Evening star., 1939-03-22
Interior Raps
Police Merger
Proposals
Finnon Opposes
Griffenhogen Plan
On Parks Force
By JAMES E. CHINN.

The Interior Department, through
c. Marshall Finnan, director of Ma
tional Capital Parks, today reg
istered vigorous opposition to any
plan that would divide the park sys-
tenn of the District or merge the
park police force with the Metro
politan Police Department..
Mr. Finnan outlined the Interior
Departments views before a spe-
scial subcommittee of the House Dis
trict Committee headed by Repre-
sentative Kennedy, Democrat. Of
Maryland as it resumed public hear
ings on the Griffenhagen plan for
reorganizing and undermining the
municipal government.
Regardless of any reorganization
plan adopted. Mr.. Finnan declared.
the Office of National Capital Parks
cannot be put out of business be-
cause it controls more land outside
the District than it does in the Dis
trict.
He also pointed out that the park
police force of 70 officers patrols
$500 acres of park lands in the Dis
~,
of any organization that could patrol
such large area with fewer men
Likewise, he argued that merger
of the two police forces would not
effect any economies.
Held UnsOund.
Mr.. Finnan declared the Interior
Department regards as 'unsound
economically, conducive to ineffi-
cheney and contrary to the welfare
of the National Capital Park Sys-
tenn" the transfer of certain func-
tions of National Capital Parks to
the proposed Department of Parks
and Recreation and placing OF
the Park Police force in the pro-
posed Department of Police as pro-
posed in the Griffenhagen report.
Certain park areas and facilities,
because of their purely Federal
character, such as the Executive
Mansion, grounds and greenhouses,
the Washington Monument and
grounds. the Lincoln Memorial and
grounds, portions of the Mall and
the grounds around the Federal
buildings cannot be separated from
Federal jurisdiction" said Mr.. Fin
nan. The Mount Vernon Memorial
Highway. the George Washington
Memorial Parkway, the Chesapeake
e. Ohio Canal Parkway, the Chopa-
wamsic Recreational Park and other
areas within the National Capital
park system are located in Mary
land and Virginia, beyond the juris-
diction of District of Columbia au-
thorities
The retention of small parks.
triangles and circles as potential
sites for future national memorials
is a consideration of utmost i'm
portance. Already II national me-
MORALS have been erected in the
park system In addition, the parks
include 16 Civil War defenses of the
National Capital, each of which is
in itself national memorial park
Hundreds of memorial trees dedi-
Gated to the memory of patriotic
citizens have been planted by ma
tional societies and organizations
in the parks.
Federal Responsibility.
"TheSe national memorials have
been erected by patriotic citizens of
the several States. foreign govern
ments and members of patriotic or
ganizations interested in Washing
ton only as the National Capital
The preservation of the Federal
character of the areas in which
they are located and the retention
of every remaining suitable area as
a potential site for future national
memorials is the responsibility of
Congress and the Federal Govern
ment.
These circumstances. therefore,
make it mandatory that Federal
park organization be maintained
These circumstances have been
recognized by the Griffenhagen
Associates, who have proposed the
transfer of only those functions of
the National Capital Parks in rela-
ton to areas maintained for District
purposes. This designation can be
applied only to very limited num-
ber of small park areas serving
neighborhood needs, and the trans
fer of any portion of the park sys-
tenn to the District of Columbia
government would. necessarily re-
suit in the establishment of a
duplicate park organization. with
attendant expensive Implications in
matters of personnel, equipment
mechanical plant, overhead, and
certain inescapable overlapping of
efforts
Civic Leader Testifies.
William NICK. Clayton, veteran
chairman of Public Utilities Com
mfttee of the Federation of Citizens
Associations, injected an argument
for local suffrage when he took the
witness stand to make a plea Tor
continuation of the Office Of people S
counsel and to oppose abolition OF
the Public Utilities Commission.
II District officials are elected. Mr.
Clayton said, the people of the Dis
trict would blame the officials in
stead of Congress for anything that
went wrong in the local government.
"No. You would still blame Con-
gress." remarked Representative
A~AA hNoSAA, ASN PuOuCdll Va AAAAASAo.
you could stand that" Mr.. Clay
ton responded.
School ProvisO Hit.
Mrs. Allen Moore of the District
League of Women Voters opposed
the feature in the Grifrenhagen re-
port to abolish the Board of Educa-
ton. Instead, she said, the board
should be given complete autonomy
and its powers increased so it can
run the schools as they should bt
run"
Mrs. Moore also suggested thai
the subcommittee consider in liel
OF the section in the Griffenhager
report relating to the schools that
part Of the report of the President:
Advisory Committee on Education
rNncpYninG tho njctricf coI,on1 cue