Evening star., 1924-03-17
WILL SUPPORT BILL
FOR PARK CONTROL
American Civic Association
Wants Commission EmpoW-
cred to Purchase Lands.
BACKED IN FIFTY CITIES
Body Organized to Insure Beauty
of Capital. i.

Acting with the cooperation and
backing of more than fifty commit
tees, organized in as many cities. to
further the federal plan for develop
ment of Washington, the American
Civic Association. pioneer in the plan
for development OF washington
beautiful" moved today to push pas
sage of the Ball-LaRgley Capital Park
Compassion bill.
The association. acting through it's
Washington committee, OF which
Frederic A. Dclano is chairman, an
rfounced thar its first efforts for the
current season would center on pas
sage of the bill which would create
Capital park commission. consisting
of the Secretary OF the Treasury, the
Secretary of War. the chairmen of
the two committees in Congress on
public buildings and grounds. and the
Engineer Commissioner of the Dis
trlct The commission. under the pro-
posed legislation, shall have power
ito acquire such lands as in its judg
rnent shall be necessary and desirable
in the District of Columbia and ada
cent areas in Maryland and Virginia.
one of the primary purposes of the
commission. according to the bill, is
to preserve the flow of water in Rock
creek, to prevent pollution of Rock
creek and the Potomac and Ana
costa rivers and to preserve forests
Washington and provide for the COM
prehensiVe, systematic and continu-
Gus development of the park, park
way and playground system of the
Capital.
Invite Committee Members.
Committee members from the fifty
cities in which organizations have
been completed to further the fed
eral plan have been invited to come
TO Washington on April to make a
trip of inspection of the city and to
attend luncheon of the American
Civic Association at the City Club.
On that date, the association an
nounced today, the third great step
IN progress of the LEnfant plan for
washington will be taken-a restudy
and extension of the plan of 1892 to
meet the conditions of 1924
referring to the bill for the Capital
park commission. the association
pointed out today that the District
OF Columbia has lost areas absolutely
vital 10 ITS park system because Con-
SreSs has ben slow to act when
an authorizing bill weathers the long
process needed for its massage in the
House and in the Senate, il must be
Iollowed by estimates for appropria-
tlons. included in the executive de-
partmentS: run tho gantlet OF the bu-
reau Of the budget and the commit
tees and floor debate OF both houses
OF Congress. When all this circum-
!ocutton is required to add a single
lot or acre to the park system. il is
hardly remarkable that one plot after
another has been put to other uses
by the owners. That is why we need
Capital park commission with power
to act.
Scope of Com Wissi0l,
But the Capital park commission
bill, while it would provide a method
for acquiring park lands which would
DflC In tn CsIy-s
ened by destruction. would not con-
troll the street system. the laying out
or open country. the planning of util-
tiles. the location of public buildings,
both federal and District and all
those other features Of co1nprehen-
sive city plan.
The Washington committee urges
an imm ediate reconsideration of the
street plan in areas where streets
have not yet been cut through. and
1t recommends that a central super
visory planning authority should be
set up, which can employ as needed
for positive and constructive effort
the ablest men of the country, men
under the Mcmillan parl. commission.
Many acres OF open land are now
being utilized by wasteful grading
and unsightly cuts in an attempt to
to the topography. The open spaces
50 charnlingiy scattered through old
Washington are all too f~s- in the
newer sections.
"Washi1igton has outgrown its old
plan, The nation is urged to supply
a new ptan before IL is too late.
Many Of the recommendations Of
the Mcmillan commission OF 1901. the
association added, are yet unrsalized.
Some can never be realized. for the
original forest Of the District Of Co
lumhia has fallen before the Ak,
streams have been filled. and rows
upon rows of attached houses have
been set upon the level clay. Not only
have streams and wooded banks of
many of the tributaries to Rock
Creek disappeared and so made ut
ter1y Impossible the connections plan
ned by the Mcmillan commission, but
the flow of Rock creek itself is di-
minishing. and if the present devas-
tation continues Rock creek will soon
be dry. rocky canyon which affords
An occasional outlet for storm
waters. Tor sanitary and esthetic
reasons this stream should be pre-
served