Evening star., 1934-12-08
RULE
| BY j. s. UNIT AND
| CENTER FAVORED
Special Committee Leans
Toward Plan " Of
fered by Weir.
APPOINTIVE COMMISSION
IDEA ALSO SUPPORTED
Financing of Any One of Schemes
Would Come Out of Budget
for District.

The plan proposed in the report Of
L. H. Weir OF the National Recreation
Association that would strip the Dis
trict Commissioners of the Playground
Department and turn recreational
facilities over to the Community Cen
ter Department OF the public schools
and the National Capital Parks, was
favored yesterday by special COM
mittee meeting under auspices OF the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission. No formal vote was
taken, however.
Commissioner Hazen sat through
the three hour session without saying
a word and Engineer Commissioner
Sultan asked only question or two
to clarity a blueprint. 1t developed
that under any of the four plans.
financing would come out of the Dis
trict governments budget.
Debate favoring Plan l, which would
set up a Recreation Commission ap-
pointed by the District Commissioners,
was carried by Karl w. Corby, chair
man of the Board of Trade Park
Committee. He made it clear. how
ever. he was speaking only as an in
dividual. He argued none is better
qualified to further the recreational
interests Of the people of Washington
than are the District heads.
Plan " Wins Many.
Favoring the so-called Plan Nv,
which proposes elimination of the
Playground Department of the Dis
trict and would set up Recreation
Department, under the National Capt.
tai Parks and Board of Education,
were Rev. Russell j. Cllnchy. chair
man OF the Recreation Committee OF
the Council of Social Agencies; Henry
I. Quinn, Board of Education member,
and his colleague. Mrs. Henry Grat-
tan Doyle: Mrs. Elizabeth K. Peoples.
head OF the Community Center De-
partment: Thomas j. Llewellyn, chair
man of the Committee on Highways,
Parks and Waterways of the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations: Linn c.
Drake. Boy Scout executive; Edwin
B. Henderson. head Of the Depart
ment of Health and Physical Educa-
ton in colored schools, and c. Mar
shall Finnan, superintendent Of the
National Capital Parks.
Sponsoring the first plan, providing
for centering recreation in the hands
of the District Commissioners, with
Corby, was DR.. George F. Bowerman,
the librarian, who emphasized the
value of functional board that backs
up its administrative officer This.
he contended, is provided under Plan
I. If the District wants to 60 ahead
IN the development Of recreational
work, Plan I sets up board Of men,
bers who will go to bat with Con-
gress and accomplish results, said DR..
Bowerman.
Trend Beyond Cities.
Weir told the gathering the modern
trend is for cities to extend their
recreational activities out 5, 10 and
20 miles from their limits In the
future there will be means OF trans
porting the poor at great outdoor
recreational centers to get them out
of their ordinary environment, he
said. Here, he pointed out, the out
side areas. such as the George Wash
ington Memorial Parkway, Fort Hunt,
Va: Fort Foote. Md. and sub
marginal land of some 5000 to 10000
acres" will be one of the biggest fea-
lures of the recreational system.
Frederic A. Delano, chairman OF the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, who presided, insisted
L: infarccf =, tho
subject is simply better co-ordina-
ton" and that it is not playing
favoriteS."
We want to get the very best
scheme that can be evolved and we
think this can be done by co-opera-
tion," said Delano.
Really One Budget.
Weir explained to the assembly that
all properties outside of the District
do not 60 through the District budget.
The recreational expert asserted that
under plan four, there would be really
one budget. whereas now there are
three separate budgets for recreation.
He said he saw no objection to having
the budgeting done either through
the District Commissioners or through
the Interior Department.
Finnan pointed out that an ade-
quate recreational system requires a
large number of experts. and these
the National Park Service of the In
terror Department has at its disposal.
His group can call on other experts
of the Federal Government. such as
tho D,,hlic Health Service the Forest
Service, Bureau of Public Roads. etc,
and does, to secure valuable advice,
said Finnan. Under a new recrea-
tional set-up, such as plan four. this
could also be done, he said.
-e-
laEM ahaR HaA lHH