Evening star., 1924-05-14
FIGHT TO GET VOTE
ON D. c. PARK BILLS
Members of House District Com
mittee Want Action Taken
Monday.
OTHER MEASURES IN WAY
May Be Delayed by Workmen's
Compensation.

The need for earliest possible action
by Congress to secure and preserve
for the children of future generations
desirable sites for parks and play
grounds in the National Capital was
stressed at the meeting Of the House
District committee today.
Representative Gibson, Vermont,
chairman of a special subcommittee on
park legislation. endeavored to get the
committee to make the two measures
one for a commission to draft a
comprehensive permanent park de-
velopment program and the other for
securing klingle Valley, Piney Branch
and Patterson tracts as links in the
PARKWAY system-.mads special E Eu order Ter
the next District day, week from
Monday.
The question was raised that the
Fitzgerald workmen's compensation
bill had already been made the spe-
cial order OF business by the vote in
the committee more than week ago,
which directed the acting chairman
to ask the rules committee for a spe-
cial rule making the Fitzgerald bill
in order last Monday.
May TAke Up Park Bills.
Practically the entire time of the
committee was devoted to thrashing
out the question Of privileged status.
1t was finally decided by a vote of
eight to six, on motion by Repre-
sentative Mcleod of Michigan, that
IL the rules committee does not re-
port out a special rule on the Fitz-
gerald bill the park bills will be the
special order on the next District day.
Throughout the discussion 1t was
understood that the Gilbert bill for
prevention and control of social dis
1n
posed of whenever Representative
Gilbert insists upon recognition.
Representative kunz of Illinois had
the committee include the Lincoln ma
tional holiday bill on the program OF
legislation following the park bills,
with the arrangement that the com
mittee should substitute the Senate
bill.
Representative Underhill of Mas
sachusetts argued that the park bills
are Of paramount interest to the Dis
trict and of great interest to the peo-
pie of the whole country. He said he
has had 1t impressed upon him NOR e
and more daily, since he has been in
Congress, how the people in his DIS
trict and throughout the country are
keenly interested in their National
CAPITAL.
Representative Underhill empha-
sized that open spaces are being built
up and that 1t is of urgent need to
act on these measures now because
IL there is a delay the desirable tracts
will be lost forever.
Precedent In Cited.
Representative Underhill argued
that in the rent legislation a prece-
dent was established for granting a
particular measure priority on &C
count of the shortness of time be-
fore Congress must act. He pointed
out that If Congress does not act dur
ing this session on the park bills
very desirable tracts will be thrown
open for real estate development.
Representative Fitzgerald argued
that the workmen's compensation bill
even though 1t might provoke lengthy
debate in the House, should be con
sidered first because it is a measure
of the utmost Importance to the
workers in the District of Columbia
Representative Kunz of Illinois in
sisted that the park bill was of very
great and urgent Importance, and
that il the Fitzgerald bill was al
be any opportunity for other legis-
lation of Importance to the District
at this session of Congress, and that
therefore, 1t would kill off all Of the
desirable measures on which the COM
mittee has devoted considerable time
Representative Stalker of New York
also emphasized his conviction, as a
member of the subcommittee on
parks, that this is one of the vital
measures for development of the
National Capital.
Representative Gibson of Vermont
called the attention of the committee
to the fact that much desirable legis-
lation is thwarted because there Is
too much talk.