as well as new ones. 
 
 298
 
 Supply Division: Supply Division activity has greatly increased 
 because most equipment has become too old to be easily repaired. Cost 
 of supplies and equipment has followed the general rise of prices. 
 
 Sewer Construction and- Design: Reconversion in Chicago is well 
 under way, though permanent construction is increasing slowly. Plan- 
 ning of this normal work falls on the regular engineering staff, but 
 planning for the heavy construction made possible by Federal and 
 state funds is the function of the Advance Planning Division organ- 
 ized at the beginning of this year. Specifications and plans for the 
 first project have been completed and submitted to the Federal and 
 state agencies for approval. 
 
 Filling the West Fork of the River 
 
 The bureau continues to supervise filling of the channel of the 
 West Fork, by which maintenance of several bridges is saved and an 
 open sewer of 50 years' standing no longer oflfends the people. Three 
 miles of the channel, in the city, and all of it west of the city, have 
 
 Grout in solid form after being removed from a North State Street sewer. 
 
 299
 
 been or are being filled since abandonment by die United States and 
 the State of Illinois of their prior rights and the extension of sewer 
 outlets to the sanitary canal. 
 
 During the War 
 
 The Bureau of Sewers cooperated with Mayor Kelly, as Coordinator 
 of the metro;:)olitan area of Chicago, in setting up the emergency 
 organization t ir Civilian Defense. It remodeled three buildings at 
 23 N. Wacker Drive to house the local OCD office. 
 
 When Chicago's three Service Men's Centers were set up — workmen 
 of this bureau, in cooperation with others under the Superintendent 
 of Sewers, remodeled these premises. 
 
 In 1940, Bureau of Sewer's workmen, under direction of Thomas 
 D. Garry, Superintendent of Sewers, prepared the Chicago Stadium 
 for the Democratic National Convention. In 1944, they made the 
 physical arrangements in the Chicago Stadium for the Democratic 
 and Republican National Conventions. 
 
 During the construction of the subway, considerable work was per- 
 formed by the bureau in keeping sewers and appurtenances in opera- 
 tion, while this underground construction was taking place. 
 
 300
 
 Walter ^ right, 
 superintendent 
 of the Bureau 
 of Parks, Rec- 
 reation and 
 Aviation, points 
 to Chicago on an 
 air globe as the 
 vacation center 
 of the world. 
 
 THE BUREAU OF 
 
 PARKS, RECREATION & AVIATION 
 
 makes Chicago a beffer place in 
 which fo live, work and play. 
 
 The Bureau of Parks, Recreation and Aviation from the year 1933 
 to 1946, inclusive, had the greatest period of accomplishments in the 
 bureau's history. The parks, playgrounds, beaches, public baths, 
 natatoriums, and the Municipal Airport all show improvements of a 
 constructive nature, as well as greatly increased usage and service to 
 the public. The biggest strides, of course, were made in airport im- 
 provements and service. 
 
 Chicago Municipal Airport 
 
 In 1932 the airport itself consisted of only 320 acres of land, of 
 which only 160 acres were improved for use for airport purposes. 
 There were four cinder runways, averaging 2,800 feet in length. 
 
 Since then the airport has been enlarged to include the entire 
 square mile between Cicero Avenue, Central Avenue, 63rd Street, 
 and 55th Street (with the exception of twenty acres at 63rd Street and 
 Central Avenue). The tracks of the Chicago and Western Indiana 
 Railroad, which bisected the field, were removed and relocated. The 
 entire square mile was graded, drained, and nine hard-surfaced run- 
 ways were constructed. These runways, paved with macadam, range 
 in length from 6,546 feet to 4,639 feet — all 184 feet wide, except one 
 east-west runway which is 309 feet wide. All runways arc of dual 
 
 301
 
 mm -^' 
 
 I ifi 
 
 »**.<. 
 
 Hi ' 
 
 vA. 
 
 'i 
 
 ^1 
 
 'M 
 
 ". t*--. 
 
 
 Bird's-eye view of the Moran Playground at 57th and Racine. 
 
 parallel design, permitting greater capacity with safety than any 
 airport yet constructed. 
 
 The entire airport has been lighted with the most modern equip- 
 ment. Safety devices have been installed for the control of aircraft, 
 both in the air and on the ground; and these, combined with the dual 
 parallel runways, make Chicago's Municipal Airport the safest, most 
 advanced, and most capacious commercial airport in the world. 
 
 Construction was begun on the new million dollar terminal building 
 and passenger station toward the end of 1945 and is rapidly nearing 
 completion. 
 
 At the beginning of 1933 there were six scheduled airlines serving 
 a very limited portion of the United States. In 1946 ten scheduled air- 
 lines connected Chicago with the entire world. The growth of the 
 Municipal Airport is best illustrated by the following figures: 
 
 Planes 
 
 Scheduled Plane Movements 
 Non-scheduled Plane Movements 
 
 1932 
 
 1946 
 
 22,554 
 
 119,851 
 
 38,593 
 
 70,551 
 
 Passengers 
 
 Scheduled 92,112 2,488,191 
 
 Non-scheduled 8,735 110,251 
 
 U. S. Mail (lbs.) 1,676,044 8,881,658 
 
 Express 58,203 19,528,768 
 
 302
 
 4^A'^ 
 
 The present municipal airport is one of the major achievements of the 
 Bureau of Parks, Recreation and Aviation. 
 
 Chicago Orchard Airport 
 
 An airport bond issue for $15,000,000 was approved by the voters 
 in June, 1945, for the purpose of acquiring a new airport site suffi- 
 ciently large to take care of Chicago's needs for the next twenty years. 
 The Mayor appointed an Airport Selection Committee, which chose 
 the site of the so-called Douglas Airport. This action was later con- 
 firmed by the City Council. 
 
 In the Spring of 1946 the United States Army — through the War 
 Assets Administration — turned over to the city 1,080 acres of land 
 northwest of the city, which had been used as an airport, principally 
 for testing planes manufactured on adjoining property by the Douglas 
 Aircraft Company. This airport, with its improvements, including 
 four concrete runways, is now being operated by the city. 
 
 The new airport will cost approximately $45,000,000. As set forth 
 above, $15,000,000 has already been authorized, and is now being used 
 for acquisition of land and initial airport construction. To finance 
 
 >- «;■■'■ 
 
 ■•■.~,:.-'j<^.<-yf^-- 
 
 303
 
 •<«gw&?^irA'^va?y/r-%'"Jtw.'g^ia5Hg^^aL ' -fctivag^ , > 
 
 BEFORE . . . 
 
 . . . AND AFTER 
 
 ', J
 
 This field house, 
 designed by the 
 city architect, is 
 a model for 
 other fieldhouses 
 that will be built 
 in the future by 
 the Bureau of 
 Parks, Recrea- 
 tion and Avia- 
 tion. 
 
 the remaining $30,000,000, it is expected that aid will be obtained 
 from state and Federal governments. This, plus money obtained 
 through the sale of revenue bonds, will cover the remaining cost. 
 The sale of revenue bonds has already been authorized by the state 
 legislature and committees of Congress have now reached agreement 
 on Federal aid. 
 
 The construction of this huge new airport will assure Chicago of 
 an air terminal second to none in size or safety. Its unequalled 
 facilities are expected to attract many airlines to establish head- 
 quarters here and this will bring employment to many in the Chicago 
 area. It will permit the use of more and larger airplanes, thus pro- 
 moting a further increase in air travel. 
 
 The construction of the new airport — with construction of the 
 Northwest Superhighway for rapid transportation to and from cen- 
 tral business district — will assure Chicago of its continuing place as 
 the center of national and world travel. 
 
 Lake Front Landing Strip 
 
 The City of Chicago in 1946 leased from the Chicago Park District 
 the greater portion of Northerly Island for the purpose of establishing 
 thereon an airplane landing strip. This strip will be in use in 1947 
 and will make it possible for executive and private planes to fly close 
 to the heart of the Loop. It should be a boon to the ever-increasing 
 number of air passengers and private fliers who will use this modern 
 facility. 
 
 Playgrounds 
 
 Thirty new recreational units were established by the bureau from 
 1933 to 1946. Nine of these were regularly equipped and supervised 
 playgrounds, seventeen were playlots and playfields and four were 
 recreation centers. 
 
 The popularity of these municipal playgrounds was evidenced by 
 
 305
 
 
 
 This empty lot, photographed in October, 1941, was an eyesore and a 
 
 liability to the neighborhood. 
 
 I 
 
 NOW LOOK!
 
 the fact that in June, 1945, and again in June, 1946, the public by an 
 overwhelming majority each time voted a $2,000,000 bond issue for 
 the estabhshment of more playgrounds throughout the city. These 
 playgrounds will be located in conformity with the master plan 
 recommended by the Chicago Plan Commission. 
 
 Parks and Parkways 
 
 Two major parkway improvements were undertaken during the 
 period from 1932 to 1946. One of these was the 95th Street Parkway, 
 from State Street to Western Avenue, a wide parkway three miles 
 long, which was improved with trees, kiwns and concrete curbs, 
 making 95th Street one of the most beautiful highways in the city. 
 Similarly, Ogden Avenue, from Randolph to Fry Street, was im- 
 proved with a high concrete curb and pkuited with trees and shrubs, 
 making this very important artery also one of the most beautiful. 
 
 Other improvements included the Dorchester Avenue Parkway, 
 47th Place and Dorchester Avenue, and the complete rehabilitation 
 of Auburn Lakes, 78th Street and Normal Avenue, and of Navy 
 Pier Park, Grand Avenue and Streeter Drive. 
 
 Beaches 
 
 Although the 79th Street beach was closed by the building of the 
 filtration plant, the bureau still operates the highly popular Rainbow 
 Beach and Rogers Park Beach, as well as twenty-six street-end beaches. 
 
 Rainbow Park and Beach are being greatly improved by the addition 
 of land, sandfill, the building of a seawall and landscaping of the 
 entire area. 
 
 City Forestry 
 
 The City Forestry Division of the bureau has grown, due to con- 
 stant demand of citizens for removal of trees, to a point where it is 
 now taking down thousands of dead and dangerous trees each year. 
 In 1946, 6,401 trees were removed, compared to 1,750 removed in 
 1932. The City Forestry Division is also called upon to remove trees 
 blown down by storms. 
 
 307
 
 'IkUu^ We 
 
 TAKE FOR GRANTED 
 
 Chicago's water system, sewers, bridges, 
 paved streets, street lights, paries, air- 
 ports, harbors and other municipal facil- 
 ities owned by the people are estimated 
 to be worth at least $1,000 per person! 
 
 We take them tor granted, but what if: 
 We presented Dad with a bill for $1,000 
 when the new baby arrived? 
 
 Or charged an admission fee of $1,000 
 per person, for anyone or any family 
 that decided to move into our beautiful 
 city! 
 
 iiiiiiiiiiiittii 
 
 TOLL GATE 
 
 ADMI^^ION FEE 
 
 ^igooop 
 
 J^MItlta 
 
 Imagine what it would be like to have to go 
 to the corner pump for every drop of water 
 we used — 
 
 Or lines of people waiting to get into old- 
 fashioned outhouses? 
 J ... 
 
 Or had to get around this river town 
 without the help of bridges? 
 
 Or had to get along with mud streets? 
 
 IFe, and our Chicago ancestors, paid for these 
 valuable public conveniences — without which 
 Chicago could not exist. Taking care of them 
 and constantly improving and extending them is 
 a great responsibility and a high achievement in 
 the science of Municipal Administration. 
 
 308
 
 Navy Pier 
 
 THE BUREAU OF 
 
 RIVERS AND HARBORS 
 
 keeps 'em sailing! 
 
 The Bureau of Rivers and Harbors is charged with the responsi- 
 biUty of administering the affairs of the Port of Chicago. This includes 
 Chicago and Calumet Harbors, the lake front, and the Chicago and 
 Calumet Rivers with their respective branches and slips. It is respon- 
 sible for the operation of 55 bridges, requiring the services of 344 
 bridge-tenders. In addition, it is in complete charge of the operation 
 of Navy Pier. 
 
 Between 1933 and 1946 this bureau issued 1,221 permits for the 
 construction, rebuilding and repairing of 92,300 lineal feet of dock 
 work, for dredging, towing and miscellaneous work within 40 feet 
 of the water line. Total fees collected for these permits was $54,700. 
 
 309
 
 William J. Lynch, Chicago 
 Harbor Master. 
 
 River hnprovetnents 
 
 The rehabilitation of the north branch of the Chicago River from 
 the dam near Albany Avenue to Lawndale Avenue was performed 
 as a WPA project, sponsored and supervised by the bureau. This 
 involved the placement of a 30-foot concrete slab in the bed of the 
 stream to prevent the recurrence of stagnant pools or backv^ater. 
 General channel corrections were made, including riprapping of the 
 side slopes, reinforcement of banks at river bends and tree removal. 
 The placement of timbered cored levees to increase the cross section 
 area of stream where flooding occurs in times of high stage was 
 accomplished. Painting of existing bridges over the stream, the place- 
 ment of barricades and miscellaneous other work added to the sight- 
 liness of the stream and its right of way. This work was done at a 
 cost of $250,000. 
 
 Improvements At Navy Pier 
 
 The start of the Civil Works Administration program, followed by 
 WPA, and supported by city funds, enabled the city to accomplish 
 the $409,000 rehabilitation program at Navy Pier. 
 
