full assistance in this important undertaking and, in doing so, bet-
ter themselves and the overall economy of Maryland.

The twenty-three counties and Baltimore City have benefited
greatly by the revisions and expansions of the programs of health
and welfare which have been initiated during the past two and a
half years....

Some of you who already have adopted your local budgets, and
others of you who are in the process of preparing them, know the
relief you are enjoying as a result of the new State policy placing a
limit equal to 10 cents per $100 of assessable property on the con-
tributions by the counties and the City of Baltimore to public wel-
fare purposes. In this year's budget, the State has assumed an addi-
tional obligation here that amounts to $2, 605, 218.

The State has tried to be of assistance to you, too, in the area of
local and regional planning In fact, one of the primary accomplish-
ments of the Department of Planning, reorganized during the first
year of my term, has been in alerting local governments to the need
of planning at the local level in this fast-moving age Realizing the
gravity of the problem, the Federal Government has made available
funds for local planning. It has also provided funds for urban re-
newal, the eligibility for which depends upon sound planning.

The State Planning Department, in addition to emphasizing the
importance of local planning, is administering and supervising local
programs in some cases, has obtained approval of Federal grants for
planning programs in other areas, has met and discussed programs
with local groups in many counties and towns, and is engaged in
encouraging the grouping together in regions of communities and
counties having common problems and common objectives.

One of the purposes in reorganizing the State Roads Commission
in 1959 was to decentralize this agency, and bring its program of sec-
ondary road building back to the grass roots. In a program as sen-
sitive and as politically controversial as the construction and main-
tenance of community roads, it would he foolish to expect 100 per
cent satisfaction from all areas. But I do know that the present
commission listens to, understands and tries to help local govern-
ments with their local highway problems, while coordinating the
secondary program with by far the greatest highway-building effort
ever undertaken by our State.... The James Committee program
as it is called, and the new taxes to finance it, were adopted as a
result of repeated and persistent demands, by you as an organiza-