Evening star., 1942-01-30
Validity Of Worning
By Ickes Shown
Destruction Of Fairgrounds
Is Not Necessary
In NutionoI Crisis

AT the OCTOBER meeting OF the national
Capital Park and Planning Commission,
Secretary Of the Interior Ickes sounded
a ringing warning against unplanned
and unnecessary encroachments on
Washingtons parks and Fairgrounds.
The following is quoted from his state
ment:
I'VE find ourselves in the throes of a
national emergency and there is strong
tendency on the part Of certain defense
officials to achieve their objectives with
out regard for the general interest. They
would ignore the plans of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commission,
the Commission of Fine Arts and the
National Park Service for the orderly
development of the National Capital. ."
"An outstanding example of this, as you
are all we'll aware, is the sudden construc-
ton of another new War Department
Building in Virginia with its upsetting
influences involving shifting populations,
traffic congestions and general disturb
ance of the whole city pattern.
This disregard OF park and recrea-
tional values. built up through years Of
effort and expenditure. has been clearly
demonstrated by the increase in size Of
the present War and Navy Department
Buildings, and the demand for automo-
bile parking areas in Potomac Park to
accommodate the increased personnel.
Temporary office buildings are being
located in many downtown parks. despite
the unhappy experience of the last war.
Temporary buildings Of the 1917 vintage,
some of which still remain, gave Wash
ington its worst scars and have defaced
the National Capital for nearly two
decades. Instead Of being q shining ex.
ample to other crowded areas in the
country, our Capital City offers a bad
example. We need more parks and not
fewer parks. We need more Fairgrounds,
swimming pools, tennis courts and golf
courses. 80
Rock Greek and Potomac parkways
have become main traffic arteries 50 that
their preservation for park use and en-
joyment is becoming increasingly diff
cult. Certain interests now propose to
add bus trafic on these roads further to
interfere with the intended use OF the
area
I'VE are thinking Of the United States
Capital not in terms of beauty. vistas and
adequate park areas, but Of buildings
crowded together and Of overworked
streets. People ought to be just rs i'm
portant as buildings and 1t should be
realized that in urban communities the
problem Of the conservation Of our hu-
man resources becomes increasingly more
important In direct ratio to population
growth. Recreation must be provided for
this increasing population. and recrea-
tion for the great mass of the population
means parks and Fairgrounds.
THE national conscience has been
shocked by the number Of young men
offered for enrolment in the Army who
are being rejected for physical reasons.
Healthy bodies can neither be built up
nor maintained in areas that are
crowded to the point Of unhealth-
mess -
Washington will soon be nothing but
glorifled boulevards. There will be no
problem Of Fairgrounds and recreation
areas, but only of trafiic arteries, over
passes, underpasses, clover-leafs, automo-
bile parking lots and sites for schools and
ONCE buildings.
II am opposed to any further encroach-
ment upon our inadequate park areas. I
believe in long time planning and in ad-
herence to plans when carefully consum-
mated: not in the grab-bag method OF
putting road or building on any bit OF
vacant land that can be discovered re-
gardless Of whether or not that is the
best use for the land. -"
president Roosevelt recently said that
he had been guilty Of crime against
Washington over 20 years ago. He re-
ferred to the temporary Navy and War
buildings that have squatted on park
lands since 1917.
IF necessity must, would be the first
to call for the destruction Of our parks
and even the demolition Of the Washing
ton Monument and the Lincoln and JET
ferson Memorials. I would be willing to
pay this price and greater one to save
ourselves from Hitler. But none OF these
things is necessary. A little more imag-
ination, little more ingenuity and quite
a bit more interest in Washington and
its population would provide for our de-
fense needs without destroying or mar
ring the peoples heritage"
Urges Wartime Use
OF Substitutes for Sugar.
ra -. raitor ~ I'll