Evening star., 1922-09-30
REPORT ON PARKS
T0BOARD OF TRADE
Committee Votes to Submit
Six important Recon-
mendations for Action.
VITAL NEEDS OF DISTRICT
Provision for Piney Branch Extcn'
ton and Klingle Ford Connec-
ton Among Suggestions.

Six important recommendations are
contained in the annual report o1
the committee on parks and reserva-
tions Of the Washington Board OF
Trade, which was unanimously ADOPT
ed at a meeting yesterday OF the
committee, and which will be pre-
sented to the full board at the nrse
fall meeting on October Il.
The Recommendations are: I'm
mediate provision for acquiring the
Piney Branch extension, klingle
Ford connection and the Patterson
tract: that appropriations Tor I'M
provement of the Anacostia river
nark for the next fiscal year shall
include improvements above Ben
ming bridge; passage Of the bill pro,
yidinR for survey of sites OF the clvil
war forts and fort boulevard con
of additional forest-oovered htllsides
protecting the tributaries OF ROCK
creek; passage Of the resolution pend
ing in Congress providing for sur
yev Of the banks of the Potomac on
both the Virginia and MARYLAND SIDES
from Washington to Great rams win
a view to reservation for park pur-
poses; early acquisition Of the valley
Of Rock creek, in Maryland; north
Of the District, to preserve the no"
of water and to prevent pollution;
co-operation with Maryland author
tiles with a view to a park ark. oouies ne
thence through other forest reserves
northeastward to Baltimore.
stressed ~ Vital Needs.
The first three recommendations OF
the committee are stressed as being
vital needs Of the District. and the
Committee balieves that action should
be taken on them during the current
year.
Branch and Patterson tracts, the re-
"A bill authorizing the acquisition
of the Piney Branch extension east
Of the Tiger bridge. the Klingle Ford
parkway connection and the iPatter,
by. both the Senate and the House
committees and passed by the Senate
IN the present Congress-; also an sp-
preparation for acquiring these tracts
was added to the District OF Column
bia appropriation bill and passed by
ence. It is fully expected that the
acquisition Of these tracts will be
provided for during the next session.
"These tracts were all included in
the park commission plan OF lSOf
They have been so often recommend
Unnecessary to dwell upon this sub
iect. Building operations have en-
croaca1ed upon the land and destroyed
the trees bordering the Piney Branch
tract to point where immediate ac-
tion is absolutely essential: t.;a., THIS rs IS
the most serious and CRITICAL OF the
park problems"
Taking up the improvements pro
posed on the Anacostia river, the
committee says:
the present yesS again Limits tne ,,in- I'M
Park to the areas below Benning
bridge. The point has been reached
where there will be heavy loss unless
Improvement above the bridge shall
be provided for in the next bill. 1t
is unthinkab1e that the great ex-
to go without improvement SAM
tary reasons alone demand that the
dredging Of the channel and the filling
of the marshes continue above the
bridge to the District line. More
over, this is an essential and e1ten-
park Improvement scheme and your
committee feels it necessary that the
improvements in the coming year
shall be extended above the bridge"
Urging the board to appeal to Con-
gress at the earliest possible moment
to prOV10e TOT 4 survey VI LILO 5AeSo
of the civil war forts. the committee
points out that unless something % ,sa e. is
future building operations Will have
progressed to such a state that the
fort drive will, be an impossibility. :.
The portion of the report which
deals with the fort drive reads:
"A bill is pending in Congress pro-
viding for a survey Of the sites OF the
civil war forts and a fort drive con-
Meeting these sites. Many Of these
sites are still fairly well preserved.
Some Of them. are disappearing
through building developments. and
it is important that this bill be passed
and progress be made at the earliest
possible moment to carry out this
scheme. There were about forty
forts and batteries erected in a semi
circle at the second row OF hills sur
rounding the city. A driveway con-
Meeting these has always been in
mind as the most desirable feature of
the park extension plan. Your COM
mittee urges that appeals be made to
Congress to carry out this plan at the
earliest possible moment