Evening star., 1946-07-07

| mission warfare:
l. In 1914, expensive engineering con-
sultants, j. E. Greiner and De Leuw
Gather & Associates, were called in by
the District government to recommend
future improvement of the citys trans
portation system. The planning COM
mission suggested that committee
! representing the District, the transit
company and the commission be set up
to sift civic comment on subway pro-
posed by the conSultants. When the
committee was set up, the planning
commission was pointedly left out. Then
j its views on the consultants report were
asked. 1t asked for a budget increase
to hire more staff, partly to prepare its
own transportation scheme, and was
denied.
Then it's city planner, who was
ordered to 60 forward with commits
sion transportation plan, resigned for
a higher paid job. The commission has
been unable to fill the position with
competent man due to the low pay.
Recently the commission was publicly
criticized for dilly- -dallying about its
comment on the plan by District En-
| gineer Commissioner Gordon r. Young.
Finally it abandoned its attempts to
draft real critiQue of the plan and
wrote the District Commissioners
brief letter of comment.
2. The commission is now operating
with the smallest staff in its history. The
! District government does not approve its
requests for more personnel despite the
fact the city has doubled in size and
become infinitely more complex since
! the commission started work 20 years
ago This at time when other city
| planning groups have whole batteries
of craftsmen and substantial printing
| and binding funds.
/ 1t has been learned authoritatively
| that for the last two years the COM
mission has asked for $50,000 budget
! item to hire the craftsmen and clerks
not to prepare just a transportation
! plan, which, by the way, it would be
| perfectly capable of drafting if it had
| the funds-but to publish its entire
Washington master plan. 1t was turned
down. The ut-of town consultants
mentioned above are estimated to have
! charged the District $45000 for their
work Their plan was published in $40
edition form 200 copies) and the con-
sultants are still being retained by the
District Highway Department.
Action Urged Now.
3. Several times in recent months
/ District Highway Director H. C. White
/ hurst has said, IF We make any more
! surveys, We'll survey ourselves to death
! Now is the time for action" At the same
time the District Highway Department
continues to make surveys and calls In
consultants for advice which is already
available for the asking.
Yet Washington boasts that no other
city in the country can claim an unpaid
commission made up of nationally
| known laymen and high Government
officials whose advice other cities would
have to pay high to get or could not
get at all because the officials would not
have time to give it.
landscape architect and city planner
can ask and get from $500 to 1000 a
day for his advice. J. C. Nichols, ma
tionally known Kansas City realtor and
community planner, and William A
Delano, one of the deans of American
architecture, who recently resigned from
the commission due to i'll health, are
oF tr,,
outside of Washington. is looked upon
as man in the forefront of the plan
ming field.
To these men are added the chairman
of the Senate and House District Com
mittees, the chief of Army engineers,
the chief of the National Forest Serv-
ice, the director of the National Park
Service and the District Of Columbia
Engineer Commissioner.
Practically nowhere else are men of
this caliber paid only for their travel
expenses and asking only enough money
to hire a few additional craftsmen and
clerical assistants, gathered together to
help a city mold its future.
Then, why does the District govern
ment avoid using the planning agency
for the purpose intended?
Money Is Needed.
Why? Because the planning group
as now constituted reflects the para
mount interest of the Federal Govern
ment. The District government, the
only Government agency sensitive in
any degree to local sentiment, fears
the effect of paramount Federal inter-
est when unsupported by Federal funds
The fact that the District govern
ment by-passes the commission and
holds its influence over city development
to minimum may appear to be lack OF
foresight, like a return to the ''horse
and buggy DAYS of city development by
department heads. by megalomaniac
agencies seeking the limelight and a
lions share of funds, by property own
ers intent on the quickly garnered dol
lar and not ON the long-range and
much larger profits to be gained in a
well-planned community.
Actually, this Is not the case. And
here lies the reason why Washington
stands at crossroads. The reason is
money.
When Congress created the planning
commission in 1926 to make great
and beautiful city out of a sprawline
town, the Federal Government was con-
tributing 40 per cent of the cost of run
ming the District. Now it contributes
! less than 10 per cent