Evening star., 1922-04-10
MORE PLAY SPACE
WILL Be ASKED BY
JOINT COMMITTEE
House and Senate Body Will
Recommend improvements
at Conference.
PLANNING CO-ORDINATED
LEGISLATION PROGRAM
Boy Badly Injured Falling Off
Wall Because of Lack of
Fairgrounds.


Much needed Fairgrounds for the
school children of Washington will
be one Of the principal recommends
tions made tomorrow at a conference
of the joint committee of the House
and Senate which has for several
months been considering the needs OF
the Washington school system in or
der to recommend a co-ordinated pro-
gram of legislation.
Representative Oscar E. Kellar
one of the republican House members
on the joint committee, will insist
that adequate Fairgrounds must be
provided for just as much as school
house accommodations. For many
years Representative Kellar has been
active in forwarding a campaign for
playground facilities in his own state.
and ever since he has been a MEM
Der Of the House District committee
has insistently urged that the Wash
inston schools are imperatively in
need Of sufficient play space in order
that there may be developed sound
bodies as well as sound minds.
Representative William c. Hammer
of North Carolina a democratic mem
oeT VI tne JOINT coiHiiitlee, diso w
urge improved Fairgrounds as his
major recommend ndation for the new
school program. Representative
Hammer, in order to speak with au-
thority, has visited personally prac-
tically every schoolhouse in the Dis
trict. He noted for himself the
crowded conditions of the play
grounds, especially in some of the
colored schools. He will call the at
tention of the committee to some
schools where the play space Is not
as wide as the portion of the ground
on which the school is built.
1896 Program Favored.
Representative Hammer favors a
school building program such as was
planned about 1896, which called for
ten years. He says that the sensible
thing to do is to look from ten to
twenty-five years ahead. figuring on
the normal growth of the community
and put up school buildings to meet
this assured need.
said they should be on the style OF
the Dunbar, Western High, and such
modern schools of their respective
type. In planning for rebuilding
schools he said that the authorities
should look for locations where 1T
would be possible to get plenty OF
ground for Fairgrounds adjacent to
the school.
Nursing a badly bruised face and
head, and a pair of sprained wrists,
caused when he fell off the wall OF
the Arthur School when he tried to
retrieve a base ball, Carl Magee, six
today on the fact that his injuries
were not more serious. However,
Carts accident may get for him and
his little playmates a playground, for
Mrs. Susie Root Rhodes, director of
municipal Fairgrounds, started out
today to ascertain what could be done.
of the lack of place to play in the
section in which he lives.
Carl lives with his mother at 48 C
street northwest. Just in front of
his home is a large park plot where
the children up until this spring had
young. But now the police drive
them away. So the other afternoon
Carl and a few of his playmates
found a lot adjoining the Arthur
School, on Arthur place. 1t is just a
hole in the ground, being below the
street level. 1t is i'll kept and in
sanitary, but it is the only place
the children could find.
Twenty-Five-Foot Wall.
During the game the ball went
over the twentyfive-foot brick wall
surrounding the school yard. Carl
was elected to get it.
He scaled the wall in safety and got
the ball. But in scaling the wall from
the inside, and without the aid of any
of his buddies to boost him along, he
made mistep and fell. His head was
cut, his nose was skinned and his little
u. Ii
body was badly bruised, and, in addi-
ton, both his wrists were badly
sprained. He Sas helpless and was
compelled to lay on the ground His
buddies quickly called for help, and with
the aid of few passing pedestrians,
Carl was lifted over the high wall and
taken to his home. where today he is
confined to his bed nursing his injuries,
There came to The Star today an ap-
peal for the return of the C street plot
to the children for Fairgrounds purposes
1t is a square long and quite wide. It
would permit the playing of handball
under more sanitary conditions tnan the
was pointed out. 1t is large enough,
too, to permit the playing Of other games
of the youngsters, although it is not an
ideal playground site. as on one side is
a car line and the other side bears heavy
vehicular traffic.
Plot to Be Inspected.
When Mrs. Rhodes was informed of
the difficulties there she said tnat she
would inspect the plot today, and make
an effort to have it turned over to the
children OF that section, who now are
without any Fairgrounds whatever.
Mrs. Rhodes said that she had been
trying for some time to relieve the
conditions for the children of that
section, and had recommended that
the southeast corner of Judiciary
Square, at Indiana avenue, D and 4th
streets be turned over, the depart-
ment of Fairgrounds for a play-
ground for small children; but had
been, SO far, unsuccessful in her ef-
forts.
This section is in the sixth nol,ce
precinct, which experts have pointed
out has a high Juvenile deIinouencv
rate, blamed largely on the fact that
there are no Fairgrounds. The renort
of the children's bureau says:
No Fairgrounds in Section
There are no Fairgrounds for
either white or colored in this nre-
cinct. 1t has the highest delinouencv
rate for Washington. The dearrf of
play opportunities is serious There
Is not a single playground for coll
ored or white. Three school yards
which are not adequate are the only
assets of the district. The population
from ave to nineteen years Of aea 10
3.S96, Of which 1855 are white and
1881 colored. AS a conservativ
estimate, this precinct needs two
acres for white children and one for
colored. More would be needed ~ -
were not for the athletic adyantapes
of the Monument grounds, which 9rs
" thin walking distance"