Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-08
Present Claims in Report
Against Exclusive Army Ju-
risdiction of Parks.
ASK SENATE TO Reject
SALISBURY MEASURE
Bill Gives United States Engineers
Sole Management of Rock Creek
and Piney Branch Tracts.

The District Commissioners are OPP
posed to the plan to give the chief OF
engineers of the United Ststes Army
exclusive control over Rock Creek
Park and the Piney Branch Parkway.
The plan. which is outlined in bill
introduced In the Senate by Senator
Salisbury. would do away with the
present joint control exercised by the
Commissioners and the chief of ensi-
neers. Not only are they opposed to
the suggestion, but in a long report to
the Senate today the Commissioners
say they should have control not alon7
of Rock Creek, but of all other pari.s
in the District.
Preliminary to stating their obJec-
lions to the bill. the District heads
point out that Rock creek, which con-
tains about 1906 acres. and extends
from Klingle road to the District line.
lying generally between 10th street
extended and the Daniels and Broad
Branch roads, was acquired in pursu-
ance of an act of Congress. approved
September 81. 1890, at a cost of approx
imately s1.2Oo.000.' one-half of which
was paid from the revenues Of the Dis
trict.
Objections of Commissioners.
Piney Branch parkway. which ex-
tends along the valley of Piney branch
from Rock Creek Park to 18th street.
with an average width of 400 feet. was
acquired by the Commissioners under
authority of Congress approved Febru-
airy 81, 1907. at a cost of s6,sS0.74.
Among the objections stated by the
Commissioners to abolition of the pres
ent joint control over the parks are
| that the roadways traversing them are
highways under the jurisdiction OF the
Commissioners, the same as other pub
| lie highways in the District, and should
be retained as such for policing and
other municipal purposes. and that to
| withdraw this area from the 5urisdie-
ton of the board of control would
give rise to a grave question as to
whether the parks could be policed by
the metropolitan force.
The Commissioners further say that
they do not believe the proposed tra
| fer would result IN any economy. but.
| on the contrary. would increase the
| cost of maintaining the roads. Tor the
reason that the superintendent of roads
of the District is assigned as assistant
| engineer in charge Of Rock Creek
Park, for which work he receives no
additional compensation In the Dis
| trict appropriation acts provision is
also made for foreman for the park
| at a salary of $1,000, and this foreman
supervises the labor used in the care
and Improvement Of the park. for
which the annual appropriation has av-
eraged for a number of years about
$4,000.
Plea for Exclusive Control.
| In closing their report the Commits
| sioners make a plea for placing all
parks under their control. They say:
"On the general question of di-
vision of jurisdiction in the District
of Columbia over the public works
| therein, the Commissioners would state
| that the cost of maintaining all parks
| in the District of Columbia is borne
| under existing law, one-half by the
citizens of the District of Columbia
and the other half by the United States.
AS the Commissioners are responsible
| for the collection of District revenues.
| as well as the Recommendation to Con-
| gress of their judicious expenditure, 1t
would seem that they should have not
| only control of Rock Creek Park, but
of all other parks. the expense Of which
is partially borne by the citizens of the
District.
"In preparing their estimates to Con-
gress for municipal expenditures the
| Commissioners are required to take
into consideration the total amount of
the District revenues, and to base their
recommendations upon the necessities
of each item of expenditure and the
amount of money available.
'ln doing this they are very often
compelled to forego some very neces-
sary public improvement by reason of
the fact that the revenues at the time
of making such estimates do not war
rant such expenditure.
The estimates for the Improvement
for parks now under the jurisdiction
Of the chief of engineers are made up
under his direction without knowledge
of the revenues of the District and
without, it is assumed. any regard
thereto. If the control of all parks
were under the Commissioners. the ex-
penditures for the park system could
be considered together with the ex-
penditures for other public improve
ments and the parks given their rela-
tive share of the money available, in
stead of being considered without ref
erence to their relative Importance in
connection with other public improve.
ments in the District of Columbia"