Evening star., 1934-07-29
Control of d. C. Recreation.

AltfBE&e.
Control of D. C. Recreation.
As pointed out In an article in
todays Star, the supervision Of rec
reational activities in the District is
divided among four separate agencies,
with some rather odd instances of
overlapping authority and jurisdiction.
Those who enjoy the swimming pools
at the Banneker Recreation Center,
for instance, are supervised by and
pay tribute to the Welfare and Rec
reational Association of Public Build
ings and Grounds, Inc, which also
operates restaurants in Government
buildings, the golf courses in the
parks and runs the tourist camp
But If the adult, after his swim, re-
naming at Banneker Recreation Gen.
ter, wishes TO take a lesson in sewing
or play cards, he Immediately comes
under the Jurisdiction of the Com
munity Center Department OF the
Public Schools. If. instead, he would
rather play base ball or listen to a
band concert at Banneker. he would
transfer his allegiance to the National
Capital Parks ONCE of the National
Parks Service of the Department of
the Interior. Meanwhile. if the
adults little boy wants to while away
the time, he can go to the playground
still at Banneker Center-and play
there under supervision Of the Play
ground Department of the District
Government.
There are other instances of the
same sort. The municipal swimming
pools at Seventeenth street and Con-
stitution avenue are operated by the
Fairgrounds Department, while the
land is owned by the Federal Gov
ernment and used by the municipal
government under revokable lease.
But the Mckinley swimming pool, at
First street and Lincoln Road north
east, is operated by the Welfare and
Recreational Association, although
the property is owned by the mu-
nicipality.
L. H. Weir of the National Recrea-
ton association, now looking into this
matter of conflicting and divided au-
thority over recreational activities for
the National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission, has already reached
the tentative conclusion that recrea-
tional activities in the District should
be placed under the National Parks
Service. II he makes such a recon-
mendation in his final report, it is
natural to suspect that the plan will
be attacked as a further 'federaliza-
ton" of the District. and to combat
such attack there should be a showing
that real economies in operation and
more efficient and satisfactory service
in behalf of local taxpayers would
result.
Inasmuch as the National Parks
Service-which is already doing such
fine work in development of the ma
tional parks in and around Washing
ton-will have jurisdiction over recre-
ational activities in the parks extend
ing into Maryland and Virginia, and
there will be no State lines to inter-
fere with such jurisdiction, there is
merit in the contention that more
economical administration would re-
suit from centralizing all authority
over recreational activities in the Ma
tional Parks Service. It is also true
that such national agencies fare better
in obtaining necessary appropriations
from Congress than the unrepresented
District.
Yet the conduct of such activities
as Fairgrounds, and those under the
care of the Community Center De-
partment of the public schools, seems
a matter that should concern the
municipal rather than the Federal
authorities. Those in charge of them
should be in constant sympathetic
touch with TIE members of the vari-
GUS communities so closely affected
Such a relationship is associated more
with local officials than with Federal
officials The citizen taxpayer in the
District has little enough control now
over the officials who govern him and
spend his taxes. Mr.. Weir may find
some method of reorganizing the con-
troll over recreational activities that
will assure the District the splendid,
efficient services of national park OFF,
cials without the loss of the semblance
of control over purely local matters
now exercised through the Municipal
Government-which in theory, at
least, is responsive to local sentiment
No doubt the plain Italian citizen
would like to get back to the day
when Verdi was popularly regarded
as the greatest man that ever lived.