Evening star., 1941-02-23

about the middle of the 1939-40 fe
jurisdictional battle over the eltre
izens Association into the Fedora
ton. Piney Branch Citizens ASSo-
ciation contended that Hampshire
Heights overlapped its boundaries
and opposed admission of the latter
group.
Mr.. Smith, who strongly favored
the admission of the active and
numerous Hampshire Heights Asso-
citation, decided to investigate how
much membership in the federation
meant to Piney Branch as shown
bv attendance at meetings and then
decided to take look at every
bodv's attendance while he vas
about it. His study began in 1878,
covered the following year and the
first half of last year. He aban-
doned completion of it for all OF
last year. however, when Hampshire
Heights was finally voted III.
Probe Operation Explained.
The survey worked on the follow
ing principle. In the first year OF
its coverage, for instance, the fed
Grafton met 13 times. Each member
body has two delegates. Any group
represented by both delegates at all
meetings had 100 per cent attend
ance. Attendance at all meetings
by one delegate meant so per cent
attendance.
During the year 1878, II aSsocia-
tions we're represented at all the
meetings with an attendance per-
centage running from 73l00. Seven
teen other associations attended less
than half the meetings, with at
tendance percentage running from
zero to SO. Only three-American
Associs ton of Engineers, Logan
Thomas Circle and Petworth-had
100 per cent records.
The following year 10 member
bodies attended all the meetings,
with a percentage of 57-97. West
End had the 81 per cent representa-
tion at all Is meetings. Fifteen
groups attended less than half the
meetings.
For the half of last year which
the survey covered, 25 associations
had attended all seven meetings with
delegate percentage of 50-93. Groups
with SO per cent delegate representa-
ton were Bennings, Burroughs,
Cathedral Heights-Cleveland Park,
Conduit Road, PetWorth, Southwest
and West End. Nine attended less
than half.
Averaging attendance over the en-
tire two and a half years, Mr.. Smith
found that 13 bodies had been rep
resented at all IS meetings and that
Is attended less than half. Those
attending all meetings were the As
s0ciation of Engineers, Citizens
Forum of Columbia Heights, Colum-
bia Heights, Connecticut Avenue,
Glover Park, Lincoln Park, Logan
Thomas Circle, Manor Park, North
Capitol Petworth, Southwest, STAN
ton Park and West End. All OF
these had at least one delegate at
all meetings.
Some Attendance Poor.
Among those with generally poor
attendance for the period under
consideration we're the Arts Club,
Burleith, Chevy Chase, Dupont
Circle, Fort Davis, HillSrest, Kenil-
worth, Metropolis View, Gateway,
Mount Pleasant, Piney Branch,
North Cleveland Park, Randle High
lands, Trinidad, Washington High
lands, Benning and Michigan Park.
Many of the groups, with new sets
of delegates in some instances, have
improved attendance this year. But
it still requires a hot" issue to get
a really good turnout, apparently.
At the recent discussions OF the
alcoholic beverage control changes,
for instance, the first session drew
some 80 delegates. There are %
member bodies at present, With TWO
delegates each, or 130 delegates.
"I think we ought to have an at
tendance of from 80 to 100," declared
Harry N. Stull, president OF the led
Grafton, who, as a delegate from
Stanton Park, can't remember miss
ing a meeting in his two decades or
so of civic experience, "and that's
allowing for sickness and other
pressing engagements such as being
out of town"
These persons are sent down by
their associations for specific pur-
pose" he continued, and don t
think an attendance of IS to Is IS
sufficient. They have a duty to per-
form and they should do it,"