Evening star., 1944-01-29
D. AIesandro Will Call.
Night Session in Quiz
Of Child Delinquency
Plons to Give Porents
An Opportunity to Hear
Points Found in Study

Plans to call a night session next
week of the subcommittee OF the
House District Committee studying
juvenile delinquency here to give
parents. and others unable to at
tend day sessions an opportunity
to hear some of the testimony are
being made by Chairman A'Alesan-
dro.
The subcommittee chairman said
he hoped to obtain the caucus room
Of the old House Once Building
for the night hearing in order to
accommodate the large number OF
persons who have shown an interest
In his investigation.
He announced the plan last night
at the conclusion of a tour of come
recreation programs sponsored for
Washington youth by the Recrea-
tion Department and Police Boys
Club
Visit School Door Canteens.
After visiting three school door
canteens, including the opening
night" for Terrell Junior High
School, Representative D'Alesandro
said that from what he had seen
he thought the Recreation Depart
ment which sponsors the entertain
ments had made a good start. He
questioned, however, whether the
program went far enough to meet
the immediate situation The prob
lem of juvenile delinquency, he en-
phasized, is not postwar problem
He appeared pleased with the
work being done at Police Boys
Club No. 2 at 1900 U street NV,
the first stop on his tour.
Representative Rowan, Democrat,
of Illinois, member of the DAI-
esandro committee, also made the
tour, which was arranged by Milo
F. Christensen, superintendent of
the District Recreation Department.
The group of visitors included mem
bers Of the Recreation Board and
others concerned with juvenile pro-
grams here.
Presented to Boys.
At the U street Police Boys Club,
the only one of its kind for eolored
boys here, Representative DAlesan-
dro and Rowan were presented to
an audience of several hundred
youngsters assembled in the audi
torium for a movie.
After asking several questions
about their school and church activi-
ties, Chairman D'Alesandro sug-
gested the boys write the director
of the club telling him what recre-
alton they like best. The director
told the visitors the club, which has
a total enrolment of 1928 members,
averaged daily attendance of $50
In 1943.
Hundreds Of teen-age boys and
girls were dancing at the school,
door canteens at Powell, Terrell and
Jefferson Junior High Schools, which
are part of the system of Friday
night entertainments recently in
augurated for about a dozen areas
in the city.
Told of Admission Fees.
1nquiring about admission fees,
Representative DAlesandro was told
they vary according to the section
of the city and the entertainment
provided. The admission fee at
Powell is Is cents, dancers are ad-
mitted at Jefferson for II cents and
the fee at Terrell is II cents. The
Terrell fee is the lowest because
music for dancing is provided by a
juke box rather than an orchestra,
it was explained.
Representative D'Alesandro also
was interested in the hours observed
at the various centers visited.
The tour included a look-in at
Banneker Junior High School, where
Recreation Department activities
had given way to an interschool bas-
ket ball game.
Harry S. Wender, chairman of the
District Recreation Board, and James
E. Schwab, vice chairman, were
among those visiting the centers.
Sergt. Forrest Benswanger repre-
sented the Police Boys Clubs.