Evening star., 1941-03-23

discussions Will be resumed WedneS-
when several spokesmen on the gen.
Board members.
that number of members of the
School Board were not unsympa-
thetic to the recreation board which
would have after-school Jurisdiction
of number of school buildings and
grounds. At last weeks meeting,
however, several indicated they were
not ready to take action without
fuller knowledge Of the measure.
Briefly, the proposed bill--drawn
up jointly by Secretary Thomas Set
tie of the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission and former
Co-ordinator of Recreation Lewis r.
Barrett-would bundle into a single
appropriation the funds now car
ried for the salary of the co-ordi-
nator in the budget of the National
Capital Parks Office and the money
in the school budget for community
centers and Fairgrounds and place
1t under nine-man recreation
board, five of whom would represent
the public. 1t would place at the
disposal of the board hundreds of
acres Of park land and play space
now separately under the parks and
a number Of school buildings and
Fairgrounds now administered
Jointly by the Commissioners and
the School Board for recreation pur-
poses. A number of recreation sur
veys here during the past 10 or IL
years have come out with the rec
ommendation of just such a COM
mission.
Ballou is Main Opponent.
Present personnel in recreation
would be retained under the meas
ure, except where records show
incompetence.
The key to the failure of the plan
thus far has been Supt. Frank w.
Ballou. Throughout. he has been
firm in his unwillingness to relin-
quish any school properties to any
other jurisdiction even in after
school hours and in his equally
strong conviction that any unif1ca-
ton should be under the Board of
Education only. He frankly told
Mr.. Settle last week that he could
put on better and cheaper rec
reation program with the machinery
of the public schools than could
another agency with its overhead.
The superintendent is not without
supporters for School Board control
who regard recreation as an ex-
tension of the educational process
to leisure time activities. The
Jealousy of this group of the inde-
pendent status now possessed by
the board over its school properties
and personnel admits no one else
to the jurisdiction. One of the
stanchest champions of School
Board control was Henry I. Quinn,
former president of the District
Bar Association and also of the
Board of Education. 1t was planned
to obtain Mr.. Quinns views before
the committee Wednesday but he
will be out of town.
Proponents of the commission
plan argue that under the Board
of Education recreation would not
obtain the prominence it deserves;
that more than just the problems
of recreation for school children Is
involved, especially with the large
influx Of population now moving
into the city in national defense
work; and that the citizen personnel
on the board would give the citizens
control of the recreation program
in the same way that they control
education.
Citizens to Take Part.
A revised bill drawn up by Chair.
man Charles D. Drayton of the law
and legislation committee which
is considering the subject would
provide for six citizen members.
DR.. Ballou opposes naming of citi-
zen members by the Commissioners
as provided in the Settle-Barrett
draft, asserting this would make it
Commissioners committee. He
has suggested that major civic
groups name delegates to serve on
the board, the associations to be
named in the bill. Objection was
raised, however, that some of these
groups might not exist forever or
that other important groups might
come along. and that one member
might belong to other named asso-
Citations.
Despite unwillingness to act with
any haste, at least one member of
the School Board has observed that
a States rights" attitude on the
part OF the school has caused efforts
toward unif1cation to bog down.
Mrs. Henry Grafton Doyle, president
OF the board, is a strong supporter
OF the commission plan.
The fact that existing contracts
with s. G. Leoffier over the opera
t1on of several golf courses and with
the Welfare and Recreation Associa-
tion for operation of some swimming
pools would not be affected bv the
Oh! drew some objections from DR..
Ballou, as evidence that the parks
were not contributing as much to
tne proposed setup as the schools.
Mr.. Settle made it clear, however.
that the bill carries ultimate au-
thority for recreation board control
OF these facilities eventually upon
expiration Of the contracts, should
tnls change in operation be found
desirable. 1t is understood that the
system OF leasing these facilities by
the parks on contract was devised
as means to keep operation and
maintenance more flexible. To be
operated directly by a Federal
agency, item justification of main
tenance would be required and re.
ceipts, instead Of being able to 90
PACK into the facilities, would 20
into the general fund.