Shore, 1955; Richard C. Zantzinger, Southern Maryland,
1957; John B. Funk, Western Maryland, 1954.
1. Alvin Pasarew, Director

100 Equitable Building, Baltimore 2 Telephone: Lexington 9-6411

The Maryland State Planning Commission, established in 1933,
consists of the President of the Legislative Council and the Director
of the Department of Public Improvements as ex-officio members and
seven members appointed by the Governor for terms of four years.
Of the seven appointive members one must be the Director or a
member of the State Board of Public Welfare, one must be the
Director or a member of the State Board of Health, one the Chief
Engineer or a member of the State Roads Commission, one must be
a resident of the Eastern Shore, one a resident of Central Maryland
including Baltimore City, one a resident of Southern Maryland, and
one a resident of Western Maryland.

The functions of this Commission are to prepare or coordinate
plans for the physical development of the State including plans for
complete systems of State or regional highways, expressways, park-
ways, parks, water supply and forest reservations and airways and
air terminals; to advise with State departments and bureaus, local
authorities and individuals, with a view to the coordination of all
physical development plans related to State activities; to make
surveys of rural land utilization to determine areas suitable for field
crops, reforestation, watershed protection, recreation, summer resi-
dence and urban expansion, to prepare a long-term development
program of major State improvements; and generally, to make avail-
able information on subjects affecting the health and welfare of the
people of Maryland (Code 1951, Art. 88C, sees. 1-7).

To carry out these functions the Commission is currently: (1)
surveying the capita] improvement needs of the various State agen-
cies and the financial problems pertaining thereto; (2) continuing
its collection of economic and social trends within the State; (3)
serving in an advisory capacity for local and regional planning and
zoning agencies; (4) cooperating with out-of-state firms seeking new
locations, and maintaining for this purpose a current inventory of
vacant industrial plants in Maryland; (5) assisting municipal and
county groups in preparing evaluations of their communities to
further their economic growth; (6) and reviewing the State's medical
care needs and responsibilities.

The Commission has recently completed a program for the economic
development of Caroline County. Research reports and studies com-
pleted within the past year or currently in progress include: a study
of the feasible limits of the State debt, in connection with the
financing of the long-term capital improvement program; a forecast
of Maryland's population through 1970, by county and major city;
an analysis of the economic importance of port-linked manufacturing
industries in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area; a determination of
the potential demand for residential construction through 1975 and
the long-term community problems facing the Baltimore Metropolitan
Area; a handbook of procedures for organizing for industrial develop-
ment; a study of the proposed Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Parkway;
a master plan for the State parks and recreation areas; a review of