Evening star., 1926-05-19

meeting Of the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission and seek 30
have il reach some conclusion. He
said that he was unqualifiedly op
nosed 70 the Government allowing
this land to pass from its control
when the park commission ls seeking
hard TO purchase lands. with the
small funds allotted annually, for ths
purpose Of increasing the park and
recreation system Of the National
Capital.
Says Sale Would BE Folly.
1t would be folly for the Govern.
ment to sell these large parcels -
land now. said Mr.. Zihlman. and IN
later years seek 10 purchase them
back at many times the figure which
the Government would receive fot
them at this time. He said that ne
would take prompt steps 70 ascer
tain what action would be necessdrf
at this time to require the Govern
ment TO hold these lands until neCeS
sary steps could be taken TO acquire
them for the park system of the Na
tional Capital and vicinity. They are
ideal recreation sites. and they should
not be allowed TO get from the cor
troll of the Federal Government to
be used for private purposes.
Gen. Taylor also unqualfiedly in
dorsed their acquisition They should
be obtained by all means, he said.
whether it was necessary to compen-
safe the Army for them or not. The
proceeds Of these sales of obsolete
forts and military reservations is To
be used for the construction of peTrna
nent barracks and other buildings on
the Army posts which arc To be re
tanned by the War Department for
the use of troops.
To transfer them to the park sys.
tenn of the District without Compensa
tion would take lust that much money
away from the fund much needed by
the Army for developing its perma
nent construction out of the series OF
ramshackle barracks which are on
many of the posts of the country.
However, Gen. Taylor thought that
the Army could he given Compensa
tion by a special act Of Congress. But
he thought that the acquisition of the
land for park purposes is the main
thing to be considered at this time.
He did not believe that any of the
$500 900 appropriated annually out of
District funds for the acquisition Of
park lands within the confines of the
city should be used for this purpose.
and for that reason suggested that
special act OF Congress should pro
vide for the transfer of the two par
cells of land in question. All of the
100000 now appropriated each year.
he said, is badly needed to acquire
lands within the District, which un-
less taken promptly will he forever
destroyed for park purposes.
Mai Grant said that members Of
A ~
favor of acquiring the two projects.
but he thought that some method
should he devised for compensatinS
the Army, rather than a mere trans
fer of the property. He pointed to the
great need of every bit of money that
could be realized from the sales Of
such forts for the purpose OF pcrna
nent construction at Army posts
the country, and said that
some fund should be provided for the
Army.
Prompt Action Assured.
From discussions with these Oil
cials it became evident that prompt
steps would be taken TO see that the
lands are not sold under the congress
sional authorization, if it is given.
and when the matter comes mp In
Congress it was indicated that prompt
steps would be taken to guard against
these two posts being offered for
sale. The War Department
has just certified them to Congress
as being not needed for military pur-
poses, and seeking authority to sell
them. Although q number of posts
have been already authorized for sale.
these two were kept out of the
original law and it now seems Ger
tain that special action will be urged
as to them when the other lists of
posts are taken up by Congress
Under the law under which they
would be sold, if Congress authorizes
them added to the list already pro
vided for sale, States and municipal
ties are given the first option to pur-
chase. and are allowed two years e0d
siA months III which to purchase tiSfIn,