Evening star., 1939-11-26
Experts Urge Drastic
Changes in Setup
OF Capital Parks
inadequate Maintenance.
Inefficient Organization
Pictured in Report
(Continued From First Page.)

by two volunteer cOllabOratorS VINO
spent so days in assembling data
and preparing the voluminous re-
port. It was submitted to Mr.. Ickes
on November Is. He carefully re-
viewed it before releasing it for
publication. Officials said he was
"reserving comment"
The post of superintendent of Ma
tional Capital Parks was left vacant
last August, when c. Marshall Fin
nan was transferred in a three-way
shift of superintendents in the Ma
tional Park Service to Zion and
Bryce Canyon National Parks in
Southern Utah. The Interior Sec
retary, who is custodian of all pub
lie parks in Washington, called for
general study on which to base a
civil service examination to decide
who shall be the next superintend-
ent, a post now being filled in the
interim by Franz =. Cartside, as
sistant superintendent.
The report was prepared by Capt.
Charles G. Sauers, superintendent
of the Cook County preserve dis
trict of Illinois, and H. G.. Wagner,
director r-secretary of the Akron
(Ohio) metropolitan park district.
They were motivated, they said, by
an opportunity to be of service to
a Federal department from which
their own organizations had received
assistance and cooperation.
They recommended that the SAL
airy of the new park superintendent
be raised from $4,000 a year to $10,-
600. For acceptable qualifications in
general the report recommends a
man with 'at least seven years of
progressive responsibilities and sue
cessful administration of a large
municipal, metropolitan or county
park system"
Such superintendent should be
clothed with full responsibility"
unfettered by bureaucratic "red
tape" and given leeway and time
to get the situation in hand.
Reorganization Urged.
Reorganization of the National
Capital Parks Office under the su-
perintendent is proposed in the
creation of three main divisions of
equal weight-construction, horti-
culture and maintenance. Two aux
iliary divisions-office and special
activities-also are proposed.
Under these divisions the mani
fold duties of the National Capital
Parks Office would be better CO.
ordinated and concentrated under
one responsible head, instead of be-
Ing divided as now in a conflicting
and inconvenient manner.
Other administrative recon-
mendations include:
The maintenance of a separate
parks headquarters which would
include everything" but sectional
and field Offices. Esprit de corps
sense of direction, time, tempers ano
much else ARE now lost through
diversity of location" the report
said, with the administrative OF.
fees in one part of the interior
Building, landscape architects II
another, maintenance, horticulture
construction and repair stats al
the shops, survey staff in the sur.
vey lodge and the police in made
quate and separate quarters"
The need of an unpaid advisory
board as a means of "synthesizing'
difficult Federal-District relation.
ships was vigorously stressed
Suggested membership would in
clude representative of the Wash
ington Board of Trade, a member
of the National Capital Park ano
Planning Commission to make thai
body more "maintenance-conscious,
and not more than three additiona
"clvlc-minded, official District
representatives.
See Lack of Understanding.
Commenting on the situation, thu
report said: There is confusion
within the National Capital Park.
as to what employees are responsible
to which supervisors; there is lacl
of understanding between the Ma.
tional Park Service and it's branches
on the one hand, and the Nationa
Capital Parks on the other, as II
the demarcation and definition O
administrative responsibility, anc
finally, the service itself is ap.
parently working under CONSTANT,
shifting understanding as to which
matters affecting National Capita
Parks are to be handled by it anc
which by the department directly
For some years there has beer
conflict between the Federal anc
District Governments over parl
functions, chieAy involving the parl
police, but extending to other parl
services also. AS far as regular ap
preparations are concerned, tn
District furnishes seven-ninths o
the funds used to operate, protec
and maintain park areas under tn
control of Federal agency and il
Federal ownership. The difficul
Federal-District relationship vii
probably continue to be aggravated
if no provision is made for channel
ing and reconciling divergent views.
Emphasizing the advantages o
efficient management, the repor
ADDED:
"Those of us who are brash enougl
to undertake the judgment of tn
procedure in a Federal milieu mus
inevitably come to joust with re-
tape. We cannot completely con
vince ourselves that we are not twill
Don uiXotes battling papyrif
erous windmill" Condemning tn
excessive amount Of paper work
developed through many years an
imposed from above, when direc
consultation would be more salts
factory, the report pointed out tha
this practice serves only to destro
initiative, decrease aggressivenes'
secure an alibi for delay and dodg
decision"
Essential to the efficiency Of tn
park Office was stressed the nee
for providing an in-service trainin
for the staff, particularly laborer
gardeners, foremen and police. EN-
phasis also was laid on making tn
National Capital Parks field offic
primarily.
Lack of Funds Seen.