Evening star., 1935-04-20
RECREATION POST
APPLICANTS ASKED
TO CONFER IN D. c.
Five Selected From List of
rs Candidates Are Called
for Talks.
COMMITTEE EXPECTING
EARLY JUNE DECISION
Jobless White.Collar Workers
May Be Hired as Staff With
Relief Funds.

Five applicants for the post Of Dis
trict superintendent Of recreation.
selected from q list Of some Is can
didates, have been asked to come tn
Washington at their own expense to
confer with the Recreation Commit
tee, headed by Frederic A. Delano.
chairman Of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission.
The committee has set the week of
April 20 for the interviews. It already
has required each applicant to file his
own photograph and q detailed list Of
his accomplishments and life history.
but now it has decided that 1t wants
to size up each candidate in q per-
sonal talk.
Hope for June Decision.
Delano's committee hopes to be able
to make a final decision early in June,
so the superintendent can get busy
when the recreation season here
swings into full action. The recent
inclement weather has retarded the
recreation program and this has been
Of some benefit, inasmuch as the
superintendent has not yet been ap-
pointed. Under the committees pro-
gram he will serve for one year and
during that time the recreational sit
uation here will be used as a labora-
tory. Officials venture the opinien
that after Washington has tried the
experiment for twelvemonth. it will
not return to the present Set-up.
Thomas s. Settle, secretary Of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, who is acting as secretary
Of the Delano committee, said that in
addition to the new superintendent,
there probably will be a group of un-
employed white-collar workers as
signed to aid him. AS Settle sees it,
these white-collar unemployed will be
employed here through the fund to aid
this group all over the country in
cluded in the s4.880. 100000 public
works act. This will give the superin-
tendent an adequate working staff. so
the experiment will be given fair
trial, he said.
Centralizes Information.
One of the benefits to accrue from
the new set-up, in Settles opinion, will
be to centralize information on the va
rious recreational facilities in the city.
As it is now, the Playground Depart
ment of the District Government. the
Community Center Department of the
public schools, the Welfare and
Recreational Association Of Public
Buildings and Grounds, Inc. and the
National Capital Parks each has some
phase Of recreation. II Washing
tonian desires to get the complete
picture, it is necessary for him to con-
tact each agency separately. Under
the superintendent organization. all
this would be unified.
Previously, it has been announced
that the new superintendent OF recre-
alton will not be a Washingtonlan.
The Delano Committee is anxious to
secure an outstanding leader in the
field of recreation and the salary will
be around $4,000 annually. Under the
rules the committee has set itself,
it was said the group will have to
agree unanimously on the candidate
for superintendent, before he can be
appointed.
Serving with Delano, who Is chair
man, but without voting power. are:
C. Marshall Finnan, superintendent OF
the National Capital Parks; Henry l.
Quinn outstanding attorney and mem
Der of the Board of Education, and
Commissioner George E. Allen. who
speaks on behalf of the District Gov
ernment.