Evening star., 1950-08-16
Pub|icGoIfLinks
Attacked Before
Subcommittee
Privately Operated,
Courses Are Called
Poorest of Facilities

q HOUSE AppTOpIldClOLlS SuDCOu
mittee released today.
Also disclosed was the Com
misSionerS' reasoning in thei
withdrawal of a request for $275,'
600 to permit District Recreation
Board operation of the links il
1851. The city heads proposed
to reconsider the item next month
for the 1852 budget.
Commissioner John Russell
Young said the city heads hac
mental reservation" abouI
Recreation Board operation of tn,
courses. He said it might bt
better to give it out to a conces'
sioner" but that he felt the boarC
should administer it.
Wender Sees Profit.
The testimony was given before
a closed session of the Bate:
subcommittee, dealing with some
$2,347,412 worth of supplemental
appropriation items for the Dis.
trict pending before the Appro.
priations Committee, and wa,
made public today.
Board Chairman Harry S. Wen
der told the July IA Subcommit-
tee hearing he knew of no better
financial deal the District govern
ment could enter into than the
proposed taking over of the links
from the Interior Department.
"At the very least. we stand to
take in above costs of manage
ment some $4,000 to 100000 a
year and possibly better" he de-
clared. He said he felt the
courses could be improved and
golf made cheaper.
Representative Wilson, Republi-
can, of Indiana said during the
hearing he thought recreation IA
cilities for the District were "flne
as far as they CO." and that those
used and administered by the
Recreation Department were
pretty good"
CriticizeS Courses.
But the poorest of all" are the
golf courses, he said.
The links have been operated
for many years by S. G. Leoff1er
The appropriation request woulc
have permitted the District Rec
reation Board to buy him out and
set up a revolving fund.
"Up until publicity was given
Mr.. Leoffler a year or two ago,
I played at the Anacostia course, y
Mr.. Wilson said. I'm fact, that
is where I learned to play golf
I'VE had poor service over
there. You lost the balls on the
fairway about as fast as you could
hit them out there. The condi-
tionS of the course were ineXcus-
able. All the time he was piling
up a fortune at the expense OF
the people of the District of Co.
lumbia who had to play the pub
lie golf courses.
"Since the big fuss has been
raised over that there has
been quite a change. The fairwayS
are kept moved. They have
drained No. 3 and No. Is fairway:
over at Anacostia, and they nov
keep them moved: also, tht
greens are kept in better shape
Much better service is Offered
now"
Investigated Last Year.
An attack on the Leof1er Com
pany operation of the courses b.
Representative Rivers, Democrat
of South Carolina last year led II
an investigation of the company
its financing and its operation
by a subcommittee of the Hous'
Public Lands Committee.
Representative Yates, Democrat
of Illinois reminded Mr.. Young
during his testimony that the in
yestigation showed that of $40 mu
nicipal golf courses Throughout
the country, only seven are LEASED
TO private operators.
Mr.. Yates asked whether, if the
courses had not been able to carry
themselves, the municipalities
would not have looked around fol
some one to lease them.
Mr.. Young admitted that sound
cd convincing.
Budget Officer Walter L. Fowle
said one thing that concerned tn
Commissioners about board opera
ton of the links was the fact tina
District employment provides fol
such things as time e-and-a-hal
pay for overtime, double time 10
holidays, a night differential AM
retirement benefits.
Different Elsewhere.
other municipalities do no'
have as many of these, he said.
Mr.. Fowler said the only othel
thing troubling the city heads wai
the proposed agreement between
the board and the Interior De-
partment. The Commissioner
want assurance the agreement il
satisfactory to the committee anc
to Congress, he said.
He said the District has con
siderable amount of money IL
some Of the golf courses, but the!
are titled to the United States.
The $275,0 900 would have takel
the form of a loan.
Workar Hurt CarioueIv