Message to the United States Conference of Mayors Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

MY warmest greetings, today, to the United States Conference of Mayors as you meet in New Orleans. Yours is one of the most experienced, most able, most valuable organizations in our struggle to find new sources of hope, security, dignity-and revenue--for our cities.

For decades in America, of course, our efforts in this regard seemed to run counter to tradition. When President Jefferson completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, he said it was necessary for us to think continentally. But he sometimes thought of the cities, as he had written to a friend, as "pestilential to the morals, the health, and the liberties of man."

But I would like all of you to share with me the beginning of hope that we are reversing things. In the revenue-sharing proposals we have sent to the Congress--and no organization has been more helpful in shaping and shepherding these than the Conference of Mayors--we are in fact setting a new course for America.

For example, I have asked Congress to approve general revenue sharing legislation which would provide $3.5 billion to urban areas this year.

I have also asked Congress to enact urban special revenue sharing legislation which would consolidate $2.3 billion of grants for local development needs, enabling local general-purpose governments to set their own priorities and use these funds to meet their own development needs without interference from Washington.

I have also proposed a sweeping reform of our discredited welfare system, and we have secured passage of a 12-year, $10 billion urban mass transit improvement program.

Let me summarize just a few other advances:

Since 1969, our Administration has increased housing production for low and moderate income families fourfold--by 400 percent.

We have increased the budget authority for municipal waste treatment projects from $214 million in 1969 to $2 billion in 1973.

We have increased Federal anti-crime aid since 1969 by 253 percent in affirmative action for law, order and justice for all.

Your past support of these initiatives, individually as well as through the Conference, has been most welcome. It has also been a profound public service. However, the task has only just begun, and I urge your continued efforts in behalf of these long-needed reforms.

Together, we can rebuild and maintain our cities as desirable, pleasant places in which to live.

I pledge you my continued personal commitment to this objective.

I thank you very much indeed, and my best wishes to you for a successful meeting in New Orleans.

RICHARD NIXON