Evening star., 1943-11-07
Control and Responsibility

1t will be disappointing to those
interested in the development of
sound recreation program for Wash
ington If the District Recreation
Board and the Interior Department
are unable to reach satisfactory
agreement on control of the public
golf courses. Such control would
give the board another splendid
opportunity to increase the value Of
It's services to the community along
the lines it has begun so we'll And
such control, it is believed, was i'm
plicit in the legislation creating the
board
The Department of Interior is
custodian, under the law, for the
golf courses located in national park
areas, Just as the Board of Educa-
ton and the District Commissioners
are the owners, so to speak, of play
grounds, swimming pools and other
facilities for recreation originally
placed under their jurisdiction. The
Recreation Board derives its con-
troll over such facilities only by
agreement with these agencies.
There has been, up to this time,
every disposition to make such
agreements possible, and, through
willing cooperation to carry out the
spirit Of the law creating the Rec
reation Board by delegating to it
full authority to work for a we'll
integrated program of recreation for
the city as a whole
The stumbling block in connec-
tion with control of the golf courses
seems to be an indisposition. by the
Interior Department, to delegate
this control without attaching
strings to it which gives the depart
ment final Say-so as to operation
policies. This attitude is, of course,
defensible, but it is disappointing.
For it perpetuates the Identical di-
vision in control over recreation
facilities in the Capital for which a
remedy was sought in the Recrea-
ton Board. The board is correctly
dominated by the citizens repre-
sentatives but the Interior Depart
ment, the Commissioners and the
Board of Education are represented
in it's membership.
To be successful the Recreation
Board should have the authority
which correctly accompanies re-
sponsibility for operating the rec
reation system in conformity with
what the board believes-not what
the Interior Department believes-is
for the best interests of the commu-
nifty. 1t cannot logically assume re-
sponSibility for the golf course op-
Grafton if the Interior Department
insists on remaining in the picture
in so dominant position that it can
negative policies adopted by the
Recreation Board If the Board Of
Education or the Commissioners
adopted any such attitude, the
board might as we'll 60 out of busi-
ness and admit failure to achieve
its purpose.
Operation of the golf courses by
the Recreation Board would permit
use of the cash receipts to be plowed
back into improvements and en-
largement Of golf facilities That
Is evidently impossible now, under
the system of lease to a CONNER
cial operator. If the Interior De-
partment is to delegate responsible
ity Of control to the Recreation
Board, it should permit the board to
adopt and pursue its own policies.
If 1t is unwilling to do so, the Rec
reation Board will at least be under
stood in declining to accept a re-
Sponsibility divided between the
sometimes conflicting interests of
the community and the Interior De-
partment.