Evening star., 1941-06-21
Senators Hear
icGroups on
D. {. Bill Today
Representative Hunter
Urges More Funds
For Fairgrounds
By J. A. O'LEARY.

A score of civic organization
spokesmen were waiting to be heard
today as Senate hearings on the
$50, SAT 900 District appropriation
bill for the year commencing July
were drawing toward a close.
Recreation was the keynote OF
yesterday afternoons session. as
Representative Hunter of Ohio.
member of the House District Com
mittee, asked the Senators to allow
100000 instead of S25 600 for the
improvement of existing grounds.
Mr.. Hunter, who has been study
ing coordination of control over
recreational activities, joined with
Harry S. Wender and the Rev.
Harry V. Porter of the Southwest
Citizens Association in calling par
ticular attention to the need for
clearing and equipping land bought
for playground purposes in the
Southwest section, but which has
never been made usable.
Relief Crisis Forecast.
The Senate subcommittee pre-
sided over by Chairman Overton,
also was told yesterday by Acting
Public Welfare Director Conrad Van
Hyning that Washington will face
a relief crisis next month if the
Work Projects Administration makes
its announced cut of so per cent in
the 5000 in w. P. A. jobs in WASH
ington. A number of witnesses have
told the subcommittee how various
municipal agencies in which
w. P. A. labor is employed will be
handicapped if they are dropped.
Mr.. Wender. who appeared also
as vice president of the Federation
Of Citizens Association suggested
late yesterday that Senator Over
tons subcommittee appeal to ma
tlonal w. P. A. officials to modify
their decision, at least to the aver
age reduction nationally of 29 per
cent. AS an alternative, he sug-
gested the Senate give the Commits
sioners an additional relief fund
with authority to continue the en-
ployment of the w. F. A. workers
without civil service status and at
w. P. A. rates.
More Police Asked.
Washington l. Cleveland OF the
District division of the American
Automobile Association. laid before
the Senators his seven-point pro-
gram for budget changes, which call
for: 90 more policemen. for traffic
duty; an additional Police Court
Judge, to be assigned permanently
to the traffic branch; a survey of
street lighting to reduce night acci-
dents; acquisition of land for off,
street parking on the fringes Of the
downtown section and assignment
of parking meter revenue to the
highway fund: authority for the
District to resume use of its own
highway testing laboratory; exten-
sion of the driver training program
in the public schools, and additional
funds to enable the Motor Vehicle
Department to serve the public more
expeditiously in issuing permits,
tags and titles.
Mrs. George c. Thorpe OF the
Woman's Safety Committee of the
A. A A. defended the feasibility of
building underground parking
garages, and cited a project now
being built beneath a park in San
Francisco.
Charles + Stengle of the Ameri-
can Federation of Government En-
ploves told the Senate group the
Federal Government should bear at
least a part of the cost of the Ma
tional Geological Park. which is op-
Grated by the Smithsonian InStitu-
ton, but financed in the District
bill He said it is distinctly a Fed
eral establishment. Mr.. Stengle was
asking principally for Is more Gus
todial workers in the public schools
to improve the hours and working
conditions of the custodians.
Ray H. Everett, secretary Of the
Social Hygiene Society, recon-
mended more adequate allowances
to the Health Department for con-
troll of venereal diseases.
Urge Bridge Plan Fund.
Mr.. Wender joined in urging res
toriation of 100000 cut out by the
House TO buy approaches and pre-
pare plans for a new bridge across
the Anacostia River at South Capt.
tol street, to cost ultimately S4,500.-
900. Capt. H. C. Whitehurst. high
way engineer, had recommended the
restoration earlier in the day. The
House dropped the item on the
theory that it may be obtained from
national defense highway funds.
since it would open up a needed
artery to Boiling Field and the
Naval Air Station. Capt. White
hurst pointed out, however, that if
the Commissioners cannot prepare
plans there will be little chance OF
having the construction cost pro-
vided out of the defense program
The Senate subcommittee was
asked to restore the $4,000 fund
to establish the food stamp plan
for needy families, which was strick-
en- from the bill on a point of order
in the House.
One of the high lights Of yeSter-
days hearing was a request by Capt
Whitehurst for broader authority to
build permanent raised safety plat
forms for pedestrians. He declared
the painted safety zones, surrounded
only by metal buttons, are death
traps"