Evening star., 1933-08-10
National Parks in Washington.

National Parks in Washington.
Through the process of governmental
reorganization ordered by the President,
the National Capital park system TODAY
becomes a part of the national F2rN
system under the direct control ana
supervision of the National Park Serv-
ice. The transfer includes all the parks
in Washington, which heretofore have
been under the control of the Office OF
Public Buildings ard Public Parks. and
these embrace the small parks, such as
Dupont Circle and Logan Circ.e. along
with the larger Rcck Creek, Potomac
and Anacostia Parks.
The fine record of efficient manage
ment and careful development OF the
Nations park system, built up and now
enloyed by the National Park Service,
Is a promise in itself of benefits to the
Capitals parks. In the past the semi
national park system of washington has
been under the direct supervision OF
Army officers assigned here for tenn
porarv tours of duty. Some of them like
Col. Grant. have taken full advantage
OF this opportunity to work constantly
toward the realization of the great
plans for development of the Capitals
park svstem-a system that is by no
means confined within the borders OF
the District of Columbia There have
been others more interested in ether
things. Under this arrangement the
degree of interest and enthusiasm in
carrying forward great task has de-
pended to some extent upon the char
acter of individuals assigned to task
for which they may be untitled. One
advantage of the transfer to the Ma
tional Park Service is that the Capitals
parks henceforward will be under the
supervision of an agency established
and maintained for the primary pur-
pose OF park development. The bene-
fetal aspects of such an arrangement
are apparent.
Washngtons parks are not and
never have been local parks. in the
sense of being planned and developed
as recreational areas for the local COM
munity. They are part and parcel OF
the Washington plan. They have been
laid out and developed as the park
system of the Capital of the United
States, a broader ana far more grand
Development than the size and re-
sources of the Washington community
course of the perennial and hurtful
misunderstanding over fiscal relations
between the local community of tax
payers and the Federal Government
park system has been minimlzed anc
the emphasis placed upon the local
character of the system, with undue
and unfair financial responsibility for
park purchase and maintenance placed
upon the local community. This has
served, at the same time, to retard
park development.
There is the hope that the new and
national character OF the Capital park
System by its transfer to the National
Park Service will tend to correct the
prevailing uneven and inequitable divi-
sion of financial responsibility. In an
interesting interview with The Star
few days ago, Horace M. Albright, re-
tiring director of the National Park
Service, mentioned the great plans for
future development of the Capital park
system as a part of the national system,
with needed acquisitions of land along
the Potomac and the old Chesapeake d
Ohio Canal.
The realization of such Development,
both in and outside of the District OF
Columbia, will require renewed discus
sion of the future status of the so-called
Capper- Cralnton park legislation, under
which park purchase and development
has been authorized. Though conceived
originally along national lines, in actual
practice the legislation worked un-
fairly to tax local residents for semi
national park development IN the Dis
trict. At the end of this fiscal year the
District will have repaid all but about
5000 900 of the money SO far advanced
under this legislation for park purchase
and development in the District. Be-
fore the local taxpayers are committed
to further borrowing of this sort there
must be, obviously, a Encouragement OF
the terms under which the money is to
be advanced.
The Capital park system should fare
well as a part of the national park
system. and it is to be trusted that the
transfer of the system to the Depart
ment of the Interiors National Park
Service will mean new deal In
equitable division of costs between the
local community and the National
Government.
Unless Cuba can straighten cut her
political affairs in a satisfactory man
ner she is liable to be cited as another