Evening star., 1951-05-16
Recreation Plea
Fails 10 Bulge
County. Heads
Commissioners Soy
Issue Is Closed,
Schools Come First

today on their refusal to grant
funds in the new budget for q
recreation program.
Schools come first and the issue
is closed, the commissioners said
yesterday, in rejecting a plea from
the three remaining Recreation
Board members to consider a re-
duced program for the summer
school vacation period.
Meeting in Upper Marlboro, the
all-Republican commissioners were
told, in a letter from Republican
cohort, Delegate William r
Hughes, to "stop looking like old
scrooges" on the recreation issue
Board Sought $63.000.
The Prince Georges recreation
program was killed by the commits
sioners early in March, when they
decided to omit the agency from
the new budget which goes into
effect July /.
Since that time. the Maryland
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission has volunteered
to sponsor children's recreation
program this summer in the
Metropolitan Area of the county
Yesterdays reaffirmation of the
March decision came on written
request from C. Gerard Buscher
chairman of the Recreation Board
for hearing Friday. Mr.. Buscher
said. over the week end, that he
and the other two members of the
board wanted to present a plan for
a children's recreation program
with no provision at all for adults
The adult aspect of the recrea-
ton program had previously been
attacked by the commissioners as
frivolous.
School Shortage Cited.
The commissioners argued yes
terday that the recreation program
had to be sacrificed because money
is needed for schools. They said
73 per cent of next years budget
will go for public education be-
cause the board found a serious
shortage in school facilities in the
county when it took Office last
December.
The letter from MIR. Hughes ac'
cused the Democrats of making
political football out Of thu
recreation issue. All the mem
bers of the Recreation Board arr
Democrats.
He urged the commissioners tt
put their case before the public
Hospital Doctors Reassured.
A committee of seven doctor:
from Prince Georges General Hos
pital met with the commissioners
and were assured that no further
changes in the hospitals admins
tration are contemplated until q
professional survey of county
government, now underway, i:
complete. The commissioners re-
Gently bowed to strenuous protest:
by county physicians and reversed
an earlier order dismissing Harr!
w. Penn, jr., as superintendent o.
the hospital.
The doctors disclosed that the!
have asked the American Hosplta
Association to make a survey tt
advise the hospital on how it cal
be operated more efficiently.
Discussing the hospitals $46,0O(
deficit for the first nine months O.
the current fiscal year, the doctor
said the people of the count!
should expect a deficit in thei
hospital. 1t would not be right tt
make the sick carry the entire
financial load, they maintained.
Pay Recommendation Studied.
DR.. Aaron Deitz. president o
the hospitals medical staff. toll
the commissioners they will hav'
to pay a salary of $4,000 to $500
a year to get a good nurses super
visor.
The commissioners meetlni
was conducted entirely in tn
open yesterday. They have beel
under criticism recently from
civic and political groups TO
meeting too often behind closet
doors
Commissioner Daniel A. Abbot
clarified his position on the 1855
Republican platform pledge tina
''the public shall be accorded &C
cess to all business sessions of TIN
governing body of the county
He said he still stands by tina
pledge and that he was misquote
when he repeatedly denied that tn
platform made such an assur
ance. He said his position is tina
the platform does not prohib
the commissioners from holdin
what he called executive confer
ences."
Names on Zoning Appeals.
In other actions, the commits
sioners:
/. Appointed three new Reput
lican members of the Board {
Zoning Appeals. They are Ray
mond L. Taylor of Suitland, Ralp
c. Dudrow of Hyattsville and Mr.
Dorothy Wilhelm of Landove
They also reappointed Mayo
John Torvestad of Colmar Manc
as counsel.
2. Received $S3,O37 in liquc
license renewals from Waverl
Webb. clerk of Circuit Court. M
Webb said that amount represent
fees received up to May / an
that since then he has collecte
more than $4,000. He estimate
that, by the end of the montl
total of about a $15O,0O0 wi
have been collected, which woul
be $50,000 above the estimate
the current budget.
Cumberland Stirred