Evening star., 1936-09-03
ALLEN ACCEPTS
W.P.A. CRITICISM
AFTER INSPECTION
Only Two Playground Prof.
ectS, However, Found
Faulty.
HAZARDS ORDERED
ELIMINATED AT ONCE
No Evidence of Ineficiency on
Part of Workers and Average
Fine, Says Official.

After an inspection trip today, Com.
missioner George E. Allen agreed with
certain criticisms of Miss Sibyl Baker,
playground director, on the way w.
P. A. has handled some of the play
ground projects, but said that. on the
whole, the work was satisfactory.
Ordering the immediate elimination
OF certain injurious hazards" cited
by Miss Baker. Allen nevertheless con-
cluded there has been no evidence of
inefhciency on the part of W. P. A.
workers. He found only two play
ground projects have anything wrong
with them"
II we can continue to hit on that
average I still think it's a fine pro-
gram" said Allen.
Two Singled Out.
The Commissioner found fault with
the New York avenue playground, at
New York avenue and First street,
and with the Mcmillan playground.
Second and Bryant streets. These
were singled out by Miss Baker as
examples of w. P. A. inefficiency.
Frank O'Mahoney, safety engineer
for the Districts w. P. A., will visit
the New York avenue and Mcmillan
Fairgrounds today, estimate what
work is needed and put w. P. A.
laborers on safety projects to work
there Immediately to eliminate haz-
ards, Allen said. He promised like
wise that construction work would be
completed as soon as skilled labor
is available.
Construction work on play houses
at these sites was abandoned nearly
five months ago and the labor trans
ferred to other projects where it was
felt the need was greater, according
to William Cleary, deputy w. P. A.
administrator.
Loose Piles Of Lumber.
At the New York avenue playground,
as Miss Baker had said. Allen found
loose piles of lumber in the old shelter
house and conditions in the uncom-
pleted new playhouse dangerous to
children who use the area He found
more or less the same conditions at
Mcmillan, although the latter projects
is more nearly completed than the
former. Cleary explained that the
Mcmillan play house was begun under
C. w. A., transferred to E. w. A.
when the original project expired,
and subsequently was put under
w. P. A.
After inspecting other w. P. A. play
ground work at the Park View play
ground, Warder street and Princeton
place, the Raymond playground.
Eleventh street and Spring road, and
the Twin Oaks playground. Four
teenth and Taylor streets. Allen de-
clared:
Il see where We have failed in ad-
ministration, but 1 don't see anything
to show the inefficiency of w. p A.
workmanship. A private contractor
would have made as many or more
mistakes
Miss Baker first criticized the
w. P. A. in her 1888 estimates, while
she was arguing the need of larger
staff of regular employees and for
funds for construction programs under
her own appropriations.
Allen returned to his desk Monday.
praising the w. P. A. programs he had
viewed during three weeks automo-
bile tour of "a States, declaring more
than 80 per cent of them were real
assets, that stories of "boondoggling'
and politics in w. P. A. were not SUBJ
stantiated.
He found Miss Baker had character
lied w. P. A. work on District play
grounds as inevitably uncertain, the
work poor in quality; charged that
the w. p A. workers were unable to
carry full responsibility, ard said that
her department had no funds to
supply needed skilled labor and super
vision.
Allen promptly demanded an ex-
planation Miss Baker reminded him
she had sent him a memorandum
June Is, stating that construction Of
the two field houses had been halted
April "a.