 This included the rehabilitation of passenger sheds with additions, 
 alterations and installation of heating, backwalHng and other facilities 
 to enable the Navy Pier to be used for convention and exhibition pur- 
 poses. Upon completion of this work over 300,000 square feet of display 
 space became available for year-round use. Large trade shows and 
 exhibitions were held in these spaces with outstanding success. Con- 
 vention exhibits have occupied as much as four miles of displays at 
 one time. Visitors in Chicago to attend these Navy Pier conventions 
 are estimated to have reached more than 4,000,000. 
 
 In July, 1941, the United States Navy assumed occupancy of the 
 pier and established intensive training courses for young men in vari- 
 
 310
 
 ous branches of Navy activity. During 1943 the Navy constructed the 
 pile and timber deck pier, 33 feet wide by 500 feet long, in the slip 
 south of Navy Pier, where the aircraft carriers Wolverine and Sable 
 are now berthed. 
 
 University Leases Pier 
 
 After the war negotiations were completed for the lease up to 
 1954 by the University of Illinois of the north transit shed, the recrea- 
 tion end, certain exclusive parking privileges and partial occupancy 
 of the Navy drill hall. Under this lease, the university agrees to main- 
 
 Fifty-five bridges are operated by personnel of the Bureau of Rivers and 
 Harbors. 
 
 311
 
 tain the premises, furnish heat and pay the city $117,000 annually as 
 rent. In addition the university assumes the obligation of restoring 
 certain installations made by the Navy. For this restoration work, the 
 university has set up a fund of $252,000 in escrow. 
 
 A settlement agreement has also been reached between the city and 
 the Federal government for termination of the Navy's lease of the 
 pier. Under terms of this settlement, the city is to acquire title to 
 the structures erected by the Navy on the pier and adjoining property, 
 including drill hall, new mess hall, storage shed and carrier pier. 
 
 WAA Uses Pier for Sales 
 
 The city cooperated with the War Assets Administration in grant- 
 ing permission to make temporary utilization of the convention spaces 
 (second level) of Navy Pier in order that surplus goods could be sold 
 to World War II veterans. 
 
 Another lease provided for occupancy by the War Assets Adminis- 
 tration of 224,000 square feet of space in the south transit shed. Under 
 terms of the lease, the War Assets Administration will pay the entire 
 cost of remodeling the premises and of furnishing heat, janitor services 
 and general maintenance after construction. In addition, the agree- 
 ment will include a restoration obligation. The lease will produce a 
 net revenue of' $102,000 for the first year and $116,000 net for the 
 following years. 
 
 The lifting of a bridge calls for an enormous amount of power. Tliis is 
 the machine room of the South Western Avenue bridge. 
 
 312
 
 View looking west on West Wrightwood Avenue, showing completed 
 svibway under Milwaukee Road tracks. 
 
 SPECIAL IMPROVEMENTS 
 
 help fo eUminafe dangerous 
 crossings and traffic bottlenecks. 
 
 With its growing population and correspond- 
 ing increase in vehicles, Chicago — which is inter- 
 woven with railroads — presents a complicated 
 problem in expediting and safeguarding street 
 traffic. 
 
 Chicago is unique among large cities because 
 it is the national hub of all railroad, aviation and 
 industrial activities. In order to untangle and separate the different 
 kinds of traffic, a great deal of track elevation must be carried out. 
 The resulting structures under these elevations also require con- 
 struction. 
 
 Many of our important thoroughfares are still totally or partly 
 blocked at certain locations by railroad embankments. Some of these 
 thoroughfares were widened for great distances to facilitate the move- 
 ment of a large volume of traffic, only to be suddenly constricted in 
 places where obsolete railroad structures exist. 
 
 313
 
 In the last fourteen years serious consideration has been given to 
 breaking down "Chinese Walls" and bottlenecks caused by railroads 
 which separate contiguous communities within our city. As a result, 
 material progress has been made in the designing and construction of 
 many meritorious projects. These projects are the good works of the 
 Special Improvements Division of the Department of Public Works. 
 
 Since 1933, fourteen improvements were completed at a total cost 
 of $12,050,000 in various sections of the city. The curtailment of 
 materials and the shortage of manpower during the war years and 
 present unsettled post-war conditions have prevented the construc- 
 tion of more than $4,000,000 of additional projects. These involved 
 the elimination of railroad grade crossings, traffic hazards and bottle- 
 necks. They also provided for the opening of streets across railroad 
 rights of way throughout the city. 
 
 Kelly^s Pay-As-You-Go Financing 
 
 In the fourteen years prior to 1933 all improvements were paid for 
 partly out of special assessments levied against property owners and 
 partly out of money raised by public bond issue. In 1933 a new and sound 
 basis of financing was introduced by Mayor Kelly. All improvements 
 completed after that time, with the exception of Ogden Avenue be- 
 tween Cornell and Rees Street, were financed on a "pay as you go" 
 plan with money obtained from the city's share of motor fuel tax, 
 grants from the Federal government and participation in the expense 
 by the railroads. Not one cent was paid for these subsequent improve- 
 ments by special assessments against property owners. 
 
 The East 103rd Street viaduct, which carries traffic safely and swiftly 
 over Nickel Plate and C. & W. I. tracks, is more than 1,000 feet long. 
 
 --Xi 
 
 ,»■». 
 
 s:
 
 WfciijIiH 'iiii'i I I 
 
 Mllltlilllllfeail—llliMiig-T ■ u — .— . 
 
 i Wf i iwiWMw I — il l I I I II I mmmmmmiiimm»imime»i 
 
 (SsaBsasofiKK2BS5«pa..®4'ii ft^fomaffiaue - 
 
 "'"W HB I i ' ii iiiifi ii i l 
 
 Looking through the barrel of the subway roadway of the North Austin 
 Avenue improvement between Bloomingdale and Courtland. 
 
 How to Save $750,000 
 
 The present trend in financing railroad grade separations in some 
 sections of the country is based on the theory that the railroads should 
 participate only to the extent of proven benefits to the railroad — in 
 most cases not to exceed 10 per cent of the cost of construction. Various 
 municipal, state and governmental agencies have entered into agree- 
 ments on this basis. 
 
 The policy of the City of Chicago is to present the individual merits 
 of each case, which are argued before the Illinois Commerce Commis- 
 sion by the Corporation Counsel, assisted by public works engineers. 
 As a result the city has obtained orders from the commission appor- 
 tioning from 20 to 40 per cent of the cost of various projects against 
 the railroads. The resultant savings to the city on ten of these projects 
 completed in the last fourteen years is approximately $750,000. This 
 has been accomplished despite the use by the railroads of some of 
 their highest officials and expert witnesses to testify for them. 
 
 Railroad Track Elevation and Depression 
 
 A phase of city development in which comparatively little progress 
 has been made since 1919 is the elimination of railroad grade crossings 
 and the opening of streets blocked by railroad embankments. Largely 
 
 315
 
 due to the inability of the railroads to finance large expenditures, the 
 City of Chicago has been limited to the construction of individual 
 grade separation structures, most of which have been designed and 
 constructed in the last fourteen years by the Special Improvements 
 Division. 
 
 In the last six years, the division has succeeded in securing authority 
 for preliminary planning of a comprehensive program, involving eight 
 railroads and 23.4 miles of roadbed. When these roadbeds are elevated 
 or depressed, they will eliminate 104 of the most dangerous and in- 
 convenient grade crossings in Chicago. What this will mean in terms 
 of life and limb may be gathered from the fact that in one year five 
 fatalities and 178 accidents occurred on just one of these railroads. 
 
 In portions of the city where development has been rapid and traffic 
 volume greatly increased, there are a number of tracks over which 
 high speed streamliner and suburban passenger trains operate with a 
 toll of pedestrian and vehicular accidents. At other locations, long 
 freight trains and switching movements, in and out of terminal yards, 
 constitute a source of annoying and expensive delays to the free move- 
 ment of pedestrians and vehicles and to commercial deliveries. 
 
 The Federal government, recognizing the importance of this work, 
 has allotted $100,000 to the city for making complete plans and speci- 
 fications on these projects. The demand for immediate action from 
 the fast-growing outlying sections of the city makes it imperative 
 that these projects be carried on to completion. 
 
 The grade separation projects planned by the Special Improvements 
 Division have taken their place as part of the seven-year Greater 
 Chicago program. They constitute a start on removing the remaining 
 grade crossing hazards. In some cases the work immediately pro- 
 Subway at 74th and Damen — eliniinatino another rail crossing hazard. 
 
 f -I. „.€!.,..#.
 
 Scene of a proposed and much needed improvement at 87th Street before 
 construction had begun. 
 
 This is the same location as tliat shown in the picture at the top of the 
 page after the improvement had been completed in 1946. 
 
 **"" ""*1 ^^ 
 
 317
 
 posed involves the reconstruction of obsolete underpasses which are 
 a threat to the safe movement of today's heavy volume of vehicular 
 traffic; in other cases they consist of the opening of presently blocked 
 streets. In all cases, their construction will definitely facilitate the 
 movement of traffic, and will materially reduce accidents. 
 
 In addition to the projects specifically included in the seven-year 
 program, the general grade separation studies made by the Special 
 Improvement Division will be continued and pressure will be main- 
 tained to get the railroads to pay their fair share of these urgently 
 needed improvements. 
 
 Pedestrian Suhtvays 
 
 There are many communities in which the residential district is 
 separated from the shopping district, schools, recreational facilities, 
 transportation and churches by railroad embankments which require 
 long detours to reach them. A number of these dangerous short-cuts 
 have been replaced by the division with safe pedestrian subways. 
 
 Construclion of viaduct at Ogden and Cicero Avenues.
 
 CHICAGO'S BOARD OF 
 
 brings the knowledge of all lands, arts and 
 sciences to 400,000 students each year! 
 
 Since 1917 the Board of Education of the City of Chicago, under 
 the provisions of the Otis Act, has been a separate body poHtic and 
 corporate from the City of Chicago. It passes its own budget, selects 
 its own employees and is charged by law with the duty of providing 
 educational facilities for approximately 400,000 pupils. Under the Otis 
 Law, the affairs of the Board of Education are governed by a board 
 consisting of eleven members appointed by the Mayor for definite 
 terms with the approval of the City Council. These members of the 
 B9ard of Education serve without any compensation whatsoever. The 
 board selects three executive officers: the Superintendent of Schools, 
 who has charge of the educational department and the employees 
 therein; the Business Manager, who has charge of the business de- 
 partment and employees therein; and the Attorney, who has charge 
 of the legal matters pertaining to the board. 
 
 School Conditions in 1933 Required 
 Extraordinary Measures 
 
 In 1933 the school system was in a deplorable condition. Unpaid 
 school teachers were parading the streets to arouse public interest in 
 their efiforts to collect 26 million dollars in back salaries. Business 
 men were importuning the board for payment of accounts totaling 
 5 million dollars for supplies delivered but not paid for. Credit for 
 
 319
 
 James B. McCahey, president of the Board of Education. 
 
 additional supplies was refused. Tax warrants found no market. The 
 shaken morale of the unpaid teachers had an immediate effect on the 
 pupils, thousands of whom were housed in long neglected school 
 buildings, in tin portables or in inadequate rented quarters. The 
 situation called for prompt and drastic action. The only alternative 
 offered to that of closing the schools, as many suggested, was the 
 elimination of many activities regarded by leading educators as least 
 necessary. This was done. The board made a reduction in the 1933 
 annual budget of $19,000,000, thereby keeping the schools open. 
 Through the efforts of the Mayor and the cooperation of the legis- 
 lature, necessary legislation was passed enabling the board to apply 
 for a Federal loan. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation thereupon 
 made a loan of $22,300,000 to the Board of Education to pay six 
 months' back salaries to teachers and other employees. The outstand- 
 ing bonded indebtedness of the board immediately after the loan 
 was $41,900,000. As of 1947, the outstanding total bonded indebted- 
 ness will be less than $16,000,000. 
 
 Improved Finances 
 
 As a result of the carefully planned program of refinancing school 
 matters, as well as operating the schools without curtailment of es- 
 sential activities, the board was enabled to reestablish its credit so that 
 when it sold tax warrants, instead of paying 6 per cent per year, the 
 interest rate rapidly was reduced to less than 1% per cent; bond in- 
 
 320
 
 terest rates now are reduced from 4% per cent to lY^ per cent per 
 annum. All this has been done with the lowest tax rate for educational 
 purposes of practically any school district in Cook County; the rate 
 of the City of Chicago being approximately $1.33, as compared with 
 rates of other Cook County communities, which range from |1.50 to 
 |3.11 per $100 of assessed valuation. 
 
 New Buildings 
 
 Throughout the past ten years conditions have continued to be 
 improved until today the children are housed in school buildings well 
 ventilated, properly lighted and heated, safe and sanitary. Since 1935 
 and up to the beginning of the war, the board constructed 9 new 
 high schools, 14 additions to existing high schools, 30 elementary 
 schools, 40 additions to elementary schools and 5 stadiums. Over 300 
 existing school buildings have been thoroughly rehabilitated and re- 
 decorated. There are no more tin portables or rented stores. The 
 teachers have been fully paid. Current bills for supplies are discounted. 
 Tax warrants of the board find a ready market at lowest interest 
 rates. School finances are in excellent condition. 
 
 The physical assets of the board have a value in excess of one- 
 quarter billion dollars. It maintains 333 elementary schools, 40 high 
 schools, 5 vocational schools, a junior college with 3 branches, a 
 teachers college, upwards of 25 special schools, lunchrooms, kinder- 
 gartens, physical improvement centers, hospital schools and many other 
 units. Not only were new school buildings erected to take care of 
 increased school population but parts of old buildings which a survey 
 showed no longer met educational standards for school housing were 
 
 School woodworking shops feature modern equipment.
 
 walking lesson in tlie Special School, 
 ichers in this school are medically trained. 
 
