Evening star., 1934-01-30
SURVEY REQUESTED
.0N D. c. RECREATION
Unified Program Favored by
Co, 'of Social Agencies
Meeting.

A survey Of the recreational facilities
Of the District of Columbia. with
view to working out unified program
of recreation, was requested of the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning Com
mission in resolutions adopted at a
meeting of the Council of Social Agen-
cies, held yesterday at the Y. w. c. A.
Building
Thomas S. Settle, secretary and legal
adviser of the planning commission,
warned the council that the commits
sion would expend no funds in making
a survey of recreational facilities here
unless it were assured that all groups
concerned would cooperate in working
out suitable program and would abide
by the decision of the commission BY
these agencies he meant the schools,
community centers. the Office of Ma
tional Capital Parks. and the private
agencies represented in the Council Of
Social Agencies.
Funds Are Limited.
Mr. Settle explained that the funds
at the disposal of the planning COM
mission for such purposes are limited
and that it must have a real objective
in view before making any such survey.
DR.. Frederic w. Perkins. president
of the council, turned the meeting over
to Mrs. Wilson Compton, chairman of
the Recreation Committee, who con-
Quoted the proceedings.
Rowland Haynes. former field secre-
tary of the Recreation Association of
America, was the principal speaker.
He was instrumental in installing uni
fed recreation in Milwaukee, Cleve-
land and Detroit and is now connected
with the Federal Emergency Relief Ad-
ministration
He declared that unification of the
Districts recreational program would be
found necessary, If not at once, at least
within the next two years, because of
the shortage of funds for recreation.
These funds would be reduced. he said,
because of the enormous amounts that
have had to be spent for relief pur-
poses. Organizations interested in recre-
alton, he warned, must take this fact
into consideration and must plan to
obtain the utmost in recreational facili-
ties from funds available. This could
only be accomplished, he pointed out
through unification.
He advised survey Of the city by
competent authorities and program
following out the results Of such q
survey.
Astonished by Crowds.
Arno B. Cammerer director OF Ma
tional Parks. Buildings and Reserva-
tions. Department of the Interior, said
he had been astounGed by the number
of people who had sought recreation in
the National Parks during the Summer
He said that his organizat ation, being an
interested party, could not make such
a survey as was requested in the reso-
luton, but that it would be willing to
cooperate in every possible manner in
the recreational aims of the District.
Stephen E. Kramer, assistant super
intendent of Schools, advocated en-
ploying an outside party to make the
survey, but Edgar NJ. Gerlach, who in
troduced the resolution. called attention
to the fact that the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission is made
up of representatives Of all interested
organizations and could adequately
handle the survey.
Col. West A. Hamilton reminded
those present that there had been for
merly a committee appointed by the
District Commissioners. which had at
tempted to solve this problem and ex-
pressed the hope that the new Board
of Commissioners would appoint similar
group to look after recreation in the
District.