Evening star., 1937-12-05
JOINT RECREATION
PROGRAM SOUGHT
Special Group Under Trade
Board School Commit
tee Now at Work.
By JOHN H. CASSADY, Jr.

BY JOHN HI. Cassidy, Jr.
A arm supporter of the belief, held
by both District and Federal oficials,
that . plan co-ordinating the recrea-
tional activities of the National Cap
ital must be devised, the Board Of
Trade. through its Pubic Schools
Committee, is directing its efforts
toward that end today.
Since school costs, teacher and
pupil load and other problems con-
stantly require close study, the recrea-
tion problem has been placed in the
hands Of a separate subcommittee,
which was organized only this year,
Its chairman is George e. DiefIenbach.
Keneipp Heads Group.
The Public Schools Committee it.
self-one of the boards Oldest units,
having been formed in 1s95-is headed
by George E. Keneipp, manager Of the
Keystone Automobile Club with Earl
A. Brown as vice chairman and Harry
E. Radcliffe, secretary.
Anxious to obtain a broad point of
view regarding the recreational facii-
uics cieudoAOll 1AA Vic OlSOl lCt, lIlC QUIZ
committee on Recreation began its
work by calling on the heads of the
various departments concerned with
recreational activities.
During the last month and a half,
the subcommittee has held half a
dozen meetings at which they have
heard the viewpoints of c. Marshall
Finnan, superintendent of the National
Capital Parks; Miss Sibyl Baker, head
OF the District Playground Depart
ment, and Mrs. Elizabeth K. Peoples,
who has charge of the third recrea-
tional group, the Community Center
Department.
At its meeting Friday, the subcom-
mittee WAS addressed by Henry I.
Quinn, member Of the Board of
Education.
The subcommittee members later
plan to make tour of the city's play
ground areas with Mr. Finnan to get
f1rst-hand information on the prob
lens Commissioner George E. Allen,
Mr.. Quinn and Mr. Finnan have been
working on during the last two years.
Pupils Viewpoint Sought.
The Trade Board workers are par
ticularly anxious to study the matter
from the viewpoint of the public school
pupil, and are pointing their efforts
in that direction rather than toward
the entire recreational problem as it
Affects the city.
Another unit-the Subcommittee on
School Costs and Buildings, headed by
Adelbert w. Lee-has been making an
exhaustive study of operation costs in
relation to those of other city school
systems. The subcommittee holds the
belief that the cost, per pupil. of run
ming Washingtonis public school sys-
tenn is considerably higher than in
other localities, and it is anxious to
ind out why.
This unit also likes to hear every
side of question before it takes &C
ton, and during the last year. prac-
Ideally every one in key position in
the school system talked before the
group.
1t recently adopted resolution urg-
ing all schools found in need of re-
pairs at the end of the term be put
into shape during the vacation period.
The resolution referred to the trouble
some situation which developed this
fall. when several hundred pupils
were forced out of school tempor-
arily because heating systems had not
been repaired.
Budget Items Studied.
At the Public School Committees
initial meeting in September, Supt. of
Schools Frank w. Ballou appeared
and outlined his budget requests for
the 1899 fiscal year While the COM
mittee feels strongly that Washing
tons schools should be the best in
the country, it is making its own in
vestigation of proposed budget items
calling for increased expenditures.
Another subcommittee, headed by
Stephen O. Ford, has charge of the
nonresident pupil problem Cooper
B. Rhodes Is chairman of the Sub
committee on School Teachers. The
whole committee has a personnel of
ITO members.
Board records show that, back in
1897, the Public Schools Committee
started agitating for better facilities
for teaching manual training. Sub
sequently. Mckinley Technical and
Armstrong High Schools were h,,ilf