Evening star., 1922-03-24
Nations Capital Spends Less
Than Half of Sum B0s-
ton Gives.
PLANNING FOR FUTURE
VITAL NEED OF PRESENT
Rapid Growth of Outlying Sections
Using Up Available Land
Coordination Urged.

w
allowances for providing and mann
| tanning Fairgrounds for the children
of the city, and today 1t stands at the
bottom of list of nine large cities In
| the United States in the per capita
cost Of this work, according to the re-
port of the children's bureau. wash
ington spent in 1921 only 30 cents per
capita, Boston, the highest, 20 cents
per capita.
/ There is an immediate need fo'
starting the purchase Of land for play
grounds to care for the future growth
of the city. or the outlying sections
now rapidly developing will be with
out sufficient playground space and
| will be almost in the same condition
as the downtown police precincts, it
! was asserted.
1t was pointed out by the experts
who have made a thorough study OF
the local Fairgrounds situation that
| we'll co-ordinated program should be
necessary grounds. To provide a hit
or-miss system, the experts sald.
/ leaves such gaps as to jeopardize the
entire investment that has been maze:
Unless a program for the purchase OF
| land is carried out. 1t was pointed out.
Washington will repeat the error OF
years ago by failing to provide play
grounds for certain police precincts.
| and so be caught unprepared to cope
| with the growth of many sections.
Three Playground Agencies.
There are three agencies in Wash
ington at present dealing with play
grounds They are the municipal
| Fairgrounds department., the board of
education and the Office of public
buildings and grounds.
The experts who examined the local
situation recommended that imme-
date steps be taken to provide at
least 100 acres more for playground
use in the District. However. they
pointed out that the whole question
Of enlarging the present local system
involves more than acquiring the
all of the governmental branches now
handling the playground situation.
While they found that these depart
ments were all working in harmony
on the matter of Fairgrounds. IT was
pointed out that In entering upon any
far-reaching scheme for the increase
of the facilities all parties concerned
in the recreation of children should
be brought into a day-by-day work
ing relation.
general public is deeply concerned in
this matter of playground develop
ment. 1t Is recommended. therefore.
that a board to be advisory to the
District Commissioners be appointed
by the Commissioners. this board 10
sioners who shall act as chairman; a
member from the school board. rep
resentative from the office Of public
buildings and grounds. member of
the Fine Arts Commission, and three
citiZens-one representing the busi-
ferably women who have been identi-
fed with or interested in the play
ground development in the city or
who represent civic interests.
IF it be accepted that 100 acres are
needed, then it would become the
portion the space to those sections
where the need Is the greatest and
where it is practicable to develop
play areas.
Further, since 1T is the aim Of the
present school administration to Sc
cure from Congress appropriations
sufficient to supply adequate yard
space about the school buildings, in
setting up a plan for meeting the
need of additional playgrounds atten-
ton should be given to the plans of
the board of education. especially
those with reference to new school
house construction and increase of
the yard space connected with the
present school buildings. both of
which would very materially affect
the recreational opportunities in the
eleven precincts of the city. If the
board Of education is to provide more
play space, naturally the department
Of Fairgrounds would need to take
this into consideration in making it's
own plans for the future"
Operate Only Ten Months.
only ten months of the year, the limit
beings placed on them by Congress,
which makes provision for salaries Of
the directors only for that period. The
children's bureau experts found fault
with this, pointing out that it was re-
sponslble for the rapid turnover in the
personnel. Such a loss. due to the COM
ing and going Of workers, is one that
no commercial firm would tolerate. it
was asserted. and it is an equally poor
policy in a playground department.
However. the experts took occasion to
compliment the local playground de-
partment on the manner Of carrying on
its work under these handicaps.
While there is little hope Of obtain
ing sufficient ground in the downtown
districts to provide play space for the
children there. the bureau recommends
the appointment Of directors to organize
the work in the school yards and to de-
velop so-called play streets"
1.-THE play street at present" the
report says. lis not permitted by law
in Washington. However, in certain
eastern cities it is a device for per-
mitting degree of freedom Of action
to those children who are forced to
live under conditions Of constant re-
straint. Certain non-traffic streets or
certain non-traffic sections Of streets
are closed for a given number OF
hours and games are allowed. The
success Of these streets depends on
leadership, and here, as in the case of
the playground. delinquency decreases
when legitimate activity is permitted.
This scheme might we'll be considered
for such precincts as Nos. 2, 4 and 6,
which present such an acute imme-
date need"
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