 Chicago Teachers College is one of the moi 
 advanced institutions of its type in the U. J 
 
 replaced with new structures. At the present time, there are 6 build- 
 ings and additions under construction. The Bureau of Building Sur- 
 vey is constantly studying not only present but also future needs 
 for schools and school sites and at the present time a number of sites 
 for future schools are under condemnation in the courts. 
 
 These new schools and additions have been located on all sides 
 of the city after a thorough survey of the educational needs of old 
 and new communities. Among the high schools erected during this 
 period are the Dunbar, Wells, Sieinmetz, Taft, Lane, DuSable, South 
 Shore, Chicago Vocational and Gage Park. Public stadiums have 
 been erected at 82nd and Yates, Central Avenue and Fullerton Ave- 
 nue, Roosevelt Road and Central Avenue, Lane High School and 
 Damen Avenue and Foster Avenue. 
 
 Defense and War Activities 
 
 During this period the national defense program was inaugurated, 
 in which the Board of Education took an important part, pardcularly 
 in providing faciHties for training men and women in the crafts 
 essential to the national defense. After December 7, 1941, efforts 
 in national defense became war eflforts and the schools continued 
 to offer their facilities and services freely to the United States gov- 
 ernment. One hundred and sixteen thousand civilians were trained for 
 national defense and for work in war industries in courses offered 
 in the Chicago public schools. Salvage drives for metal, paper and 
 rubber were held throughout the schools. The schools were open for 
 registration for selective service and for the rationing programs under 
 OPA. The children in the schools and the employees of the schools 
 
 322
 
 purchased war stamps and war bonds in the amount of $60,706,658. 
 The last school to be used by the United States government in the 
 service was the Chicago Vocational School, which was turned back by 
 the U. S. Navy to the Chicago school system in April of 1946. 
 
 Veterans Schools 
 
 Now the schools are continuing their contacts with the United 
 States government in an extensive GI training program for returned 
 veterans under the GI Bill of Rights and, as of today, 11,629 veterans 
 are being trained and prepared for crafts and professions in Chicago 
 public schools. Today there are three of these schools, the Tilden on 
 the south side, the Crane Technical High School on the west side and 
 Schurz High School on the north side, in which there are special 
 physical facilities and special teaching corps for GIs only. Veterans 
 schools are organized on all levels from elementary through the 
 junior college. In addition, the 40 day high schools and 8 evening 
 high schools have made special arrangements for assisting those who 
 returned after an interrupted educational period caused by the war. 
 
 Accreditation of Schools 
 
 Throughout the 14 years which have passed and since 1933, all 
 the schools of the City of Chicago have been accredited by the ac- 
 
 Wholesome hot meals are served to school children at nominal prices.
 
 lad is working on a craft project in the 
 rtal school for shut-ins. 
 
 An elementary school adjustment teacht 
 works with a pupil. 
 
 crediting agencies. While much has appeared recently in the public 
 prints regarding a threat of withholding the accreditation of Chicago 
 high schools in the future, such threat is not based upon a charge 
 that Chicago schools are not of a high standard or lacking in educa- 
 tional quaUfications, but on the specific objection of certain persons 
 having to do with such accreditation, to the existing provisions of 
 the Otis Law regarding the method of selecting board members and 
 the provision setting up the central organization of the Chicago 
 schools. 
 
 Teacher Qualifications 
 During the past 14 years standards for quahfying for teaching 
 services have been constantly raised in both elementary and high 
 schools. For instance, the elementary teachers are required now to 
 attend Teachers College for four years, whereas formerly the require- 
 ment was three years; the high school teachers must, for all academic 
 certificates, have master's degrees in their subjects. 
 
 Trade and Vocational Schools 
 
 For many years the high school curriculum was designed to em- 
 phasize the academic phase of education; but a survey was made that 
 showed that, of the students who went to high school, less than 10 
 per cent went on to college. The board concluded that something 
 should be done for further training for the 90 per cent who did not 
 go on to college. Educational, business, industrial and labor leaders 
 were called upon for advice and help, and as a result there was intro- 
 duced into the school system a plan of real vocational training for 
 the high school students. Trade schools also were established where 
 mechanics could attend at night or during the day and further equip 
 
 324
 
 or perfect themselves for better or more important positions in the 
 world of industry. Industrial leaders, acting as committees, contributed 
 not only valuable advice but also saved thousands of dollars on the 
 cost of equipment and in some cases even contributed valuable equip- 
 ment. The result is that today the public schools of the City of Chi- 
 cago stand in the forefront of vocational training throughout the 
 country. The Washburne Trade School, Dunbar Trade School, Man- 
 ley Trade and Vocational School, Chicago Vocational, Westcott and 
 Richards Trade Schools have attracted nation-wide interest because 
 of the quality of the training made available in these institutions. 
 
 Textbooks 
 
 Another subject that early claimed attention was the cost of text- 
 books. By law, the Board of Education of Chicago must supply 
 free textbooks to its students, but another statute in force in 1933 
 required that those textbooks should be selected from a list which 
 had a fixed price for each book regardless of the number bought. The 
 Chicago Board of Education found, for instance, that a reader which 
 cost Chicagoans 72c was selling for 36c in Texas schools. The board 
 advocated the passage of a law making it possible for it to buy text- 
 books through competitive bidding. The legislature cooperated by 
 passing the law and as a result $150,000 a year was saved the Chicago 
 taxpayers on textbook purchases. 
 
 A room in the special school, equipped with highly specialized appliances. 
 
 325
 
 Evening high school. A mechanical drawing class at Schurz. 
 
 Jones Commercial High School 
 
 The Jones Commercial High School at Harrison and Plymouth 
 Court, a school devoted exclusively to training in modern stenograph- 
 ic, accounting and secretarial work, was established to enable high 
 school students who had started those subjects to continue their 
 training to better qualify them for positions in the business world. 
 The business men of Chicago have found its graduates very well 
 qualified. 
 
 Lunchroom Facilities 
 
 In all public high schools and in many of the elementary schools, 
 hot, nutritious lunches are served at cost to the pupils. In cases where, 
 for any reason, a child would go hungry because of lack of money 
 to pay for the lunches, teachers and lunchroom managers see to it 
 that the child is served a free lunch, without the knowledge of any of 
 his fellow pupils. In addition to the milk served in the lunchrooms, ap- 
 proximately 91,000 bottles of milk are served daily at 2c per bottle to 
 the children in schools not equipped for hot lunch service. All milk 
 served must pass rigid inspection and be approved by the Health 
 Department. 
 
 326
 
 Instruction by Radio and Television 
 
 In accordance with the poHcy of the Board o£ Education to adopt 
 all improvements in educational methods, it inaugurated and de- 
 veloped instruction by radio, television and motion pictures in its high 
 and elementary schools. The Chicago schools are among the leaders 
 in the use of these valuable modern educational aids. 
 
 Intercultural Relations 
 
 Intercultural and race relations have a definite place in the 
 school program. 
 
 Reading Efficiency 
 
 A special program for developing reading efficiency, which has 
 served as a model for schools throughout the country, has been work- 
 ing successfully in Chicago public schools for the past ten years. 
 
 Kindergarten in each Elementary School 
 
 Kindergarten facilities have been expanded to every elementary 
 school in the system. 
 
 Reserve Officer Training 
 
 Ten thousand high school students are receiving the benefits of 
 R.OT.C. training in military tactics and also in leadership. 
 
 Adult Education 
 
 Twelve thousand adults avail themselves every year of evening 
 school courses in different schools in the city. They learn to read and 
 write the English language, complete their elementary school educa- 
 tion for elementary school diplomas, continue and complete their high 
 school education for high school diplomas, take advantage of two 
 
 Study room in a Chicago school for war veterans. 
 
 327
 
 year junior college work, and learn hand crafts. In addition to this, 
 there are approximately 6,000 adults enrolled in Americanization 
 classes in the schools, most of whom are preparing for American 
 citizenship. 
 
 Libraries are maintained in all of our high schools and 312 elemen- 
 tary schools. 
 
 Student, Parent, Teacher Interview Day 
 
 Another valuable educational aid introduced in and used by the 
 Chicago schools is the parent, teacher, student interview day for 
 the purpose of guiding the student in deciding the fields of his future 
 activities. In all schools the meeting of the parent, teacher and student 
 for the purpose of giving consideration to choosing the student's next 
 educational step has resulted in saving the student months of wasted 
 effort in trying to find the type of work to which he is best adapted. 
 
 Class Loads, Adjustment Service and Counselling 
 
 In the last ten years the following valuable services have been 
 inaugurated and developed in the Chicago public school system: 
 adjustment service in elementary and high schools, placement 
 counselling in the high schools, attendance counselling in high 
 schools, libraries in elementary schools, reduction in teacher load 
 from 41.5 to 33.5 in the elementary schools and from 32.1 to 25.7 in the 
 high schools. 
 
 Health, Physical Education and Recreation 
 
 It is in the last decade that the greatest progress has been made 
 in health, physical education and recreation. In 1937, a weekly period 
 of health instruction was added to the program of all high school 
 students. In the fall of that same year a plan of health guidance and 
 instruction was initiated to include all the elementary schools. 
 
 Anticipating the increased fitness demands upon youth, Chicago 
 introduced in 1941 a daily instead of weekly period of health and 
 physical education. 
 
 During the war, class work emphasized the development of greater 
 strength, endurance, stamina, and bodily coordination through diversi- 
 fied activities, including conditioning exercises, tumbling and stunts, 
 sports, rugged mass games, apparatus, swimming and team games. 
 
 During the last ten years many school gymnasiums, play fields and 
 swimming pools have been rehabilitated with modern equipment. 
 Recreation facilities were increased, including the building of five 
 athletic fields for intramural and interscholastic sports. , 
 
 The sports' program in the high schools has been extended to 
 include nineteen different sports. The highlights of this program are 
 the annual charity football and basketball games between the cham- 
 
 328
 
 ARITHMETIC LESSON 
 
 m 
 
 u 
 
 
 III 33 CUi^ >^l,.i^■t^/ 
 
 M^t WANT 
 
 m 
 
 1933 
 
 OWED $26 MILLION IN BACK 
 SALARIES TO TEACHERS 
 WHO WERE PARADING THE 
 STREETS. 
 
 OWED $5 MILLION IN BACK BILLS FOR 
 SUPPLIES. 
 
 1947 
 
 THERE ARE 
 NO UNPAID 
 TEACHERS. 
 
 THERE ARE 
 
 NO UNPAID 
 
 BILLS. 
 
 TOTAL INDEBTEDNESS WAS MORE THAN 
 $40 MILLION. 
 
 OUTSTANDING 
 
 BONDED 
 
 INDEBTEDNESS 
 
 LESS THAN 
 
 $16 MILLION. 
 
 ITS TAX WARRANTS COST 6% INTEREST 
 PER YEAR. 
 
 ITS BONDS COST 43/4% INTEREST PER 
 YEAR. 
 
 BOND INTER 
 
 EST RATES 
 
 HAVE BEEN 
 
 REDUCED TO 
 
 l'/4%. 
 
 329
 
 'X. 
 
 fi^'^'^^ 
 
 Current trends club — a typical activity at Wright Junior College. 
 
 /5 
 
 Chicago's school playgrounds are spacious and enclosed with protective 
 fencing. 
 
 330
 
 Students in the K.O.l.C. parade down Michigan Avenue. 
 
 pions of the Public School League and those of the Catholic School 
 League. 
 
 Recreational facilities for boys and girls have been increased through 
 the operation of twenty-five high school swimming pools each summer 
 since 1937, providing an opportunity for learning to swim and water 
 safety. 
 
 Fifty dental clinics, staffed by Board of Health dentists, were built 
 and are maintained by the Board of Education. 
 
 More than a thousand well-trained and qualified personnel are 
 employed to carry on the broad program of health, physical education 
 and recreation. 
 
 Community Centers 
 
 Plans have been formulated to provide a city-wide program of 
 making many of the public schools of Chicago community centers 
 through cooperation with the Chicago Park District, which is estab- 
 lishing small parks and playgrounds adjacent to such school build- 
 ings. 
 
 It is planned that the school facilities will be operated in connection 
 with the park program for the community. Not only will the students 
 have these facilities available but all residents of Chicago will have 
 the use of school auditoriums and other facilities every afternoon and 
 
 331
 
 One of Chicago's well-equipped kindergartens. 
 
 evening during the week. Thus, practically every section of Chicago 
 will have the opportunity for community assemblies, indoor enter- 
 tainment and athletic contests of every kind. 
 
 Such a plan can be put into operation more readily as a result of 
 the program inaugurated by the school board some time ago of 
 constructing new school buildings and reconstructing those already 
 erected so that auditoriums and gymnasiums of the school buildings 
 may be operated as separate units. 
 
 It is expected that this plan will be useful in solving not only the 
 wants and needs of the communities at large but will be a helpful 
 factor in curbing juvenile delinquency. 
 
 The program of the schools for weekly dances and other similar 
 entertainments for the young folks will be expanded. 
 
 Music 
 
 The music education program in the last ten years has been one 
 which has received outstanding civic, music and educational recog- 
 nition both locally and nationally. The major activities are the city- 
 wide choral, band, orchestra, class piano, solo voice, and instrumental 
 competitions and festivals. 
 
 All the schools emphasize the patriotic and American theme in 
 song. There is increased emphasis on assembly and community 
 singing. Christmas carol programs take on a deeper meaning through 
 the realization that America is one of the few countries today where 
 Christmas is still celebrated. The national anthem is sung every day. 
 
 332
 
 The high schools respond to many requests to appear at community 
 functions. 
 
