Evening star., 1941-02-09

Drawn Up.
rough draft of a bill to create such
a commission for its consideration
and recommendation 1t was pre-
sented to the board by DR.. Frank w.
Ballou, superintendent of schools,
and referred to the boards Com
mittee on Legislation for study.
DR.. Ballou is the boards repre-
sentative on the Co-ordinating Com
mittee for Recreation, created in
1885 by President Roosevelt to sur
vey the various solutions which
could be applied to the ciUy's tangled
recreation administration situation
and recommend the one 1t consid-
cred best.
The bill, which represents the
solution advanced by a majority Of
the members of this committee, calls
for creation of nine-man COM
mission to coordinate recreation.
Five of the members would be Dis
trict citizens appointed by the Com
missioners and the other four would
be- eX officio members representing
the Commissioners, Board of Educa-
lion, Office of National Capital
Parks and Board of Public Welfare.
The commission would be empoW-
cred to appoint an executive officer
to supervise and administer the en-
tire field of public recreation.
At present public recreation is
loosely tied together by means of a
co-ordinator on the park pay roll
who serves as executive under a
joint committee consisting of the
Commissioners End three members
of the Board of Education. Every
move of this committee. however,
has to be ratified by the entire
School Pc9rd.
Three Favor Bill.
Three members of the Presidents
committee. Chairman Frederic A.
Delano. Commissioner J. Russell
Young and Supt. of National Cap
ital Parks Irving c. Root. have ap-
proved tho bill Dr. Ballou, the
fourth member, has, in the past,
opposed such a unifcation, and has
advocated freezing recreation into
two camps, one, the supervised rec
reation which takes place on play
grounds, which he would place solely
under the Board of Education. and
the other, the unSupervised adult
recreation taking place in the large
parks. which would continue to be
administered by the Office of Ma
tional Capital Parks.
The question now is. whether a
ma jority of the board will back the
bill as it stands or with certain
amendments, or not. The consensus
at present is that a majority of the
board will favor an amended bill.
For instance, the colored members
of the board feel the bill should
specifically provide for colored rep
resentation on the board. Women
members of the board feel it should
specifically provide for feminine
representation. Mrs. Henry Grattan
Doyle, president of the Board OF
Education. quoted DR.. Ballou We'd
nesday. at the close of meeting OF
the board. as having advocated that
the five lay members of the COM
mission should represent five major
civic groups in the city, such as the
Beard of Trade, the Federation OF
Citizens Association. the Federation
Of Civic Associations. the Council Of
/ Social Agencies and the Federation
of Parent Teacher Associations.
Board Is Polled.
( Certain cities having such COM
+ f1, iyNc
point Of appointing one member
from the American Legion or some
other patriotic group.
That majority of the board seem
. to favor the purnose Of the bill is in
dicated by a poll of its members by
/ Weaver w. Pangborn, legislative
representative of the National Rec
reation Associa ton. Mr.. Pangborn
said Thursday that he had been able
/ to reach all but one member of the
board, Melvin c. Sharpe, who is
sick
/ While members would not commit
themselves. he said, a majority
seemed to favor the bill in principle.
Most he said felt amendments and
additions should be made.
At present the bill is in the hands
of Charles D. Drayton, chairman.
and Mr. Sharpe end Mrs. Velna @.
Willion-s. members of the Committee
on Legislation.
The boards final action will un-
doubtediv be greatly influenced by
TIE recommendations of this COM
m:ttce. If approval is the result.
passage through Congress virtually
will be assured.
There is, of course. still opposition
to such a commission which holds
views similar to those of DR.. Ballou.
A leader of this opposition is Henry
I. Quinn, former member of the
Board of Education. The late Maj.
Daniel J. Donovan. District auditor,
was the chief opponent of unif1ca-
ton of recreation which entailed any
separate authority and which en-
tailed formal cooperation with the
parks. TIE opposition, for all in
dica tionS, however, is in the minor
ity at the present time.