Evening star., 1922-10-24
Board of Trade Committee
Stresses Plan for Beautify.
ing Washington.
WOULD GET MORE LAND
New Playground Space Favored.
Present System of Acquiring
Tracts Declared Ineffective.

prehenSiye and continuous develop
ment of the park and playground
system Of the National Capital, was
urged yesterday in special report
unanimously adopted by the parks
and reservations comm ttee of the
Washington Board of Trade.
The park commission, which is
urged by the committee and which
mas been incorporated into q bill for
presentation to Congress by Fred G..
Coldren, chairman of the committee,
would consist Of the following officers
of the government: The Secretary of
the Treasury. the Secretary of War,
the cha rman Of the Senate commit
tee on public buildings and grounds,
the chairman Of the committee on
public buildings and grounds of the
House and the Engineer Commits
sioner of the District of Columbia.
The officer in charge of public build
ings and grounds shall be the execu-
tive officer of the commission. ac-
cording to the bill prepared by MIR.
Method of Financing.
Section 2 of the bill provides for the
adequate financing Of the project to
beautify Washington by the develop
ment of the park syste n. It reads:
That there is authorized to be appro-
pr1ated. each year hereafter, in the an
nual District Of Columbia appropriation
act. sum equal to one cent for each in
habitant of the continental United
States. as determined by tho last preced-
Ing decennial census, to be available
until used, said sum to be used by said
commission for the acquisition Of the
lands herein authorized to be acquired
by said comr3 ss:on for the purposes
named. the compensation for the land,
the expense OF surveys aScertainment
OF title. condemnation proceedings, if
any, and necessary conveyancing to be
paid from said appropriations That
three-fourths of al the funds SO appro-
priated shall be used by said conmis-
sion for the acquisition Of lands within
the District Of Columbia, and the funds
SO used to acquire property with the
District shall be paid from the revenues
of the District of Columbia and the gen.
eral funds Of the Treasury in the same
proportion as other expenses of thesDis-
trict of Columbia. The land so acquired
within the District of Columbia shall be
part of the park system of the Dis
tr1ct OF Columbia and be under control
or the chief of engineers of the United
states Army; that areas suitable for
playground purposes may, in the dis
cretiOn of said commission be assigned
to the control of the Commissioners Of
the District of Columbia for playground
purposes: that the land so ACQUIRED
be controlled as determined by agree
ment between said commission and the
proper officers of the states of Maryland
and Virginia, such agreements to be
subject to the approval of the Presi-
dent.
The necessity for such a law is
stressed by the committee in request
Ing Immediate action by the full
board on this project.
Nine Reasons for SuppOrt.
Nine urgent reasons are given.
They are:
for extension of the park system
There Is no department. bureau,
commission or official, either of the
federal government or the govern
ment of the District of Columbia. au-
tematic park plan.
There is no official legally directed
or invited to submit recommended
tionS or estimates for acquiring ad-
ditional park areas.
To make any park extension it is
now necessary to have a bill passed
authorizing the acquisition of each
particular tract.
Owing to great broadening of fed
eral legislation, conditions in Con-
sress make it practically Impossible
to secure the passage of such in
dividual bills.
IT is impracticable for the COM
-
tracted personal examination and
study such as required Tor a COM
prehensive park system.
If bill to acquire particular
area Is occasionally successful, the
result may not be in keeping with
systematic extension of the park
system
Little New Land Acquired.
Except an annual appropriation Of
the Insignificant sum of $4,000 for
acquiring very small triangies or
points of land at intersection of
streets, there has been no authorize
tion for acquiring land to extend the
park system since 1913, period of
nine years.
forest trees and areas OF natural scenery
Of IneStImable value to tine park system
have been utterly destroyed"
Systema tic, Conipren nsi,. and contin-
uous study by a standing commission is
the on.y practicable way to bring re-
suits, the committee believes. Hapnazard
se.ectlon OF additional lands is not good
policy. Propositions for local improve
ments from a great variety of sources
cannot produce happy respits, the report
says. D
Regular Appropriation.
The bill authorizes regular annual
appropriation of a sum equal to one
cent Tor each inhabitant or the conti-
the last preceding decennial census.
This would amount, under the last CEN
sus, to almost exactly $1,000.000 per
year.
The bill provides that, three-fourths
of this sum. approximately 100000.
shall be used to acquire lands in the
District of Columbia and shall be paid
out OF the revenues of the District of
Columbia and the general funds Of the
Treasury In the same proportion as
other expenses Of the District of Co
lumbia.
':Estimating the present annual ap-
preparations for the government Of the
District OF Columbia at $25,OO0,0O0, this
provides that practically per cent of
the total annual District appropriations
shall be devoted to extension Of the park
system, surely not an unreasonable
der the present arrangement for divi-
sion Of the cost. 60 per cent, or $3.50, 200,
would be paid by taxation Of the resi-
dents of the District
"The remaining one-fourth of the
total annual appropriation, or $780,
600. would be used to acquire lands
outside the District of Columbia, and
would be entireiy paid from the gem
eral funds Of the Treasury.
Total Cost, 955O,OO0.
"The total charge on the federal
900, plus 40 per cent of $750,000
($3oe, ,000), total $550.000.
"Ihis $550,000 annual charge upon
the federal Treasury amounts to q tri-
fie over one-hal. of one cent per year
for each inhabitant Of the continental
United States.
III this appropriation were contin-
ued annually for a period Of about 200
years the total average cost to each
inhabitant Of the continental United