 These have all proved to be motivating influences in the lives of 
 the students of the Chicago public schools, as well as a challenge to 
 and a prevention of delinquency among our youth. 
 
 The beautiful Christmas choral programs have established a 
 bond of understanding between our schools, the students, and our 
 city and civic life as a whole. Outstanding musical organizations 
 such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Civic 
 Opera cooperate with the schools by providing opportunities for at- 
 tendance at regular performances and children's concerts, and for 
 actual participation in some programs. 
 
 Art 
 
 Art education in Chicago has received national and international 
 recognition through contests and exhibitions. The art development 
 of pupils in Chicago comes through the expression of the child under 
 the guidance of the teacher. All forms of art are taught in public 
 schools by a well-trained staflf, the objective being more to develop art 
 appreciation than to develop professional artists. The Art Institute 
 offers public school art students year-round opportunities, and recent 
 national competition found Chicago students receiving highest honors. 
 The Chicago Public School Art Society not only furnishes reproduc- 
 
 Blind students are provided with textbooks in Braille. 
 
 333
 
 tions of great paintings to all schools but also gives art scholarships 
 to talented high school students. 
 
 Crippled Children 
 
 First and outstanding in the field of special schools of the City of 
 Chicago are the schools for crippled children, the Spalding on the 
 west side, the Christopher and Gompers on the south side and the 
 Jahn on the north side. 
 
 The Spalding School is equipped for both elementary and high 
 school teaching, through the opening of a high school addition in 
 1942 making possible the offering of educational facilities through 
 the high school grades. The two divisions of this school will accom- 
 modate 1,130 children. 
 
 The success of these schools for crippled children, including those 
 with cardiac deficiencies and nursery school children afflicted with 
 spastic paralysis, has attracted workers in the field from all over the 
 world. Not only are the children provided with the best in educa- 
 tional care but physical improvement goes hand in hand with their 
 educational achievements. They are taken from home to school and 
 from school to home in comfortable buses especially designed for the 
 purpose. At school they receive hot lunches. They also have the 
 services of physiotherapists working under the direction of many of 
 Chicago's leading physicians. 
 
 Oral centers for children hard of hearing are provided with special 
 amplifying equipment.
 
 THE CHICAGO 
 
 Largest Circulafing Library in the World. 
 
 Educated, book-loving Chicagoans can take extraordinary pride in 
 the fact that our Public Library is the largest circulating library in the 
 world. And we are entitled to two kinds of pride — pride in the liter- 
 acy of our citizens, and pride in our city government which has 
 responded to the tremendous demand for literary treasures of all ages, 
 races and lands. 
 
 Nor are these mere euphemisms. In a city of 3,600,000 people, 
 700,000 — or nearly one fifth — have library cards, and use them. They 
 have their choice of more than two million volumes, one of the largest 
 collections in the world — and the annual book withdrawals now ex- 
 ceed 12,000,000. This means that, on the average, each book in the 
 library has six readers per year. It also means that the average Chicago 
 card holder reads approximately seventeen public library books per 
 year! 
 
 Half Century of Growth 
 
 Librarian Carl B. Roden, who has served as librarian for twenty- 
 eight years and been an employee of the library for more than fifty 
 years, can remember the day when a branch library meant a little 
 corner in a flower shop or in a neighborhood hardware store. People 
 would put in their applications for books, then wait for them to be 
 delivered from the main library downtown. Now the Chicago 
 Public Library serves 4,000 to 5,000 people daily in the main 
 library, and 30,000 or more in the institution's 59 branches. All 
 
 335
 
 Carl B. Roden, Librarian 
 
 but sixteen of these branches, it 
 might be added, are located in 
 builchngs of their own. Only 
 the advent of war, and the sub- 
 sequent housing emergency, 
 have impeded Mayor Kelly's 
 determination to see that all 
 branches of the library are 
 housed in modern structures of 
 their own. In the past ten years 
 more than $500,000 has been ex- 
 pended on branch library con- 
 struction, and many branches 
 
 have been rehoused in new and attractive quarters throughout the city. 
 For example, in Woodlawn an unsafe, antiquated building was 
 torn down and replaced with a modern structure. Through the con- 
 struction of an addition, the Blackstone Branch at 38th and Lake 
 Park Avenue was given greatly enlarged facilities. Another spacious 
 building was constructed for the South Chicago Branch, and still an- 
 other for Lakeview. Every one of these buildings not only represented 
 extensive physical improvements but also provided a great increase in 
 service and general library facihties. 
 
 Books for Schools find Communities 
 
 Every high school in the City of Chicago has a library of from 
 3,600 to 5,000 volumes. These books are paid for by the schools and 
 
 The Ella Flagg Young room, devoted to education and pedagogy. .
 
 QnJ^cdedi 
 
 CIRCULATING LIBRARY 
 IN THE WORLD 
 
 ^ ' ^ ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE CHI- 
 (^- CAGOANS HAS A LIBRARY 
 CARD. 
 
 TWELVE MILLION BOOKS ARE 
 WITHDRAWN FROM THE CHI- 
 CAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY AN- 
 NUALLY. 
 
 EACH BOOK HAS AN AVER- 
 AGE OF 6 READERS PER YEAR. 
 
 THE AVERAGE LIBRARY 
 CARD HOLDER WITH- 
 DRAWS 17 BOOKS PER 
 YEAR. 
 
 In the Last 10 Years More than $500,000 Has Been Spent on the 
 Construction of Branch Libraries. 
 
 Each Year the Library — Which Was Practically Bankrupt in 1933 — Now 
 Spends Over $350,000 to Buy New Books and Repair the Ones It Owns. 
 
 * * * 
 
 The Chicago Public Library Serves 35,000 People a Day — or Nearly 
 I I Million Patrons a Year. 
 
 The Library is a City-Wide Institution with 43 Branches Located in 
 Buildings of Their Own. 
 
 337
 
 Above: Factory door 
 service is offered lo 
 library patrons by the 
 "bookmobile." 
 
 Left: An afternoon 
 study class, meeting in 
 the Woodlawn branch 
 library. 
 
 Below: Circulation de- 
 partment and open 
 shelves of the main 
 library.
 
 
 ^ 
 
 r\ 
 
 /ae^is' 
 
 r 
 
 |v. 
 
 .M 
 
 K. 
 
 vi 
 
 Ife^ 
 
 Above: An art room 
 display in the Ran- 
 dolph Slreel corridor. 
 
 Right: Blind patron 
 reading Braille editions 
 of the Reader's Digest.
 
 The mosaic tile work and marble construction of tlie main library, viewed 
 
 from the Washington Street corridor. 
 
 supervised by the library board. The Hbrary also inaugurated a 
 book lending system in the grammar schools, sending out 50 books 
 per schoolroom twice a year. And, in addition, thousands of books 
 are loaned annually to library subscribers by means of mobile library 
 trucks which travel from community to community. 
 
 Taking the Library Out of Debt 
 
 The splendid facilities and sound financial condition of the Chi- 
 cago Public Library of today present a remarkable contrast to the 
 deplorable condition which existed in 1^33. As most of us remember, 
 the city itself was virtually bankrupt. The library was particularly hard 
 hit because its yearly income had fallen off by almost a million dollars. 
 It was necessary to cut salaries, but even then payrolls were due and 
 unpaid — and there were unpaid bills totalling $435,000. Things were 
 so bad that it was even necessary to appeal to the public for gifts of 
 books to help fill up the shelves. 
 
 At that time Mayor Kelly, through his deep and personal interest 
 in the welfare of our public library, worked night and day to obtain 
 new legislation which gave Chicago's Library Board the right to 
 make an adequate budget. It then became possible to resume the 
 prompt payment of salaries, the payment of overdue salaries, and to 
 restore a budget which would permit the purchase of new books, as 
 
 340
 
 well as keep in repair the hundreds of thousands of books in constant 
 circulation. 
 
 Today the Chicago Public Library is able to invest more than 
 $250,000 annually for new books and spend more than $100,000 for 
 the repair of volumes already on the shelves. 
 
 Gifts from England 
 
 Until the Great Fire, in 1871, there was no Chicago Public Library. 
 Immediately after this disaster, 12,000 volumes were donated by the 
 people of England as a gift to the people of Chicago. The, donors 
 included such immortals as Carlyle, Disraeli, Gladstone, Tennyson, 
 Ruskin, and Queen Victoria. The library has grown from this precious 
 nucleus to an institution which not only possesses 2,000,000 volumes of 
 b(joks but, in addition, great treasures in the form of drawings, paint- 
 ings, etchings, stereopticon slides, musical recordings, newspaper, 
 magazine and pamphlet files, as well as special recordings and books 
 in braille for the blind. 
 
 More than a million questions a year are answered by the staff of 
 the reference room, who also handle more than 30,000 phone calls for 
 information each year. These questions include such diversified sub- 
 
 The new South Chicago branch is typical of many handsome branch 
 buildings planned for the pubHc library. 
 
 341
 
 jects as "What was the highest wheat price in 1893?" "On what date 
 was the ouija board trademarked?" "How many miles is it from 
 Chicago to Mexico City?" "What's the best date to plant radishes?" 
 "What are the ingredients used in burgoo stew?" These 30,000 phone 
 calls were received entirely at the main library and were more than 
 duplicated in volume at branch libraries. The reference department 
 services include encyclopedias in seven languages, dictionaries, maga- 
 zines, newspapers and complete files of U. S., British and Office of 
 Alien Custodian patent records. 
 
 The civics and documents departments serve businessmen with 
 financial services, directories, statistics, government documents, busi- 
 ness and trade magazines, pamphlets and graphs. In addition there 
 are special departments for teachers, young people, study groups, 
 artists, and returned veterans. The art department represents the first 
 step in the planned rearrangement under which books on separate 
 subjects or groups of related subjects will be brought together in sub- 
 ject departments, equipped for reference and research as well as for 
 lending to patrons for home use. 
 
 War Services 
 
 During the war the main branch libraries served as community 
 centers for the mobilization and direction of many important war 
 activities. These included Civilian Defense organization work. Civil- 
 ian Defense and war information, and the veterans' information bu- 
 reau — which served as a general referral center in all matters relating 
 to veterans. This center specialized in education and vocational infor- 
 mation. The service was extended citywise through the branches, and 
 more than 20,000 veterans have availed themselves of this library 
 facility. 
 
 During the war the library collected, sorted and packed more than 
 8,000,000 books for men and women in the armed services, and 
 shipped these books to all parts of the world. 
 
 An Architectural Masterpiece 
 
 The central library building, located on Michigan Avenue between 
 Randolph and Washington Streets, is one of the most beautiful struc- 
 tures in the world. Its interior comprises a series of masterworks in 
 marble and mosaic. The architects of the library brought marble 
 from Carrara and Siena in Italy, Connemanra in County Galway, 
 Ireland, and in spots as widely separated as New York and the East 
 Indies. Architects and students of the fine arts from all over the world 
 for more than 50 years have admired the magnificent mosaics which 
 embellish the balustrades, columns, arches and ceilings of Chicago's 
 central public library. 
 
 342
 
 t^ 
 
 :||;away 
 
 l' fl| •% 
 
 
 iiiiiir' 
 
 
 The Reading Room of the Municipal Reference Library. 
 
 MUNICIPAL 
 
 IHIll?llIlilES^(gII MlBSi^SB^ 
 
 The Municipal Reference Library, on the tenth floor of the City 
 Hall, is a fountainhead of information on every kind of data per- 
 taining to municipal afFairs and government. Its material has grown 
 from 156,282 books and pamphlets in 1933 to 240,167 in 1946. 
 
 It contains proceedings and reports issued by the City Council, 
 departments and bureaus of the city government, the county govern- 
 ment, the board of education, the sanitary district, public library, park 
 boards; municipal ordinances of Chicago and of many other cities 
 throughout the nation; the building codes, sanitary codes, zoning 
 regulations, and traffic rules pertaining not only to Chicago but scores 
 of other cities, in addition to a vast multitude of other material. 
 
 This library is at the disposal of Chicago citizens, as well as officials 
 and employees concerned with city and county governments. It is 
 used freely by civics classes in high schools and university students. 
 Frederick Rex, librarian, has achieved a national reputation as an 
 authority on municipal affairs. Much of his time is devoted to com- 
 pihng material for aid in the preparation of ordinances. 
 
 Following are a few of the many pamphlet editions of Chicago 
 
 343
 
 ordinances published by the Municipal Reference Library and sold 
 at the cost of printing: 
 
 Building ordinances: Printed editions in 1941 and 1945; in ad- 
 dition to mimeographed reprints of chapters of the revised build- 
 ing ordinances as adopted by the City Council in 1937-1939. A 
 new edition, amended to January 1, 1947, is in the hands of the 
 printer. 
 
 Fire prevention ordinances: Printed edition in 1943; mimeo- 
 graphed reprint in 1939. New edition, amended to January 1, 
 1947, ready for printing. 
 
 Food and milk ordinances: Printed in 1942. 
 
 Defense housing code: Printed in 1942. 
 
 Heating ordinances: Mimeographed in 1937. 
 
 Plumbing ordinances: Mimeographed reprint in 1937; printed 
 editions in 1941 and 1945. 
 
 Refrigeration ordinance: Mimeographed reprints in 1936, 1937, 
 and 1946. 
 
 Undertakers ordinances: Mimeographed reprint in 1946. 
 
 Ventilation ordinance: Mimeographed reprints in 1937 and l'^M5. 
 
 Water Bureau ordinance: Mimeographed reprint in 1937. 
 
 Zoning ordinance: 1942 and 1945 editions of revised zoning 
 ordinance, with use and volume district maps. In 1937 and 1938, 
 the 1927 edition of the Chicago Zoning Ordinance was corrected 
 and brought up-to-date with the assistance of WPA workers, and 
 made available for public distribution. 
 
