Evening star., 1935-03-31
Finnan Would Get Funds
From P. W. A. or Else.
where, He Says.
ICKES AND CAMMERER
ARE PRESENTED PLAN
Planning Committee Of City.Wide
Playground Council Opens
Drive for Improvement.

The National Capital Parks Office
hopes to construct dozen new SWIM
ming pools If it can get the funds
from the new Public Works set-up or
elsewhere-four in the Northwest,
three in Northeast. three in Southeast
and two in the Southwest. These To-
cations were not made public.
This was made known yesterday by
c. Marshall Finnan, superintendent of
the local parks, who said this is part
of the works program laid before
Secretary Ickes and Arno B. Cam
merer. director Of the National Park
Service, recently. Additional pools
will be provided to meet future re-
quirements on sites being selected
by the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission. said Finnan.
The lack of adequate facilities for
public bathing in the National Capital
has long been realized by National
Capital Parks authorities" said Fin
nan. The intense heat Of Midsum-
mer in this locality makes the pro-
vision Of this most popular means OF
relief and recreation public respon-
sibility.
In an effort to remedy the situa-
ton, the National Capital Parks in
cluded the construction of the Banne-
ker and Takoma pools in its emer-
gency works program and rushed work
on these pools to place them in op-
Grafton at the beginning of the 1884
bathing season. The parks office is
also including requests for funds for
the erection Of several additional
pools in its construction program for
1885.
Four Pools Built.
1.-THE swimming pool building pro-
gram in National Capital Parks will
follow the recommendations of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, which in 1881 recon-
mended the construction of Is pools
in connection with the development
of the proposed recreation system for
the District of Columbia. Four pools,
the Francis, Banneker, Mckinley and
Takoma pools, have already been built
in connection with this program and
IL remain to be constructed. The
remaining pools will be built in con-
nection with the development of ma
jor recreation centers at locations to
be selected by the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission. Four
of the pools will be constructed in
Northwest locations, three in North
east, three in Southeast and two in
the Southwest section of the city.
The eventual completion of this
program will adequately provide for
the swimming pool requirements of the
District Of Columbia. according to the
present outlook. Sites for additional
pools will be provided by the National
Capital Park and Planning Commis-
sion. however, to meet requirements
of the future.
Swimming in approved sanitary
pools, operated under the careful
observation of health authorities, is
a healthy sport, brings necessary re-
lief from debilitating heat and is
worthy of every encouragement. There
are. however, several antiquated pools,
lacking in facilities for proper sani-
tation still in operation in the Dis
tr1ct OF Columbia that should be re-
placed Immediately with modern pools
providing facilities for proper SANTA
tion and the safeguarding of health"
Playground Drive.
Meanwhile, the Central Planning
Committee of the newly organized
city-wide playground council yesterday
opened a drive for far-reaching i'm
provement in playground facilities
used last year by 100000 persons.
Led BY cousin Of the late Presi-
dent Taft, this unoficial citizen group
plans campaign to arouse Congress
to realize the play needs of the Ma
tion's Capital, faced with the smallest
appropriation for the recreation de-
partment since 1928.
Mrs. Carol johnson, formerly Helen
Tart, declared "misdirected childish
energy is the worst thing in the world"
as she urged support of the s751 900
public works program for playground
oetterment now before the Commits
sioners.
AT present the Playground Depart
ment controls 70 acres of property all
over the city as recreation areas.
There Is money enough to hire 80
directors for these Fairgrounds two
fewer than the number Of gardeners
who care for the White House flower
beds.
The Budget Bureau estimated $780,
300 as the Fairgrounds DEPARTMENTS
share OF the 1896 regular appreciation.
This represents low-water for the last
eight years from the $171 ,965 of 1928,
and Is one more long down-hiil step
from the all-time high appropriation
of 1881, when Congress approved
$228.060 for District recreation faci-
Ities.
The Seventh and H streets SOUTH
west playground is daily jammed with
500 children romping about its one
acre area during the Spring, Summer
and Autumn months.
The Department of Fairgrounds can
afford one full-time man supervisor
and one woman working half time.
The playground has small base ball
field, two upright posts for basket ball
and an empty clay bed wholly unde-
veloped. So:
With Hoover playground. this COM
pletes the existing recreationsl faciIi.