Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-03-13
Board Launches
Fight ia! Control
PublicPooIs
D. 6. Recreation Unit
Seeks to Block New
Federal Contract
By Rudolph Kouffmonn II

A fight by the District Recreation
Board to gain control of all public
swimming pools in the District was
in the offing today.
The board voted at it's monthly
meeting yesterday to ask. the Dis
trict Commissioners to request the
Secretary of the Interior not to re-
new the current contract by which
the National Park Service leases to
Government Services, Inc, opera
ton of the Banneker. Francis, Ia
koma, Anacostia, Mckinley -Ecking-
ton and East Potomac Park pools at
least until j. A. Krug, new Interior
Secretary, has had chance to hear
personally the Recreation Boards
ideas on the subject.
-Four members of the board voted
favorably on recommendation to
follow this course of action. Irving
c. Root, superintendent of National
Capital Parks, and Alice C. Hunter.
secretary OF the board, dissented.
Mrs. George A. Garrett, seventh
member Of the board, was not
present.
Hot Argument.
Prior to the vote a hot areu-
ment developed between Mr.. Root
and members favoring board opera
ton of the pools. Milo F. Christian
sen, superintendent of recreation:
Harry S. Wender, board chairman.
and James E. Schwab, vice chair
man, argued that it was the intent
OF legislation which set up the board
that the swimming pools should be
taken over when the contract with
Government Services, Inc, ran out.
The board had understood, these
three explained, that the contract
expired in 1947, but that it had been
learned in the last week that the
Interior Department intended re-
newing the contract this coming
July and had not informed the
Recreation Board of its intentions.
Mr.. Root said his fellow board
members were misinterpreting the
law and that it had been intended
only that the Recreation Board con-
troi swimming programs held at the
pools, not the pools themselves. He
explained that, since the pools nor
mally are run at loss, any Gov
eminent agency assuming their op-
Grafton would incur budget deficits.
Wender Cites Overhead.
Mr.. Wender said he wasn't so
sure the pools had to be operated
at loss. He said Government Serv-
ices, Ines overhead charges could
account for the loss. He said Gov
eminent Services, Inc, was asked
during the war to operate the
United Nations Service Center bv
the War Hospitality Committee and
that it had charged $1,000 to over
head before any one walked in the
door,"
The board also voted:
l. To ask the Commissioners to
remove the District Pound from
Randall Recreation Center in
Southwest Washington.
2. To confer with officials of the
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission on relocating the
proposed New Hampshire Play
ground, scheduled for the Washing
ton Circle area, owing to high land
costs in the area originally Sc
lected.
3. To lend its support to any
move made to adopt daylight-saving
time in Washington this summer.
4. To ask the District Health De-
partment if all recreation employees
could be given medical examina-
tons.
5. To ask the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission to
seek transfer of land under the
jurisdiction of the National Capital
Housing Authority to round out the
Stanton Road Elementary School
Playground.