 In 1939 a revised edition of the Municipal Code of Chicago was 
 published by the Law Department. The sale and distribution of this 
 volume was placed in the Municipal Reference Library. Each year 
 since that date, the Law Department has issued two sets of Amend- 
 ment Inserts for the Municipal Code, which were sold and distributed 
 by this office. A new 1946 edition of the Municipal Code has just 
 been published, and is being sold in the Library. 
 
 The sale of the Chicago Electrical Code, published by the Division 
 of Electrical Inspection in 1938, was handled by the Library. 
 
 Check-list of Puhlicalions 
 
 As a means of assisting public officials, research workers, and those 
 interested in civic matters, the Municipal Reference Library in 1936 
 inaugurated the compilation of a monthly mimeographed check-list 
 of current publications, issued by the government of the City of Chi- 
 cago and the various taxing bodies in Cook County. This check-list is 
 still being issued. Copies are mailed to public officials, libraries, and 
 
 344
 
 Frederick Rex, Municipal Reference Librarian. 
 
 Others upon request. It has greatly extended the value of the library 
 as a clearing house of information and facts concerning the City of 
 Chicago and its government. 
 
 Government Charts 
 
 Because of the scarcity of material available for general distribu- 
 tion, relating to the government of Chicago, the Library, in 1936, 
 prepared and had printed a chart showing the organization of our city 
 government. Due to the large demand for this chart it was necessary 
 to have a reprint made in 1938, in order that students might have this 
 information for school use, and to fill requests from public officials 
 and the general public. A similar chart was printed showing the six 
 local governments in Cook County. 
 
 Index to Municipal Legislation 
 
 In 1937, the library published a mimeographed volume of 250 
 pages entitled "Index to Municipal Legislation" — a cumulative alpha- 
 betical subject index of municipal ordinances proposed in or adopted 
 by city councils and similar bodies, as recorded in their printed 
 official proceedings and journals. This index was completed with the 
 aid of WPA workers. It is a cumulation of 42 numbers of the 
 publication, "What Our City Councils Are Doing," issued during the 
 period from June 15, 1922 to January 1, 1936. The list is one of the 
 current pubhcations of the library which is still being issued. 
 
 Historical Chronology 
 
 Since 193S the library has been issuing a list of important events 
 in Chicago's history, arranged chronologically, and released weekly 
 by the Mayor's office throughout the year. 
 
 The Municipal Reference Library completed a compilation of the 
 biographies of the mayors of Chicago during the one hundred years 
 from 1837 to 1937, a total of thirty-seven mayors. This manuscript 
 was mimeographed with the aid of WPA workers as a Chicago 
 centennial memorial history. 
 
 Climate 
 
 Annually since the year 1935, the library has issued a compilation, 
 containing comparative statistics on the climate of the principal cities 
 
 in the United States. 
 
 345
 
 Population 
 
 In 1935, the library prepared a compilation bearing upon the pop;- 
 lation of the City of Chicago and its suburbs since 1916. The study 
 made note of the tendency of outlying centers of the city to grow at 
 a much faster rate than districts within a three-mile radius of the loop 
 or business district. 
 
 Civil Service 
 
 The civil service commissions of the city, county, state, and federal 
 government give many examinations each year. The questions asked 
 in previous examinations are constantly in demand, as well as ref- 
 erence and textbooks on the subject matter of such examinations. 
 Requests are also made for information on personnel classification, 
 mental tests and efficiency ratings, record forms, exempt titles in the 
 civil service, and laws and regulations governing civil service. For 
 positions which attract a large number cf applicants, the library 
 reprints the questions asked in previous examinations in mimeo- 
 graphed form, and distributes them to applicants at cost. 
 
 City Directory Information 
 
 The library contains the annual volumes of the Chicago City Di- 
 rectory, practically complete from 1871 to 1917, as well as the last 
 two issues of the City Directory, dated 1923 and 1928, and the first 
 City Directory issued in 1844. 
 
 The Chicago Telephone Directories from 1925 to the present date 
 are available, as well as many old volumes of the Chicago Suburban 
 Telephone Directory and the Classified Telephone Directory. 
 
 Supplementing this material, the library has on file the lists of 
 registered voters in Chicago for elections which were held in 1898, 
 1900, 1902, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1946. 
 
 The lists of automobile, truck and chauflfeurs licenses issued by the 
 Secretary of State of Illinois for 1943, 1944, 1945 and 1946 are available 
 for public inspection, and the 1947 volumes, as they appear, will be 
 forwarded to the Municipal Reference Library. 
 
 An alphabetical card file was prepared, with the aid of WPA 
 workers, listing all street names in Chicago, from the earliest maps 
 and plats of the city up to the present time. Much of the foregoing 
 material is helpful in tracing and finding the individuals sought for 
 by anxious parents, relatives, friends and others. 
 
 346
 
 "Pistol Packin' Mamas" was an act put on by a group of Hamlin Park 
 youngsters, under the auspices of the Recreation Commission at a war- 
 time OCD rally. 
 
 CHICAGO 
 COMMISSION 
 
 A new type of municipal planning and public education made its 
 appearance with the appointment of the Chicago Recreation Commis- 
 sion by Mayor Kelly, in 1934. 
 
 As its initial task the Chicago Recreation Commission conducted a 
 thorough survey of Chicago's recreational facilities and programs. The 
 resultant five volumes of the Chicago Recreation Survey, published 
 from 1937 to 1940, have been acclaimed as the most comprehensive 
 survey of its kind. 
 
 In 1935 Police Institutes, in which 96 recreation leaders gave 216 
 lectures to 4,000 uniformed policemen on the recreational resources 
 of the city, were conducted. They were repeated in 1936. The Police 
 Department has since included this material in its training course for 
 all new officers. 
 
 Free Tours for Chicagoans provided 400,000 persons with 3,000 brief 
 walking tours to historical, educational and cultural points of interest 
 in 1935-36. 
 
 The Chicago Probation Recreation Area Project, known as the 
 "Fuller Park Project," was sponsored from June, 1935, to February, 
 
 347
 
 A demonstration of shadow silhouettes stories for youngsters was given 
 during an annual recreation conference. 
 
 1937. Recreation was used here as a form of treatment for delinquent 
 and problem children. 
 
 Citizens' Recreation Training Institutes for nearly 1,000 Chicagoans 
 were conducted in 1937. Additional volunteer recreation leaders were 
 trained by the staff of the WPA training school of the commission- 
 sponsored recreation project. 
 
 Extension of Play Spaces through use of vacant property was stimu- 
 lated by the commission in 1935 and after. By 1941, four hundred lots 
 had been cleared. Of these, 150 had some supervised play and 292 had 
 some equipment. In 1940, two hundred ice skating areas were built 
 on vacant lots. 
 
 A Recreation and Juvenile Delinquency study was conducted in 
 which information was gathered on 13,516 boys and 7,900 girls be- 
 tween the ages of 10 and 17 in five areas of the city. The results were 
 published in September, 1942. 
 
 Four Thousand Workers 
 
 At the beginning of 1937 all WPA recreation projects were com- 
 bined into one city-wide project sponsored by the Chicago Recreation 
 Commission. At its peak this project assigned 4,000 workers to 250 
 Chicago agencies. From 1937 to 1941 its recreation leaders provided 
 125,000 hours of recreational guidance monthly at a cost of from 
 seven to ten millions of dollars for the four year period. The com- 
 mission also sponsored three NYA recreation projects employing 500 
 boys and girls. 
 
 348
 
 The commission's Recreation 
 and the City Plan Committee 
 has concerned itself with devel- 
 oping a long-term recreation 
 program with the Chicago Plan 
 Commission and helped develop 
 the "Master Plan for Recreation 
 Areas." 
 
 Recreation for Federal Hous- 
 ing Projects became the concern 
 of the Recreation and Housing 
 Committee. It stressed the need 
 for adequate recreation facilities 
 within each project. It also 
 pointed out that recreation must 
 be related to other community 
 factors such as education, health, fire protection, etc. 
 
 Wider Use of the School Plant for community recreational activities 
 has been the constant objective of a committee which has stimulated 
 the establishment of community and dance centers in a number of 
 
 John P. McGoorty, chairman, Chi- 
 cago Recreation Commission. 
 
 A boy and girl Drum and Bugle Corps from the Lincoln-Fullerton Com- 
 munity defense corps paraded under the auspices of the Chicago Recrea- 
 tion Commission. 
 
 349
 
 schools and the opening of swimming pools in public high schools 
 during the summer months. 
 
 Four pamphlets on the Church and Recreation, aimed to encourage 
 clergymen and churchmen to increase the use of church facilities in 
 community refcreation programs, have been published. 
 
 Beginning in 1935 and continuing through 1946 an annual one- 
 day Recreation Conference has been held with average attendance of 
 more than 3,000. These conferences have stimulated wider use of 
 recreational facilities, pointed out the need for more and better recrea- 
 tion, developed new ideas for leaders and urged programs of recreation 
 for all. 
 
 During the*war, the commission housed the headquarters of the 
 O.C.D. American Youth Reserves (later the Junior Citizens Service 
 Corps), and at present is encouraging the city-wide federation of teen- 
 age centers — the Metro-Chicago Association of Youth Canteens. 
 
 In January, 1941, the Commission called together the original group 
 that coordinated planning for recreation of servicemen in the city and 
 assisted the Chicago Commission in National Defense to establish 
 Chicago's Servicemen's Centers. 
 
 The Central Recreation Library is housed in the commission 
 offices. 
 
 Publications 
 
 A major part of the task of public education has been carried on 
 through preparation, publication and distribution of pamphlets, peri- 
 odicals and books. Important among these are: "Leisure Time Direc- 
 tory" (nine editions) 100,000 copies; "Vacationing in Chicago" (five 
 editions) 100,000 copies; "Recreation for Servicemen and Women" 
 (four editions) 125,000 copies; and "Recreation News," published 
 monthly. 
 
 A workshop demonstra- 
 tion in plastic craft at 
 an annual recreation 
 conference.
 
 The Most Reverend Bernard J. Shell talks to the members of four 
 Chicago Sports Association football teams in the presence of Mayor 
 Edward J. Kelly, Charles W. Bidwill and Thomas J. Bowler. 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 ASSOCIATION 
 
 The Chicago Sports Association, Inc., is a civic body, sponsored by 
 the City of Chicago, and created for the purpose of increasing the 
 numbers of participants in competitive sports. The Association was 
 organized by Mayor Kelly, in the fall of 1943, at the request of many 
 sports and civic leaders of the city. 
 
 One of the important functions of the Chicago Sports Association 
 is the operation of a series of coaching schools in the various sports. 
 Classes are set up in many sections of Chicago, in co-operation with 
 pubHc and private agencies, along with the sports governing bodies, 
 for the purpose of teaching the fundamentals and rules of the sport 
 to boys and girls of all ages, without charge, . 
 
 The coaching staffs are recruited from among the leading amateur 
 and professional players and coaches in each particular sport, who 
 
 351
 
 serve without compensation. All equipment needed to operate the 
 schools is furnished by the Chicago Sports Association. At the con- 
 clusion of the course, engraved diplomas are awarded to those having 
 attended the required number of sessions. 
 
 Outstanding pupils are selected and formed into teams, and many 
 of these are outfitted by civic leaders, after which they play champion- 
 ship schedules, with winning teams and individuals receiving City 
 of Chicago Civic awards. In the 1946 football classes there were over 
 3,000 in attendance, from which group 6 teams of 15 boys each were 
 selected and outfitted with complete football uniforms by Charles W. 
 Bidwill, president of the Chicago Sports Association. The teams played 
 a complete championship schedule of games. 
 
 Twenty-six basketball schools were held this year, in every section 
 of Chicago, with over 5,000 boys in attendance. 
 
 The skating school program has been adopted by the Amateur 
 Skating Union of the United States and the program is now being 
 conducted throughout the nation. The cycUng schools, which teach 
 safety in addition to methods of riding a bicycle, have been conducted 
 so well that the program was adopted by the Amateur Bicycle League 
 of America. One of the youngsters from the cycling school won the 
 Stock Bike championship of the United States in 1945. 
 
 Coaching schools have been conducted in soccer football in co- 
 operation with the National Soccer League and the Illinois Soccer 
 Commission; hundreds of young boys learned to play the game and 
 are now playing in league competition. The same is being done in 
 boxing, wrestling, ice skating, skiing, and softball. It is expected that 
 similar schools will be organized in swimming, track and field events. 
 
 In addition to the coaching schools, other methods are used to 
 increase interest in competitive sports. Public and private agencies are 
 requested to enlarge their sports programs, and as an added incentive, 
 civic awards are presented to the winning individuals and teams of 
 such city-wide leagues and tournaments which are organized through 
 this program. In this way the Chicago Sports Association has been 
 instrumental in bringing more thousands of boys and girls into such 
 sports as swimming, track and field, and basketball. 
 
 Outstanding sports and civic leaders are members of the advisory and 
 executive committees of the Chicago Sports Association. The officers, 
 in addition to Charles W. Bidwill, are Thomas J. Bowler, treasurer, 
 and Harry Berz, executive secretary. 
 
 352
 
 
 The huge, modern swimming pool built in Riis Park in 1936. 
 
 THE CHICAGO 
 
 plays host /o fifty million 
 Chicagoans and visitors a year. 
 
 As a result of its recreation program, the Chicago Park District has 
 set the pace nationally in public use and attendance at park facilities 
 and events. Actual counts of participants in park activities and events 
 where attendance can be recorded show that over 50,000,000 men, 
 women, and children enjoy the parks and benefit from them annually. 
 
