Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-04-19
The Playground Rider.

LIN Ao - ou1u ANluSAs
One OF the riders on the District
appropriation bill which rode unframed
through the CORY slaughter Of its fellow
legislative provisions in the House was
the anomalous transfer from the De-
partment Of Fairgrounds to the Board
of Education's Community Center De-
partment of about half the money for
playground operation. Along with the
money went the authorization for oper-
alton by the Community Center Depart
ment of public Fairgrounds adjacent
to and in the vicinity of school build
tngs." Not all of the grounds thus
involved are school Fairgrounds. Some
Of them are District Fairgrounds and
some Of them are National Park Serv-
ice property. OF ninety play centers
operated last Summer by the Depart
ment of Fairgrounds, the transfer will
leave with that department about six
teen. The Community Center Depart
ment has not hitherto, engaged in
playground operation on any such scale.
The Star is not prepared nor is 1t
called upon to decide whether play
grounds should be operated by the
schools or by the department Of the
municipal government established long
ago for that purpose. But what should
be apparent to everybody is that this
important matter of legislation and Of
policy should not be decided by the
Appropriations Committee; that it is
distinctly contrary to the efforts now
being made to coordinate recreational
policies and programs under the already
confused conditions in the District that
one, and not two, agencies should be
responsible for Fairgrounds operation
in the District, and that this particular
transfer seems to be premature and
represents hal-baked proposition
which will tend to lessen, rather than
increase, efficient playground operation
and expansion.
An outgrowth Of an exhaustive study
OF recreational services In the District
in 1884 was letter from the President
in 1885 requesting the Secretary OF the
Interior, the Board OF Education and
the Commissioners to appoint COM
mittee which would "endeavor to formu-
late unified recreation system" for the
District. A committee was appointed,
q co-ordinator of recreation subse-
quently chosen, and after many trials
and tribulations Charter" or state
ment OF policy and principles in the
direction Of coordination, if not imme-
date unification, of recreational services
in the District was agreed to last Janu-
airy and signed by the representatives of
the Commissioners the Board of Edu-
cation and the Office of National Capital
Parks. The immediate objective was
coordination of policies and programs,
with unif1cation temporarily abandoned.
AS result of the District bill rider,
instead Of one agency in charge of play
grounds, two are to be created-adding
to the existing overlapping Of authority
and divided control and making even
more remote the hope for coordination.
The record of hearings on the District
bill reveals convincing argument by
Mr.. Henry Quinn, member of the Board
OF Education, in favor of the PRINCIPLES
represented in the transfer, although
he spoke for himself and not for the
board. Mr.. Quinn's views are ALWAYS
entitled to respect and in this case his
vision Of an educational system which
includes the correct supervision of chill
dren's recreation and the full, intelligent
recreational use of school buildings as
well as Fairgrounds during the Summer
months is impressive.
But are the schools ready for this new
responsibility and are they equipped,
through the Community Center Depart
ment, to take on something else?
AT any rate, there is no logic in the
establishment of two playground oper-
ating agencies. There is room, and need.
for only one. Either all the Fairgrounds
should be turned over to the Board of
Education, and the Playground Depart
ment abolished, or the present system
should be retained. Certainly the deci
sion between such alternatives should
be the result of planning and a thor
oughly formulated policy not>the abrupt,
confusing and somewhat contradictory
plan that is carried as a rider on an
appropriation bill