Evening star., 1938-03-15
D. c. RECREATION
| PLANS DISCUSSED
Mrs. Doyle Warns Against
Personality Approach in
Urging Coordination.

Personalities and properties must
not be the approach to a recreation
program for the District, Mrs. Henry
Grattan Doyle, president of the Board
of Education, told the Council Of
Social Agencies at its meeting in the
Y. w. c. A. yesterday.
The School Board head spoke, with
Frederic A. Delano, chairman of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission and also of the District
Recreation Committee. and Arno B.
Cammerer, director of the National
Park Service, in behalf of recreation
coordination.
Mrs. Doyle emphasized the need to
concentrate on program for use Of
the recreation facilities to their great
est possibilities and was interrupted
by applause when she urged against
primary consideration being given to
properties of the agencies and person.
alities
DR.. Thomas Gosling, chairman of
the councils Committee on Recrea-
tion. which sponsored the meeting,
presided and before introducing the
speakers expressed the hope that there
would be no ''evading the issues"
Mr.. Delano spoke of the differing
points of view on the District Recrea-
ton Committee and said the real
difficulty lay in the fact that it is
an informal group with no authority
by law.
Citing the painful exhibition in
the T. v. A." as an example of inabil-
ity to get together, Mr.. Delano said
things were not that bad on the
committee and expressed the opinion
that we've made progress"
The committee chairman said he
had backed introduction of the bill
for unification of recreation to start
things going. Other cities. he ex-
planned. had set-ups similar to that
proposed in the bill.
Mrs. Doyle cited the School Board
official opposition to the bill as now
drafted and mentioned the conference
planned for tomorrow between board
members and recreation administra-
tive heads. She insisted, however,
that the schools must have absolute
control of their facilities at all times
for purposes of education.
Mr.. Cammerer said something must
be prepared for Congress to show what
the situation is at the end of this year.
I'VE will have to explain why if CO.
ordination has failed or point out
what's wrong with the proposed BILL"
he said, "or else they may just legis-
late the answer as they see it,"
The park service director said his
ofdce had some objections to the bill,
but pointed out that it provides for
autonomy of jurisdiction" of the
agencies over their own properties.
What more could you want?" he
asked.
The group received notification
from the Commissioners that they
were considering the bill and have as
yet taken no official attitude on it.
The bill, introduced some weeks ago
by Senator King of Utah, calls for a
representative recreation board to have
control of all recreation appropria-
tions and work through an executive
co-ordinator using all facilities by
agreement with the agencies control
ing them.
Other recreation officials present
included Mrs. Elizabeth K. Peoples,
director Of the Community Center De-
partment; Miss Sibyl Baker, super
visor Of the Playground Department;
c. Marshall Fnnan. superintendent
of the National Capital Parks; Thomas
S. Settle, chairman Of the Planning
Commission. and Lewis r. Barrett, CO.
ordinator Of recreation.