 This program includes sports and games, both indoors and out, 
 covering instruction and leadership in practice and competition in 
 all the major sports, and the organization of independent self-govern- 
 ing associations to promote each sport; extensive development of hob- 
 bies, arts and crafts in shops equipped for the purpose in the field- 
 houses; active development of amateur dramatics and music, with 
 local choruses, orchestras, bands, and community singing programs. It 
 includes the application of social recreation, with public gatherings in 
 assembly halls, games rooms and clubrooms, which emphasize social 
 and square dancing and the promotion of a "clubhouse" atmosphere; 
 
 353
 
 James H. Gately, President of the Chicago Park District. 
 
 the stimulation of community festivals, such as anniversary observa- 
 tions, Fourth of July celebrations, homecomings, water carnivals and 
 other demonstrations; a more intensive use of the inland waters in 
 the park system highlighted by the development of the Rainbow 
 Fleet, an organization of youth sailing boats made by themselves. All 
 of this was further enlarged by "learn to swim" campaigns, model 
 yacht and model power boat activities, and a widespread development 
 of casting, fly-tying, and other activities related to the sport of fishing. 
 A new era affecting Chicago's parks began in 1934 when the then 
 existing twenty-two independent park districts, all located within 
 Chicago's city limits, were merged into the Chicago Park District. 
 Since then the 135 parks, 205 miles of boulevards and 28 miles of 
 Lake Michigan shoreline and Outer Drive improvement have been 
 operated as one unit, city-wide in scope and with greatly extended 
 and improved recreation services and facilities. 
 
 Parks in Critical Condition at Time of Consolidation 
 
 The first Board of Commissioners appointed by Mayor Edward J. 
 Kelly to administer the merged park districts was headed by R. J. 
 Dunham as president. The physical properties and financial condition 
 of the superseded park districts were in a critical condition prior to 
 the merger because of delayed tax collections, the world's worst de- 
 pression and, in some instances, wasteful administration. Several of the 
 districts were practically bankrupt, most of them owed employees' sal- 
 
 354
 
 aries in substantial sums and many had defaulted on bond issues. 
 Buildings, outdoor structures and plantation areas had suffered almost 
 total loss, in some instances because of lack of maintenance and care. 
 These conditions complicated the problems of combining twenty-two 
 separate municipalities into one smoothly functioning publicservice 
 
 organization. 
 
 Business-like Methods and Careful Planning Essential 
 
 The commissioners, with the constant help and cooperation of 
 Mayor Kelly, overcame the major difficulties in administering the 
 wide-spread park facilities in their charge by adhering (throughout 
 the years) to careful planning and strictly business-like methods. They 
 have succeeded in greatly expanding and intensifying community 
 service in all of the parks and in placing the properties of the system in 
 excellent physical condition. These policies have continued without 
 abatement since Mr. Dunham retired from the presidency in May, 
 1946, and was succeeded by James H. Gately, as president, with Jacob 
 
 One of the greatest Park District achievements of recent years was the 
 completion in 1937 of the outer link bridge, dedicated by President 
 Roosevelt. 
 
 ^-;5l 
 
 Mm^- 
 
 ~S^M 
 
 ?>» 
 
 ••'^2 
 
 tS^ 
 
 
 ■■jif^^^^ /^a- 
 
 m-' 
 
 xs. 
 
 1^-' 
 
 L'^ 
 
 
 J'
 
 M. Arvey, Joseph W. Cremin, John H. Levin and Wm. L. McFet- 
 ridge, as commissioners. 
 
 Sound Financial Basis Established 
 
 Within two years after consohdation, the parks were placed on a 
 sound financial basis, with nearly $100,000,000 of defaulted bonds and 
 interest and other obligations entirely refunded and in good standing; 
 with all employees' past due wages liquidated; with 80 per cent of 
 all outstanding tax anticipation warrants paid and with current op- 
 erations conducted on a strict cash discount basis. This condition has 
 continued ever since. In the intervening years, the total outstanding 
 indebtedness has been cut from $127,138,306.93 on May 1, 1934, to less 
 than 163,000,000 on September 30, 1946. 
 
 Parks Rehabilitated 
 
 Pack buildings, bridges, pavements, lighting, water supply and 
 drainage systems, and all plantation areas have been rehabilitated and 
 consistently kept in a satisfactory state of maintenance and repair 
 throughout the ensuing years. Thirteen buildings, formerly offering 
 no direct service to the public, have been altered, repaired or. enlarged 
 to provide fieldhouse use in recreation and other community activity. 
 All other fieldhouses have been completely rehabilitated as to both 
 exterior and interior. 
 
 Additional Facilities Improved 
 
 Additional clubrooms, gymnasiums and other facilities have been 
 added at many parks where buildings oflEered opportunity. In this 
 program every part of the city has been benefited. All neighborhood 
 
 This attractive pedestrian overpass in Burnliani Park is one of more than 
 thirty over-or-under crossings provided since 1934.
 
 View of Oak Street beach and North Lake Shore Drive. This entire shore 
 front with driveway has been rebuilt and improved since 1934. 
 
 parks throughout the city, as well as the larger north, northwest, and 
 southwest side inland parks have had plantation areas rebuilt, dead or 
 diseased trees and shrubs replaced, lawn areas reconstructed, and much 
 general plantation completely renewed. 
 
 Parks and Boulevards Improved 
 
 During the years since 1934, no park or boulevard in the entire city 
 has been omitted from the program of expanded service and improve- 
 ment: In Marquette Park on the southwest side, new driveways, 
 lighting, and other improvements have been completed; Jeffery Boule- 
 vard on the south side was widened from 67th Street to 75th Street; 
 CaUfornia Boulevard on the west side was widened and improved; 
 Jackson Boulevard on the west side was extended through Garfield 
 Park and a large play field established here; the driveways through 
 Douglas and Humboldt Parks were realigned; Riis Park on the 
 northwest side was completely rebuilt and many improvements were 
 
 357
 
 Left: A view of the 55th Street Promontory in 1936 when grading and 
 improvement was in its early stages. Right: The beauty that ten years 
 of improvement and park care have helped to create. 
 
 completed in Portage, Gompers, River, Loyola, and numerous other 
 smaller parks. 
 
 Lakefront Development Greatly Advanced 
 
 Throughout the past twelve years, Chicago's famous lakefront de- 
 velopment has been continuously bettered and extended. Rotting and 
 decrepit bulkheads that were being washed out by lake storms so as 
 to threaten driveways and parks along the shore have been replaced 
 by neat and useful permanent stone-terraced promenades for many 
 miles along the water's edge. New modern concrete and steel piers 
 and jetties have been constructed at Loyola Park (6900 north) ; at 
 North Avenue Beach (1600 north), and at intervals between North 
 Avenue and FuUerton Avenue (2400 north); as well as 59th Street 
 in Jackson Park. A new pier with sand fill has been constructed at 
 31st Street in Burnham Park and piers have been rehabilitated and 
 reconstructed at Calumet Park (9600 south) ; at 63rd Street in Jackson 
 Park; and at Montrose Avenue in Lincoln Park. In 1946, the old, 
 worn-out timber shore protection from Ohio Street to North Avenue 
 has been completely replaced by a continuous modern steel and con- 
 
 Left: A view of the old shore line along Lake Michigan, north of Belmont 
 Avenue, showing the rotted timber bulkheads and unsightly stone stubble. 
 Right: transformation that has taken place at the same location. A de- 
 lightful promenade of the same character now extends for nearly ten 
 miles along the north and south shore line. 
 
 **■ 
 
 Ail 
 
 4tM^
 
 One of the big attractions at the Lincoln park zoo is this 550 
 pound male gorilla. When he was captured in Africa in 1929 
 he weighed 30 pounds. His name is "Bushman." 
 
 Crete permanent bulkhead that will have a broad stone and concrete 
 promenade completed along its entire length in the early part of 
 1947. 
 
 Bathing Beaches Improved 
 
 Proceeding on the policy that Chicago's lakefront should be made 
 fully serviceable to all the people, the Park Commissioners have con- 
 tinuously pushed improvements and enlargement of the twelve bath- 
 ing beaches in their charge. Oak Street Beach was first improved. 
 
 359
 
 PARK 
 
 Football teams by 
 the dozens seek the 
 gridirons of Chicago 
 parks. 
 
 Largeniouth black 
 bass caught by anglers 
 in one of Chicago's 
 well-stocked park la- 
 goons. 
 
 Chicago's facilities 
 for sailing are unri- 
 valled. 
 
 }> 
 
 1^'
 
 SPORTS 
 
 Archery, a favor 
 ite sport in Liii' 
 coin Park. 
 
 I^^^i-tt 
 
 Chicago's park dia- 
 monds provide ideal 
 Softball facilities for 
 hundreds of teams. 
 
 Miles of beautiful 
 bridle paths in Chi- 
 cago's parks are 
 carefully maintained 
 for equestrians.
 
 The golf course in Jackson Park is one of the oldest and best public 
 courses in the United States. 
 
 Then, the North Avenue Beach from 1600 to 2400 north was rebuilt 
 to form one of the largest artificially constructed beaches in the world. 
 A 440-foot beach pavilion was erected at North Avenue and an ad- 
 ditional shelter near Fullerton Avenue. New beach houses have been 
 built at Roosevelt Road and at 31st Street. Modern floodlight towers 
 have been installed at all beaches so as to make them available for 
 evening use by the millions who find relief from hot summer weather 
 in the cool waters of Lake Michigan each year. 
 
 Outer Drive Improvements 
 
 Throughout Lake Shore Drive, a continuous program of widening 
 and improving driveways, building bridges, underpasses and pas- 
 serelles, and installing traffic controls has been carried on. This has 
 eliminated traffic hazards, and provided convenient and safe condi- 
 tions for motorists and pedestrians. The Outer Drive now presents a 
 17-mile continuous scenic driveway from Foster Avenue (5200 north) 
 to Jackson Park (6700 south). It involved the rebuilding and widening 
 of all drives through Grant and Burnham Parks, the building of the 
 47th Street improvement, and the world-famous highway through 
 Lincoln Park. 
 
 Outer Drive Bridge Completed 
 
 The Outer Drive bridge was completed in 1937 — an improvement 
 of immeasurable benefit that had been planned for decades. The 
 
 362
 
 former unbearable traffic congestion on Michigan Boulevard has now 
 been largely relieved by this improvement. 
 
 Lakefront Made Accessible 
 
 By providing thirty-one pedestrian over-or-under crossings and by 
 installing carefully designed traffic controls, the Park District has 
 made certain that the public shall have ready and convenient access 
 to harbors, beaches, and promenades along the entire lakefront, even 
 though many thousands of automobiles and motor buses traverse 
 Lake Shore Drive on one of the most heavily used auto traffic arteries 
 in the world. 
 
 Lake Front Parks Beautified 
 
 Practically the entire area of Burnham Park and Grant Park has 
 been rebuilt and improved since the closing of A Century of Progress 
 in 1934. Entirely new landscape embellishment, new lighting, drain- 
 age and water supply, widened walks and other improvements now 
 make these lakefront parks a source of pride to our city. 
 
 Yacht Harbors Improved 
 
 Shore line bulkheads, new moorings, and boat slips and other 
 service facilities have made Jackson Park, Burnham Park, Belmont 
 Avenue, and Montrose Avenue yacht harbors the mecca of yachts- 
 men in Chicago. With the close of 1946 contracts have been let for 
 the construction of new jetties and piers to protect the entrance to 
 Montrose-Wilson yacht harbor and to prevent scouring in the inside 
 of Diversey harbor. Contracts are also let for new steel slips to replace 
 the old timber slips in Jackson Park inner harbor. 
 
 Scientific Traffic Controls 
 
 Constant and continued improvement and study on the part of 
 Park District traffic engineers have made Chicago's boulevard system 
 safer and more convenient for both motorist and pedestrian through- 
 out the past ten years. Ofer two hundred and fifty city street inter- 
 sections and botdevards have been entirely rebuilt to prevent accidents. 
 Forty-seven new paved areas for free auto parking were constructed in 
 fourteen different parks, with a total capacity of nearly 20,000 autos, 
 to give motorists better access to local park facilities. Over 8,000,000 
 square yards of boulevard driveways, sidewalks and paths have been 
 repaired, resurfaced or repaved to give smoother, safer service to the 
 citizen afoot or in his car. Of recent years a regular program of re- 
 surfacing or seal coating boulevard driveways has been followed, and 
 in 1946, an additional 1,000,000 square yards of pavement were thus 
 cared for. 
 
 363
 
 Business Parking Provided 
 
 Late in 1946, a plan was instituted which the commissioners have 
 long advocated to help solve the parking problem for autos visiting 
 the loop area. Adequate and well controlled parking facilities have 
 been established directly east of Soldier Field, and the Chicago Motor 
 Coach Company is operating a shuttle bus service which makes it 
 possible and convenient for motorists to park upwards of 6,000 cars 
 within five minutes of the central shopping and business district. 
 With extensive improvements in the Monroe Street parking area and 
 additional parking at Goodman Theatre providing space for nearly 
 4,000 more cars, the Park District is contributing materially to the 
 solution of the down-town parking problem. 
 
 Recreational Services Extended 
 
 While the physical properties of the parks were being rehabilitated 
 and improved, the recreation staff of the Park District developed an 
 extensive city-wide community service, limited only by physical facili- 
 ties and funds available. 
 
 Huge Wartime Program 
 
 During the war, Chicago's parks became centers of activity for Civil- 
 ian Defense. Fieldhouses were used for first aid training, for physical 
 examinations and the training of military and naval personnel, and 
 hundreds of OCD classes and meetings. 
 
