Evening star., 1941-12-14
Play Bill
Parties Still
At Odds
Recreation Measure
Held Up by Two
Amendments

Agencies affected by the proposed
bill to establish Q recreation board
for the District were still reported
at odds over suggested amendments
to the measure by Renah F. CANA
lier, counsel for the Senate District
Committee.
The amendments would make the
Commissioner member chairman OF
the seven-member board and re-
o,,ire formal signature Of the Com
missioners on all personnel appoint
ments by the board. Other partles
affected are the Board of Educatlon
and the Office of National Capltal
Parks. Purpose Of the bill IS 10
centralize administration of recrea-
tion facilities and personnel which
for the past decade have been under
three separate and frequently con-
fiicting agencies.
At the moment supervised rec
reation is controlled jointly by the
BOARD of Education and the Com
missioners and unsupervised play
by the parks ONCE.
Development Planned.
Strong opposition to the amend
ments are reported in school board
quarters and some even among
others who participated in drafting
the bill but are not physically con-
cerned with its provisions.
While this issue stood stalemated,
however, recreation scored In an
other field. After a personal visit
to the so-called Jefferson recrea-
ton area in Southwest, the Com
missioners, impressed with the i'm
possibility of its use by youngsters
Of the neighborhood because Of its
| rough. ungraded surface, decided to
| seek annual funds for development
Of many play sites already acquired
| Virtually no money is allotted each
| year in the annual budget for such
work.
For q while relief labor was avail
able through various Government
projects and number of grounds
were graded and surfaced, but with
the curtailment of quotas and
projects, this help has not been
available to the District in recent
months.
Use Mason's Suggestion.
A step forward in this work wa
taken last week when at Commits
sioner Guy Mason's suggestion
efforts were made to interest private
contractors in grading the Jefferson
plot In return for the fill obtained
A contracting company working or
the new War Department in Arling.
ton was given the job.
Grading of the Jefferson area
will climax a long campaign on the
part of Southwest civic groups.
There have been several questions
raised by the public concerning the
operation of the Districts public
recreational program in view of the
defense plan preparations. The
department announced 1t is con-
tinuing to operate on a full-timt
program basis This operation, ol
course, is subject to the defense re-
strictions which may be issued by
United States Co-ordinator of De-
fense for the Metropolitan Area
John Russell Young, or Civilian
Defense Director, Col Lemuel Bolles
The entire department. consisting
Of about 160 white and colored en-
ployes. has met and set up plar
of organization on how the alarm!
are to be given within variou.
school and recreational buildings.
Evacuation Plan.
Drills are being held by the hun
dreds of youth and adults using thu
gymnasiums, the auditoriums, th'
class rooms, to perfect a smooth
and effective building evacuation 81
that panic and hysteria will no
develop. This problem is differen
from q day school one, as many o
the adults and youth come from
other sections of the city and ar,
not generally familiar with schoo
entrances and exits. Night evacu
alton is a little more difficult be
cause many of the schools are al
ready operating on reduced light
ing scale.
The system of building evacuation
has been planned so that q respon
sibiity has been placed on ever.
departmental employe, group or ac
tivity leader, gym attendant, ant
captain or manager Of participating
groups.
Approximately 50 departments
employees have completed first-ai
courses. Others are in the process
; of taking courses or planning t
do so.
During the war crisis tn England
has been found that the most ef1ec
tive way for maintaining morale an
an esprit de corps is for people =
maintain their regular routine worl
and recreational habits and inter
ects, according to Recreation co
, ordinator Milo r. Christensen.