Evening star., 1939-11-26
Time to Wake Up


tive of Akron, Ohio, and Charles G..
Sauer of the Cook County Forest
Reservation in Illinois, is a compre-
hensive and intelligent appraisal of
a park system, magnificent in its
original conception and in its future
possibilities but now suffering the
results of inadequate maintenance
under faulty, cumbersome staff
organization unable to give proper
direction and force to the full de-
velopment of the possibilities. This
means that the American Capital is
not realizing the benefits of the park
system established as one of its chief
embellishments and the people of
the District are not reaping the
benefits, in recreational use of the
parks, to which their heavy ex-
penditures in the past entitle them.
The report is discussed in a gen.
orally descriptive article elsewhere
In today's Star and it will be discussed
further in a series of Star articles to
be published this week, exploring the
findings in detail. The Star believes
the report has great value in it's
constructive and wholly impersonal
criticism of the condition and opera
ton of the parks today and because
1t points to remedies which are easily
available. Secretary Ickes is to be
commended for the additional indi-
cation of his interest in the park
system shown in obtaining this re-
port. The investigators are to be
praised for their frank, objective and
thoughtful analysis of the park prob
lem and for their common sense
recommendations.
Coming to Washington from active
association with park systems
operated successfully by the taxpay-
ers in the interests of the taxpayers,
the two investigators are impressed,
in the first place, with the vision
and wisdom of the founders of the
Capital and their successors in plan
ming a great system of parks "as a
framework for the Nations Capital
and for the social needs of citizens
of the District"
But they are shocked to find that
the park system is not fulfilling it's
purpose in either respect. Park &C
QUESTION (under the Capper- -Cramton
Act) has far outstripped park main
tenance, to the point where even the
improved area of the parks-consti-
tuting only sixty per cent of the total
acreage-lacks the funds and forces
for adequate maintenance. With
District tax funds paying seven
ninths tof all funds for protection,
operation and maintenance of the
parks, the appropriations available
for this purpose are substantially the
same as they were ten years ago,
despite great increase of population
and park area.
Without reflection on individuals,
the investigators find the staff Or
ganization in charge of park pur-
chase, maintenance and develop
ment lacking in coordination, tied
hand and foot by bureaucratic red
tape, lacking in forceful direction
lacking in initiative and losing sight
of the potentialities of the parks.
Maintenance of the White House and
grounds and traffic direction for
automobiles and arranging parades
apparently rank first in Importance
with public enjoyment and use Of
the parks given only secondary con-
sideration.
Forceful criticism is made of the
bureaucratic procedure of leasing
recreational facilities of the parks
tennis courts, swimming pools, golf
courses, etc.-to semi-governmental
corporation, the Welfare and Recrea-
tion Association, which must make a
double profit out of the park-owning
public in order to turn fifty per cent
back to the Treasury, and to private
operating company, which operates
the golf courses and other conces-
sions at profit. Red tape and legal
istic barriers have apparently re-
suited in short sighted, selfish
policy of profit-making from pub
licly-owned properties rather than
developing the properties for the full
use and enjoyment of the public
which owns them. A series of articles
In The Star recently discussed this
situation as it affects public golf
courses. The condition is not, un-
fortunately, confined to the golf
courses but extends to other recrea-
tional improvements which are not
being properly maintained or de-
veloped for the public.
1t is high time, as the report points
out, that staff reorganization be
brought about which will give force
and direction to park development
In respect both to conservation of
natural beauty and to full enjoyment
by the public of recreational facilities.