 Far-Sighted Peace Time Program 
 
 Now that peace has been restored, the Park District is quickly con- 
 verting its facilities and services to accommodate the needs of return- 
 ing service men and to expand its properties and facilities, so that all 
 Chicago citizens, regardless of place of residence, may benefit equally 
 from public park services. 
 
 The present Board of Park Commissioners recognize the place that 
 the parks must hold in the Chicago of the future, and seem to make 
 every provision for a comprehensive recreational and leisure time 
 service to every community of the rapidly growing and expanding city. 
 
 Parks Not Marking Time 
 
 Chicago parks are therefore not marking time, nor resting upon 
 past accomplishments. They are keyed to a continued service to the 
 public, sound in character and attuned to any modern development 
 that science or economics may bring. 
 
 364
 
 OFFICIALS of the CITY of CHICAGO 
 
 Mayor: EDWARD J. KELLY 
 
 Assistant to the Mayor: William W. McKenna 
 
 Secretary to the Mayor: B. C. O'Neill 
 
 CITY CLERK 
 
 Ludwig D. Schreiber, City Clerk 
 Eklward J. Padden, Chief Clerk 
 Evar B. Charn, Asst. Chief Clerk 
 Sidney D. Deutsch, Admin. Asst. 
 
 CITY TREASURER 
 
 Raymond Drymalski, City Treas. 
 David L. Hartigan, 
 
 Deputy City Treasurer 
 Alfred J. Fantozzi, Chief Clerk 
 
 THE CITY COUNCrL— 1943-47 
 
 City Clerk: Liidwig D. Schreiber Chief Clerk: E. J. Padden 
 
 ALDERMEN 
 
 John Budinger, 1st Ward 
 William H. Harvey, 2nd Ward 
 Oscar DePriest, 3rd Ward 
 Abraham H. Cohen, 4th Ward 
 Bertram B. Moss, 5th Ward 
 Francis J. Hogan, 6th Ward 
 Nicholas J. Bohling, 7th Ward 
 Roy E. Olin, 8lh Ward 
 Reginald DuBois, 9th Ward 
 Emil V. Pacini, 10th Ward 
 Hugh B. Connelly, 11th Ward 
 Bryan Hartnett, 12th Ward 
 Michael P. Hogan, 13th Ward 
 Clarence P. Wagner, 14th Ward 
 James F. Kovarik, 15th Ward 
 Paul M. Sheridan, 16th Ward 
 William T. Murphy, 17th Ward 
 Bernard J. O'Hallaren, 18th Ward 
 John J. Duffy, 19th Ward 
 Anthony Pistilli, 20th Ward 
 Joseph F. Ropa, 21st Ward 
 Otto F. Janousek, 22nd Ward 
 Joseph Kacena, Jr., 23rd Ward 
 Fred Fischman, 24th Ward 
 James B. Bowler, 25th Ward 
 
 Mathew W. Bieszczat, 26th Ward 
 Harry L. Sain, 27lh Ward 
 George D. Kells, 28th Ward 
 Joseph S. Gillespie, 29th Ward 
 Edward J. Upton, 30th Ward 
 Thomas E. Keane, 31st Ward 
 Jos. P. Rostenkowski, 32nd Ward 
 John B. Brandt, 33rd Ward 
 Matt Porten, 34th Ward 
 Walter J. Orlikoski, 35th Ward 
 Louis P. Garippo, 36th Ward 
 William J. Lancaster, 37th Ward 
 P. J. CuUerton, 38th Ward 
 H. L. Brody, 39th Ward 
 Samuel P. Gurman, 40th Ward 
 William J. Cowhey, 41st Ward 
 Dorsey R. Crowe, 42nd Ward 
 James B. Waller, 43 rd Ward 
 John J. Grealis, 44th Ward 
 Theron W. Merryman, 45th Ward 
 James F. Young, 46th Ward 
 Frank O. Hilburn, 47th Ward 
 Robert C. Quirk, 48th Ward 
 Frank Keenan, 49th Ward 
 Jerome Huppert, 50tli Ward 
 
 William F. Harrah, 
 
 Sergeant-at-Artns 
 Clement J. McDermott, 
 
 Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms 
 Thomas Casey, 
 
 Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms 
 
 365
 
 THE MUNICIPAL COURTS 
 
 MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES 
 
 Edward S. Scheffler, 
 
 Chief Justice 
 Stephen Adaniowski 
 Harry P. Beam 
 N. J. Bonelli 
 Jacob M. Braude 
 Oscar S. Caplan 
 Irwin B. Clorfene 
 William V. Daly 
 Frank E. Donoghue 
 Charles S. Dougherty 
 Joseph J. Drucker 
 Leon Edelman 
 Gibson E. Gorman 
 Wendell E. Green 
 John J. Griffin 
 John Gutknecht 
 Leroy Hackett 
 Matthew D. Hartigan 
 
 Erwin J. Hasten 
 Samuel Heller 
 Joseph B. Hermes 
 Eugene Holland 
 Victor A. Kula 
 Edward P. Luczak 
 Justin F. McCarthy 
 John V. McCormick 
 Joseph H. McGarry 
 John R. McSwecney 
 Harold P. O'Connell 
 George L. Quilici 
 Michael L. Rosinia 
 Jay A. Schiller 
 Cecil Corbett Smith 
 Mason S. Sullivan 
 Michael Treniko 
 George B. Weiss 
 John T. Zuris 
 
 MUNICIPAL COURT CLERK 
 Joseph L. Gill, 
 
 Clerk of the Municipal Court 
 Richard Frohlich, 
 
 Chief Deputy Clerk 
 Joseph L. Rategan, Chief Clerk 
 Louis J. Gianninni, Secretary 
 William F. Madigan, Auditor 
 Thomas I. Barron, 
 
 Civil Records Department 
 John F. Maloney, Criminal Dept. 
 
 MUNICIPAL COURT BAILIFF 
 Albert J. Horan, Bailiff 
 George R. Pigott, Chief Deputy 
 Erwin Horwitz, Asst. Bailiff 
 Chester F. Lane, 
 
 Assistant Chief Deputy 
 Charles M. Franz, 
 
 Charge of Bond Department 
 William P. Rooney, Chief Clerk 
 
 BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS 
 
 Edmund K. Jarecki, County Judge 
 
 Harry A. Lipsky, Chairman 
 
 Mrs. Mabel G. Reinecke, Secretary 
 
 William B. Daly 
 
 Benjamin S. Adamowski, Attorney 
 
 John S. Rusch, Chief Clerk 
 
 366
 
 DEPARTMENTS and BUREAUS 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS 
 Paul Gerhardi, Jr., Commissioner 
 H. Reynolds 
 
 Secretary to the Commissioner 
 James F. Driscoll, 
 
 Deputy Commissioner 
 Edmund P. Curry, 
 
 Secretary of Department 
 Russell Mansfield, Chief Building 
 
 Inspector in Charge 
 Edward J. Carey, 
 
 Elevator Inspector in Charge 
 
 John Fenn, Division Marshal in 
 Charge of Fire Prevention 
 
 William A. Sheridan, 
 
 Chief Fire Alarm Operator 
 
 BOARD OF HEALTH 
 
 Herman N. Bundesen, M. D., 
 
 President 
 Dr. Francis A. Dulak, Secretary 
 Harry J. Reynolds, Member 
 Henry L. Porsche, 
 Chief Clerical Officer 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE 
 R. B. Upham, City Comptr«dler 
 Albert J. Keefe, 
 
 Deputy Comptroller 
 Harry M. Doyle, Asst. Deputy 
 
 Comptroller and Office Mgr. 
 William D. Hill, Asst. Deputy 
 
 Comptroller and Expert Ace. 
 James W. Jardine, Paymaster 
 Harry G. Westphaln, Auditor 
 Joseph F. Peacock, Real Estate 
 
 Agent 
 C. E. Elkins, Accountant in Chg. 
 
 BUREAU OF LICENSE 
 Cliflford H. Keller, Supt. 
 
 DIVISION OF COMPENSATION 
 Henry J. Wieland, Supt. 
 William Hunter, Title Expert 
 Martin Klass, Market Master, 
 
 Maxwell Street Market 
 Alfred Nilson, Market Master, 
 
 Randolph Street Market 
 James Crowley, Market Master, 
 
 South State Street Market 
 
 CITY COLLECTOR 
 
 Mathias Bauler, City Collector 
 William P. Geis, Deputy Collector 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF FIRE 
 
 Michael J. Corrigan, Fire Comr. 
 
 Edward A. Maloney, Secretary 
 
 Anthony J. Mullaney, 
 Chief Fire Marshal 
 
 Michael J. Cody, 
 
 Deputy Chief Fire Marshal 
 
 James Furlong, Drillmaster 
 
 John Haberkorn, Division Mar- 
 shal — Department Inspector 
 
 HOUSE OF CORRECTION 
 
 William G. Milota, 
 
 Superintendent 
 Peter P. Kielminski, 
 
 Assistant Superintendent 
 
 BOARD OF INSPECTORS 
 
 Richard M. O'Brien, Chairman 
 Frank A. Svoboda, Secretary 
 Frank Anniuizio 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF INSPECTION 
 OF STEAM BOILERS, ETC. 
 T. F. Moran, Chief Inspector 
 Gerald Gearon, Chief Deputy 
 Inspector and Supervising 
 Mechanical Engineer 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF LAW 
 
 Barnet Hodes, 
 
 Corporation Counsel 
 
 Joseph F. Grossman, 
 
 1st Asst. Corporation Counsel 
 
 John J. Mortimer, Assistant 
 Corporation Counsel, Head of 
 Public Improvements Division 
 
 Samuel Allen, Assistant Corpora- 
 tion Counsel, Head of Torts 
 Division 
 
 Michael L. Rosinia, Assistant 
 Corporation Counsel, Head of 
 Ordinance Enforcement Div. 
 
 J. Herzl Segal, Assistant Corpora- 
 tion Counsel, Head of Appeals 
 and Review Division 
 
 George E. Dever, 
 
 Head, Investigation Division 
 
 Victor Rubin, 
 
 Head, Research Division 
 
 Edward Sullivan, Chief Clerk 
 
 367
 
 DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL 
 EXAMINATION AND EMERGENCY 
 TREATMENT 
 
 David M. Jones, M. D., City 
 Physician 
 
 • 
 
 PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS, 
 LIAISON OFFICE 
 
 Roy S. Spalding, Liaison Officer 
 
 • 
 
 ENGINEERING BOARD 
 OF REVIEW 
 
 Lloyd M. Johnson, Chairman 
 • 
 DEPARTMENT OF POLICE 
 John C. Prendergast, 
 
 Commissioner of Police 
 Capt. James B. Conlisk, 
 
 Secretary to Commissioner 
 Ray Crane, 
 
 Chief of Uniformed Force 
 Walter G. Storms, 
 
 Chief of Detectives 
 Andrew Aitken, 
 
 Deputy Chief of Detectives 
 James McSweeney, Dept. Secy. 
 • 
 DEPARTMENT OF 
 PUBLIC WORKS 
 
 Oscar E. Hewitt, Commissioner 
 John P. Wilson, Deputy Comr. 
 John A. Kleine, Chief Clerk 
 Charles W. Hibbard, 
 
 Head Accountant 
 Michael J. Foley, 
 
 Contract and Bond Clerk 
 
 BUREAU OF ARCHITECTURE 
 AND BUILDING MAINTENANCE 
 Paul Gerhardt, Jr., City Architect 
 Joseph P. Shea, Head Clerk 
 
 BUREAU OF ENGINEERING 
 W. W. DeBerard, City Engineer 
 Loran D. Gaylon, Assistant City 
 
 Engineer 
 Fred G. Gordon, 
 
 Assistant City Engineer 
 Leslie V. Beck, General Secretary 
 R. B. Berry, 
 
 Engineer of Contracts 
 
 IN CHARGE OF DIVISIONS 
 B. W. Cullen, Water Pipe Ext. 
 J. S. Dean, Construction Div. 
 J. R. Baylis, 
 
 Water Purification Division 
 T. Schmid, 
 
 Water Purification Division 
 
 368 
 
 H. H. Gerstein, 
 
 Water Purification Division 
 O. B. Carlisle, 
 
 Water W^orks Design 
 H. P. Hagedorn, Testing Section 
 S. J. Michuda, Bridge Division 
 Mark Sheridan, 
 
 Water Meter Shops 
 Col. H. A. Allen, Operating Div. 
 
 BUREAU OF MAPS AND PLATS 
 Howard C. Brodman, Supt. 
 Wallace R. Anthon, Assistant 
 
 Superintendent of Maps 
 David Stevenson, Chief Informa- 
 tion Attendant 
 
 BUREAU OF PARKS, 
 RECREATION AND AVIATION 
 
 Waller Wright, Superintendent 
 Eugene G. Gearon, Secretary 
 John F. McBride, Asst. to Supt. 
 Harry E. Nohren, Chief Clerk 
 Fred R. Thomason, 
 
 Supervisor, Parks and Forestry 
 Theodore A. Gross, Supt, of 
 
 Playground Division 
 Thomas R. Daley, Supt. of 
 
 Beaches and ISatatoriums 
 John A. Casey, Supervisor of 
 
 Operations, Chicago Municipal 
 
 Airport 
 
 BUREAU OF 
 
 CENTRAL PURCHASING 
 
 John A. Cervenka, Supt. 
 
