Evening star., 1940-08-26

eration's welfare chairman, spoke in
behalf of the food stamp plan for
which funds are asked in the well
fare budget. He also stressed the
need for more case workers in de-
partments dealing directly with re-
lief cases and for funds to provide
for rehabilitation of relief families
Bridge or Tunnel Asked.
Mr.. Wender supported other items
in the absence of other Federation
chairmen. They were:
A bridge or tunnel along South
Capitol street to facilitate reaching
Boiling Field. This is not included
in department estimates and Mr..
Wender felt the Federal Govern
ment should bear a large share. if
not all, the expenditure.
A grade separation to relieve con-
gestion at Fourteenth street and
Maine avenue S.W.
If new fireboat is purchased it
should have ice-breaking equip
| ment.
Adequate additions to the Police
| Department.
Extension of parking meters.
Sufficient funds for strong and
adequate building program.
Expansion of the facilities at the
District Pound.
Adequate facilities for snow re-
moval
Mr.. Wender made strong objection
to the inclusion of the expenses of
the Zoo in the District budget. He
! said it was clearly national project
and should no more be the subject
of local appropriation than the
Smithsonian Institution which con-
trcls it.
He applauded the withdrawal of
the Budget Bureau from detailed
consideration of the city's estimates
which Commissioner Hazen re-
marked with smile puts the Com
| miSsioners on the spot this year"
and prevents them from passing
the buck"
Traffic Reforms Demanded.
Charging that both the District
government and Congress have re-
J fused or failed to solve the Districts
traffic problems, although the for
mula for solving much of our traffic
difficulty is known" Washington I.
! Cleveland, manager of the District
Motor Club of the American Auto
mobile Association, submitted a six
point program, which demanded:
l. That the personnel of the Met
/ ropolitan Police Department be in
creased to provide adequate law
enforcement
2. That adequate off street park
ing facilities be provided.
! 3. That traffic safety lighting be
substituted for the present horse
and buggy lighting"
4. That local traffic and high speed
through traffic be separated by the
construction of express highways
and elimination of traffic bottle
necks by the construction of grade
separations.
5. That the number of taxicabs
be limited and adequate cab stands
provided
6. That a separate traffic court be
established to insure prompt, fair
and uniform justice" for all traffic
violators.
More Police Officers Asked.
Indorsing the Police Departments
request for additional officers, Mr..
Cleveland pointed out that in 1880,
when the Districts population was
496,OOO, the police employees num-
! bered 1852. Population today is
5000 and police force totals l,437.
If the percentage of police to popu-
lation were the same today as in
1880 the police force would be 17l9.
Thus, he said, the force is 282 short
of the number required to maintain
that ratio.
New and extensive duties con-
! nected with the national defense
| program and involving the protect
ton of public buildings, vital serv-
| ices and utilities must be assumed
by local police, Mr. Cleveland point
ed out. He said the present force
also Is lIldOequdIe u eIllOICe IIle
pedestrian-contr regulation, and
he stressed the fact that more than
10 per cent of the traffic fatality
victims in Washington since Janu-
airy /, 1881, have been pedestrians.
Additional off-street parking fa-
cilities are needed, Mr.. Cleveland
declared, because Washington has a
greater concentration of motor We
hicles than any large city in the
country except Los Angeles. In this
connection, he said that a survey
conducted by the A. A. A. showed
that 80 per cent of several thousand
motorist queried favored increasing
off-street parking facilities in the
central business district, and 95 per
cent said they believed that such
facilities should be provided by the
municipal government.
Mr.. Cleveland also urged that
driver education be included in the
curriculum of all District high
schools; that the law be amended