Evening star., 1951-05-14
PrinceGeorges
Recreation Unit
Asks Showdown
Three Still on Bourd
May Quit Posts if
Hearing DeodIocks

Hearing Deudlocks
The three remaining members
Of the Prince Georges County
Board have asked the
county commissioners for show
down hearing tomorrow or Fri
day on the question Of providing
funds for a revised program dur
ing the school vacation period.
II the two groups hopeleSsly
deadlock, the three recreation
board members will resign in
favor of a three-man group Of
clergymen-"provided their resig-
nations will insure continuance Of
the recreation program under
county auspices"
c Gerard Buscher. chairman
OF the recreation board which
asked for a $4,000 appropriation
in the 1851 budget and received
nothing, announced the plans Of
his group and said:
mo one individual is important
enough to stand in the way of
this program, which is as essential
to all the people of the county
as schools and other welfare ac-
tivities."
Plan Designed for Children.
IF granted a hearing, Mr..
Buscher said, we will present a
plan designed for children and
without provision for adults"
Smith H. Purdum. another
recreation board member, said:
Il will gladly resign if that is
necessary to provide supervised
recreation for children who will
otherwise be forced to play in
traffic filled streets with the loss
of life and injuries that will in
evitably result"
Thomas S. Gwynn, jr., the third
member remaining after the term
Of Irwin I. Main expired May |,
declined to comment but close
friends said under such cir
cumstances. Tommy Gwynn would
have his resignation in first"
The proposal to have the COM
missioners name clergymen as
their successors, in the event an
accord cannot be reached, has
been Endorsed "in principle" by
State Senator John R. Fletcher.
several other Republican leaders,
and by spokesmen for civic groups.
Serve Pending Legislation.
The latter include Walter F.
Mulligan. chairman of a special
committee of the Citizens Com
mittee for Good Government and
head of the county civic fedora
ton, and William r. Turner, exec
tutive of the citizens committee.
The League of Women Voters de-
clined to express an opinion.
Under that plan, Catholic, q
Protestant and Jewish clergy
man would be named by the civic
groups and appointed by the COM
missioners to serve until a study
Iof the situation is completed and
legislation enacted to effect per-
manent plan.
Benjamin M. Bolinger, chair
man of the Recreation Boards
Advisory Council, also indorsed the
plan. His group is made up of
the leaders of the "a community
councils now taking part in the
program. The councils have a
total membership of $4,000. Mr..
Bolinger said at least 10000 chill
dren will be affected by the out
come OF the impending conference.
Opposes Transfer.
In line with the thinking of all
civic groups IN the area, Mr..
Buscher and Mr.. Purdum consider
the recreation program a county
responsibility and oppose its trans
fer to the Maryland National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission, as has been proposed.
Already" Mr.. Buscher declared,
"the county has spent $4,000 in
inaugurating program and
should continue it until its value
has been demonstrated to all the
people of the county"
Il think. and know" he added,
that such activities can be sue
Icessfully administered only under
the supervision of the county
commissioners"
Recreation is a matter that
belongs to the county" asserted
Mr.. Purdum. The Planning Com.
mission can function only within
its boundaries and these are not
county wide. said Mr.. Purdunn.
past president and now secretary
of the 32-unit Prince Georges
Boys Club.
All the members of the recrea-
tion board are Democrats and all
the county commissioners are Re-
lpublicans. Because of this, the
impasse has been attributed to po-
!l1tlcal Vaccinations.
Mr.. Buscher and Mr.. Purdum
denied this. Both said I'VE have
done everything in our power to
administer this program in the in
terest of the people and without
political considerations"
Mr.. Buscher said Thomas E.
Latimer. chairman of the board Of
commissioners, had expressed the
same view. II offered to resign"
Mr.. Buscher said. "but Mr.. Lati-
mer said No, that is not necessary
this is a matter of public well
fare, concerning neither politics
nor personalities"
Salaries in Issue.
Mr.. Gwynn, who was named by
the Republican commissioners
last December to represent the
county Board of Education, has
not been mentioned as a partici-
pant in the supposed political
pickering.
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