Evening star., 1933-06-13
Further Nationalizing Washington,

One interesting angle of the abolish
rnent. under the Presidents new reer-
gan!zation order, of the ONCE OF Pub
lie Buildings and Public Parks and the
transfer of Its functions to the Depart
,snent OF Interior lies In the further
naturalization Of the already semi
national park system of the National
Capital. Under the diminishing Fed
sval contribution to the District of Co.
Rumbia these parks have been bought
and maintained with an increasingly
large proportion OF local tax funds.
But as lcng as control and maintenance
Of the parks was under an independent
agency, sun as the Once Of Public
Builcings and Public Parks, more
emphasis had come to be placed on the
focal than on the national character
rf the park system.
Placing all the semi-nstional parks
cf Washington under the Department
sf Interior, under which fall all the
either national parks located in various
parts OF the country, will tend to re-
move the parks from any sesnblance of
local control. And along with this
physical reorganization of controlling
agencies, there should be q rc-sxamina-
tion of the system Of financing the
parks. If they are to be planned,
bought. maintained and policed under
national authorities, this should be
clear enough demonstration that ma
tional financial support Of these parks
should be increased. II the parks were
local undertakings, pure and simple, rs
Is sometimes alleged by unfriendly
critics at the Capitol. their control un-
der the about be abolished ONCE Of
Public Buildings and Public Parks
would pass to the District Commits
sioners-not to the Department OF the
Interior.
The parks, no doubt, will be excel
IDENTIFY managed and maintained on the
high standard Of other national parks.
II may be said, in addition, that the
National Geological Park Is excellently
managed and maintained under the
jurisdiction Of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton: that the. water supply system is
excellently managed and maintained
under the jurisdiction Of the Corps OF
Engineers Of the Army, aid that the
director of the Federal Bureau Of the
Budget may in advance be credited with
Judgment and discernment In permit
ting the expenditure of local gasoline
tax and water revenues, collected wholly
from local taxpayers, on the streets
and on the water distribution system
Of the National Capital, or In permitting
certain transfers of appropriations from
one subhead to another In the schools,
the libraries, the Fairgrounds and the
Department OF Public Welfare.
But these various steps, past and
present, In further centrslising the con-
troll OF National Capital activities In the
hands of Federal officials, while the
burden Of their support falls more
heavily on local taxpayers, accentuate
the responsibility OF the Nation In sup
port of the Federal city. For the pur-
poses Of reducing the Federal contribu-
tion, the Zoo. the parks, the water
system and the streets are considered
rs local institutions which the citizens
OF any other municipality would pay
for unaided by the Federal Government
But the essential element of ownership
eral Government. The local taxpayers
suffer when the National Government
lays out broad schemes of developing
its Capital as the great city that 1t
should be. and then loses sight Of the
grand conception when 1t comes to
sharing equitably in the cost.