Evening star., 1926-04-22
BATHING BEACHES
MEASURE PASSED
Senate Approval of Measure,
Already Voted in House,
Revives Hopes.

Washington was practically assured
Of adequate bathing beach facilities
when the Senate this afternoon passed
the bill, already approved by the
House, authorizing an appropriation
Of $345.000 for this purpose.
At the request of Senator Overman.
Democrat. of North Carolina The Sen
ate accepted an amendment specifying
that one of the proposed pools should
be for colored and the other for the
white population.
This amendment will necessitate
sending the bill to the House for con-
currence before it Is transmitted TO
the President to be signed. The bill
originally provided for two pools, but
did not definitely state that one should
be for colored people. although 1t had
been generally understood that that
was the plan.
Appropriation Is Needed.
II will still be necessary to have the
appropriation made in an appropria-
ton bill, but the measure just passed
establishes the legislative authority.
Whether it will be possible to have
this item inserted in tho last deficiency
bill before Congress adjourns was not
known today.
The passage of this bill is the cul-
mination of a campaign carried on by
the people of the District since they
were deprived a year ago of super
vised bathing facilities by the dis
mantling of the Tidal Basin bathing
beach, In the report made to the
Senate by Senator Copeland. acting
for the District committee, the need
for this legislation was summed up
as follows:
'The need for public bathing facili'
ties in the District of Columbia is
beyond question. With an urban
| population exceeding half a million
people, living in a climate subject to
extremely long and hot summers
there are available for public use only
three very small artificial pools on the
Monument grounds, which are wholly
insufficient, even for the children.
Sanitary surveys have conclusively
proved that the Potomac River is
polluted to such a degree that it is
unsafe at all times for public bathing.
Nevertheless, it as well as other pol
luted streams in the vicinity of Wash
ington are used to some extent for
unsupervised public bathing, with the
result that no less than 20 fatalities
from accidental drowning occurred in
brief period in 1925.
Used i'm Other Cities.
'The estimate on which the author
ization for appropriation Is based con-
templates two large bathing beaches
or pools, one intended for the white
population. the other for colored. suf
| ficient, respectively, for 1000 and
/ 900 bathers at q time. Beaches, or
pools of the type on which the esti-
mates are based, are in use in such
cities as Baltimore, Cleveland, Chi
cago and q number of other cities.
ut Is intended to use city filtered
water, the amount taken from the
mains to be reduced by apparatus
which will withdraw water from the
pools, purify it, and return it. to the
pool providing this is demonstrated
to furnish proper purity for bathing"
The report also points out that these
pools can be used for ice skating in
Winter.
The bill to provide financial aid for
dependent children was reached again
today on the Senate calendar. but
went over for later consideration.
when Senator Wadsworth of New
York, explained that he wanted time
when the bill is taken up, to discuss
the administrative features.