 William Carroll, 
 
 Assistant Business Agent 
 
 BUREAU OF RIVERS 
 
 AND HARBORS 
 
 William J. Lynch, Harbor Master 
 M. W. Oettershagen, Asst. Engr. 
 J. Halperin, Head Clerk 
 James Hyland, Supt. of Pier 
 Ronald J. McMullen, 
 
 Assistant Harbor Master 
 
 BUREAU OF SEWERS 
 Tliomas D. Garry, Supt. 
 Harry M. Forrey, Chief Engineer 
 Albert Schafmayer, 
 
 Assistant Engineer 
 Arthur E. Cook, Chief Clerk 
 
 BUREAU OF WATER 
 Joseph F. Higgins, Supt. 
 J. J. Ellicott, Asst. Supt. 
 
 DIVISION OF SPECIAL 
 IMPROVEMENTS 
 
 Arthur Engh, Engineer of Spe- 
 cial Improvements
 
 PUBLIC VEHICLE LICENSE 
 COMMISSION 
 
 Edward J. Gorman, Cotnr. 
 Raymond W. Moore, 
 Deputy Commissioner 
 
 MUNICIPAL REFERENCE 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Frederick Rex, Librarian 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF SMOKE 
 INSPECTION AND ABATEMENT 
 Frank A. Chambers, Deputy 
 Smoke Inspector in Charge 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF STREETS 
 AND ELECTRICITY 
 
 Lloyd M. Johnson, Commissioner 
 BUREAU OF ELECTRICITY 
 Chester S. Shaffer, 
 
 Superintendent of Electricity 
 F. M. O'Donnell, 
 
 Chief Electrical Engineer 
 M. Johnston, Secretary 
 Simon Bernstein, Head Clerk 
 David J. Talbot, 
 
 Chief Electrical Inspector 
 Charles M. Norman, 
 
 Electrical Engineer in Charge 
 Robert R. Donnelly, Superiiisor 
 
 of Electrical Mechanics 
 BUREAU OF STREETS 
 
 Joseph J. Butler, Superintendent 
 P. J. Donovan, 
 
 Deputy Supt. of Street Repairs 
 James L. Markey 
 
 Engineer of Streets 
 James L. Creed, Manager of 
 
 Properties in Charge of Refuse 
 Leonard P. Turner, Supt., Dump 
 
 and Incineration 
 Thomas F. Murphy, Superinsor 
 
 of Refuse Collection 
 
 DIVISION OF 
 TRAFFIC ENGINEERING 
 Leslie J. Sorenson, 
 City Traffic Engineer 
 • 
 DEPARTMENT OF SUBWAYS 
 AND SUPERHIGHWAYS 
 
 Virgil E. Gunlock, Commissioner 
 Dick Von Gorp, Chief Engineer 
 • 
 DEPARTMENT OF WEIGHTS 
 AND MEASURES 
 
 Joseph P. Geary, Inspector of 
 Weights and Measures 
 • 
 CHICAGO WELFARE DEPT. 
 Alvin E. Rose, Commissioner 
 J. H. Smith, 
 
 1st Deputy Commissioner 
 Ruth Goldman, Deputy Commis- 
 sioner of Social Services 
 Walter Redmond, Deputy Com- 
 missioner of Business Services 
 • 
 BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF 
 STATIONARY ENGINEERS 
 Frank J. Smith, President 
 Michael Konkolewski, 
 
 1st Vice-President 
 Peter J. Whalen, 2nd Vice-Pres. 
 BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF 
 MASON CONTRACTORS 
 
 Nicholas J. Dire, Chairman 
 William P. Crowe, Vice-Chm. 
 BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF 
 PLUMBERS 
 
 Julius Newman, Chairman 
 John A. Castans, 
 Master Plumber 
 William J. Lake 
 BOARD OF APPEALS (Zoning) 
 Charles E. Fox, Chairman 
 Barnet Hodes 
 Robert C. Ostergren 
 John C. Prendergast 
 Maj. General Samuel T. Lawton 
 Mary S. Florence, Secretary 
 
 SPECIAL COMMITTEES and COMMISSIONS 
 
 CHICAGO AERO COMMISSION 
 
 Merrill C. Meigs, Chairman 
 • 
 AIRPORT SELECTION BOARD 
 Merrill C. Meigs, Chairman 
 Robert Kingery, Secretary 
 Ralph H. Burke 
 
 REVISION OF THE BLDG. CODE 
 John O. Merrill, Director 
 John W. Root 
 R. N. Friedman 
 Philip H. Maher 
 Alfred Shaw 
 A. N. Rebori 
 Frank A. Randall 
 
 369
 
 CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION 
 Walter L. Gregory, President 
 James S. Osborne, Secretary 
 James B. Cashin 
 Irwin R. Tucker 
 
 MAYOR'S EMERGENCY 
 HOUSING COMMITTEE 
 
 Richard Crose, 
 
 Acting Director in Charge 
 James C. Downs, Jr., Chairman 
 Elizabeth Wood, Secretary 
 Stephen M. Bailey 
 Rabbi Louis Binstock 
 Malcolm J. Boyle 
 William G. Burns 
 Rev. Daniel Michael Cantwell 
 Henry Crown 
 James Dowd 
 George H. Dovenmuehle 
 Arthur G. Erdmann 
 Thomas B. Freeman 
 Elmer Gertz 
 John Goodridge 
 Dr. Ray Freeman Jenney 
 Ferd Kramer 
 Arthur Kruggel 
 Jerrold Loebl 
 John F. McCarthy 
 Leonard McDonald 
 Joseph Merrion 
 J. J. O'Laughlin 
 Richard Watt 
 Judge George L. Quilici 
 Frank C. Rathje 
 Robert R. Taylor 
 Willard S. Townsend 
 Henry L. Warner 
 
 MAYOR'S COMMISSION ON 
 HUMAN RELATIONS 
 
 Edwin R. Embree, Chairman 
 
 Thomas H. Wright, 
 Executive Director 
 
 Morton Bod fish 
 
 Anton Johannsen 
 
 Ruth M. Smith 
 
 Leonard S. Florsheim 
 
 Julian H. Lewis 
 
 Dr. Preston Bradley 
 
 Raymond Drymalski 
 
 James S. Knowlson 
 
 Robert R. Taylor 
 
 Willard S. Townsend 
 
 Dr. Charles S. Johnson 
 
 Judge Michael L. Rosinia 
 
 Sara Southall 
 
 LICENSE APPEAL COMMISSION 
 A. L. Cronin, Chairman 
 Frank R. Leonard, Secretary 
 Edward J. Barrett 
 Charles J. Fleck 
 • 
 CHICAGO PLAN COMMISSION 
 A. H. Mellinger, Chairman 
 Morton Bodfish, Vice-Chairman 
 H. Evert Kincaid, Exec. Director 
 Leonard C. Smith, Chief Jour- 
 nalist, Director of Information 
 George A. Hutchinson, 
 
 Executive Assistant 
 Carl L. Gardner, 
 
 Director, Planning Division 
 C. Wylie Allen, 
 
 Director, Research Division 
 
 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
 
 J. J. Cavanagh 
 
 John W. Root 
 
 George S. May 
 
 Alfred Shaw 
 
 Arthur G. Erdmann 
 
 Joseph A. Slupkowski 
 
 Peter Verschuur 
 
 John Wentworth 
 
 Frank J. Rathje 
 
 Elmer Stevens 
 
 W. Ellis Stewart 
 
 Wm. J. Lynch 
 • 
 CITY PLANNING ADVISORY 
 BOARD 
 
 Morton Bodfish, Chairman 
 
 Walter J. Kelly, Secretary 
 
 Arthur G. Erdmann 
 
 John W. Root 
 
 • 
 
 NOISE ABATEMENT 
 COMMISSION 
 
 Fred M. Echoff, Chairman 
 
 Philip S. English, 
 Executive Director 
 
 Dr. Herman N. Bundesen 
 
 Alderman George D. Kells 
 
 Alderman William H. Harvey 
 
 Alderman Bertram B. Moss 
 
 Alderman Joseph S. Gillespie 
 
 Alderman Robert R. Quirk 
 
 Paul Drymalski 
 
 Karl Eitel 
 
 John Fitzpatrick 
 
 Britton I. Budd 
 
 Patrick H. Joyce 
 
 Oscar G. Mayer 
 
 P. K. Wrigley 
 
 Maurice McEUigott 
 
 370
 
 CHICAGO RECREATION 
 COMMISSION 
 
 Judge John P. McGoorty, Chtnn. 
 W. Ellis Stewart, V ice-Chairman 
 Dr. Charles W. Gilkey, 
 
 Secretary-Treasurer 
 Ernest E. Goranson, 
 
 Executive Secretary 
 James W. Gilman, 
 
 Assistant Executive Secretary 
 W. Robert Steele, 
 
 Office and Business Manager 
 • 
 
 REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 
 OF CHICAGO 
 
 Barnet Hodes, Chairman 
 
 Oscar E. Hewitt 
 
 Paul Gerhardt, Jr. 
 
 Arthur G. Lindell 
 
 Wendell E. Green 
 • 
 
 SPECIAL COMMITTEE FOR 
 COORDINATION OF SLUM 
 CLEARANCE AND CONSTRUC- 
 TION OF HOUSING PROJECTS 
 Alderman George D. Kells 
 Alderman Arthur G. Lindell 
 Commissioners of Chicago Housing 
 Authority 
 Dan Ryan, Chairman, Finance 
 Committee, County Board 
 
 CHICAGO SPORTS COMMISSION 
 Thomas J. Bowler, Director 
 Harry Berz, Secretary 
 
 COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS 
 AND TESTS 
 
 Paul Gerhardt, Jr., Chmn. 
 
 Nathaniel A. Owings 
 
 Alderman William J. Lancaster 
 
 Alderman George D. Kells 
 
 Julius Floto 
 
 Ralph R. Leffler 
 
 CHICAGO STREET TRAFFIC 
 COMMISSION 
 
 Leslie J. Sorenson, Chairman 
 George W. Fleming, 
 
 Director of Publicity 
 Chief Justice Edward S. Scheffler 
 John C. Prendergast 
 Virgil E. Gunlock 
 Lloyd M. Johnson 
 Evert H. Kincaid 
 Barnet Hodes 
 Edward Gorman 
 George D. Kells 
 
 INDEPENDENT AND SEMMNDEPENDENT LOCAL 
 GOVERNMENT AGENCIES 
 
 BOARD OF EDUCATION 
 
 James B. McCahey, President 
 
 Bernard L. Majewski, 
 Vice-President 
 
 Frank H. Landmesser, Secretary 
 
 George F. Cassell, Acting Super- 
 intendent of Schools 
 
 John Howatt, Business Manager 
 
 Richard S. Folsom, Attorney 
 MEMBERS OF BOARD 
 
 James B. McCahey 
 
 Walter True 
 
 Bernard L. Majewski 
 
 Wilson Frankland 
 
 William Bachrach 
 
 Charles J. Whipple 
 
 Dr. I. F. Volini 
 
 Mrs. Clifton Utiey 
 
 Mrs. Harry M. Mulberry 
 
 John Doherty 
 
 Sidney P. Brown 
 
 CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT 
 
 James Gately, President 
 William L. McFetridge, 
 
 Vice-President 
 Thomas E. Nash, Secretary 
 Edward E. Brown, Treasurer 
 George T. Donoghue, 
 
 General Superintendent 
 James Gallagher, 
 
 Construction Engineer 
 
 Philip Lozowick, General Atty. 
 
 Ralph H. Burke, Chief Engineer 
 
 Roger Shanahan, Chief of Police 
 
 Blaine Hoover, Superintendent 
 of Employment 
 
 Harold Baker, 
 
 Director of Accounts 
 
 LeRoy Woodland, Director of 
 Finance and Property 
 
 371
 
 CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT 
 COMMISSIONERS 
 
 James Gately 
 William L. McFetritlge 
 Col. Jacob M. Arvey 
 Joseph W. Cremin 
 John Levin 
 
 • 
 
 BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 
 CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY— 
 
 Joseph B. Fleming, President 
 
 Mrs. M. L. Purvin, Vice-Pres. 
 
 Preston Bradley 
 
 Jacob Best 
 
 Joseph D. Bibb 
 
 William A. Lee 
 
 Anthony J. Mentone 
 
 Anton O. Tysl 
 
 Eric Thulin 
 
 Carl B. Roden, Librarian 
 
 N. R. Levin, Asst. Librarian and 
 Acting Secretary 
 
 MUNICIPAL TUBERCULOSIS 
 
 SANITARIUM 
 
 Dr. David J. Davis, President 
 Dr. Harry J. Reynolds, Vice-Pres. 
 Dr. Earl E. Kleinschniidt, Secy. 
 
 Dr. Karl J. Henrichsen, 
 Medical Superintendent 
 
 Dr. Leo M. Czaja, 
 
 General Superintendent 
 
 Dr. Henry C. Sweeney 
 
 Medical Director of Research 
 • 
 
 CHICAGO HOUSING AUTHORITY 
 
 Elizabeth Wood, Executive Secy. 
 
 Milton Shufro, Asst. Exec. Secy, 
 and Director of Publicity 
 COMMISSIONERS 
 
 Robert R. Taylor, Chairman 
 
 Wayne McMillen, 
 
 Vice-Chairman and Treasurer 
 
 Patrick F. Sullivan 
 
 Walter V. Schaefer 
 
 Claude A. Benjamin 
 CHICAGO HOUSING CENTER 
 
 Leonard McDonald, Director 
 • 
 CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY 
 
 Philip Harrington, Chairman 
 
 Irvin L. Porter, Treasurer 
 
 James R. Quinn 
 
 John Quincv Adams 
 
 Philip W. Collins 
 
 George F. Getz, Jr. 
 
 William W. McKenna, Secretary 
 
 372 
 
 I 
 
 !.