Evening star., 1936-01-23
|CKES DEPL0RES
'CONEY ISLANDS
IN SCENIC AREAS
Secretary Warns Planners
Against That Idea as
Tourist Attraction.
RENEWS CONSERVATION
Department CAMPAIGN
Nations Experts Discuss Wash
ington's Regional Develop.
ment System.

menC system.
Cautioned by Secretary of the In
terror Ickes to prevent the "Coney
Island idea" from exploiting the
Nations great recreational areas, plan
ming experts from all sections of tn,
country met at the Mayflower Hote
today in annual conference to solidif,
public support Of conservation meas
ures.
One of the principal sessions was q
luncheon meeting at which Fedora
and District officials discussed plan.
for developing the scenic areas aroune
Washington through the long-con-
sidered regional park system tina,
eventually will provide easy access te
the newly created national parks ol
the East.
Delano Presides.
Frederic A. Delano chairman of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, which has taken leading
part in the development Of the regiona
plans, presided at the session. He is
president. also, Of the American Plan.
ming and Civic Association, which, with
the national conference on State parks
is sponsoring the planning sessions
here.
The regional plan was outlined BY
John Nolen, jr., director of planning
for the Park and Planning Commission
while c. Marshall Finnan, superin-
tendent Of National Capital Parks, dis.
cussed more generally the extent ol
the park development in Washington
The part the District of Columbia
government is to take in the general
scheme was discussed by Commissions,
Melvin c. Hazen and Lewis R. Barrett
recreational co-ordinator.
Roosevelt Letter Read.
The conference opened officially last
night at dinner meeting addressed
by Secretary 1ckes, Secretary of Agri-
culture Wallace and others associated
with the National Park Service and
the long fight for conservation. Mr..
Delano presided and read a letter from
President Roosevelt praising the Ma
tional Park Service and urging public
cooperation in efforts of the Govern
ment to create additional recreation
areas for the benefit and education
of American citizens.
Taking advantage Of the purpose
for which the conference was called,
Secretary Ickes vigorously renewed
his campaign to have Congress enact
at this or an early session the bill to
establish q new Department of Con-
servation. A little earlier, the mill
tant Interior Secretary, who has SUI
perviSion over all the national parks,
had renewed in friendly, chatting
spirit his old-time feud with Secre-
tary Wallace over the transfer of
many activities from his own depart
ment to the Department of Agricul-
ture, which now has control over the
national forests.
Ickes Foresees New Department.
whats the difference between a
tree in a national park and a tree in
q forest" Ickes commented in sug-
gesting that If all conservation activ-
tiles are not transferred to either one
of these two rival Federal depart
ments, an entirely new and separate
Of Conservation should
be created.
Its coming" he warned. I'VE are
only postponing the day of reckoning,
only doing more of this overlapping.
Until such a department is estab-
lished, he added, nothing real for con-
in this country can ever be
done.
Criticising gaping tourists who
really do not appreciate scenery but
are interested only in going Places"
[ckes deplored 1.-The Coney Island
dea" that seems to be prevailing in
many of the park areas.
II would rather see only q few
people who really appreciate the parks
IS visitors than millions who just go
here to be entertained" he said. He
that the competition"
regions advertising the at
ractions for tourists had even gone
% the point of trying to bring vaude-
lille shows and tap-dancers to at
ract the tourist trade in the parks.
Wallace Stressed Cooperation.
Secretary Wallace, in an earlier
address, had spoken about
he cooperation given by the Agri-
culture Department in conservation
matters generally. He especially
tressed how his department had CO.
perated with the Interior Depart
nent in such matters.
Ickes good naturedly took him to
ask. II hope that historians, so
ears hence" he remarked, will be
Ible to say that during those years the
world was made safe for joy" He
mildly chided Wallace for not saying
about future cooperation"
Secretary Wallace" he concluded,
our Calvinistic forebears have not
aught us a love OF recreation. We
ave a deep psychological problem
here and I ask your cooperation In
Meeting it,
N0len Tells of Plans.
The primary interest Of the Ma
[onal Capital Park and Planning Com
Mission is to complete projects already
tarted, particularly where there is
anger Of encroaching real estate de-
John Nolen told today's |
lncheon committee of the association. |
The commission will make q more |
oncerted drive for neighborhood play |
rounds, he told the meeting, and |
eek to have the program for re-
ional parks completed while land Is |
cheap and before sub
visions are created, which will bar
heir full development.