Evening star., 1953-04-27


Montgomery and Prince Georges
Counties is built around eight
winding streams and co-opera-
tive venture with the Federal
Government begun % years ago.
Because of the lack of appro-
priations by Congress. the COM
This is the second in q series Of
ortieles examining just whot the Cop
per- cromton Act hos contributed to
the development Of parks in the Wosh-
ineton oreo. Tomorrow's story will deoI
with the situotion in Virqinio.
pletion of the system is in seri-
Gus danger.
The eight streams which form
the park system are Cabin John
Creek, Little Falls Branch, Rock
Greek, Northwest Branch, Sligo
Creek. Paint Branch, Anacostia
River including Indian Creek,
a tributary and Oxon Run. They
are part Of a master park plan
which ties in with the park sys-
tenn of the District.
Development of these parks is
the task of the Maryland
National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission. The COM
MISSIONS jurisdiction extends
throughout an artif1cially Gre
ated area known as the Wash
ington Metropolitan District and
does not embrace the whole of
the counties.
Three Parkways Included.
Also tied in with these streams
and the valleys through which
they flow are three parkwayS-
the George Washington Memo
rial Parkway, the Washington
Baltimore Parkway and the Suit
land Parwkay-and 80 local rec
reation centers.
Development of the park sys-
tenn began with the passage of
the Capper-Cramton Act by
Congress IN 1880.
The results of that far-sighted
program can be seen in the two
counties now. There was no park
system-in fact no parks-be-
fore the commission was created
in 1927 and the Capper-Cramton
Act passed in 1880.
The nearby Maryland park
system has taken substantial
form since the act was passed.
The master plan is on paper,
developed in cooperation with
the National Capital Planning
Commission which does the same
thing for the District. Purchase
of the land for the entire system
is about So per cent completed.
May Never Be Completed.
The possibility that this mag
nif1cent park system never will
be completed and even may be
cut back from its present status
is a real one.
The Capper-Cramton Act
created a way for paper plans
to become a reality. The Sec
tion affecting Maryland calls
for a Federal grant of one-third
the cost of the stream valley
parks. The state must pay two
thirds of the cost.
Congress has not appropriated
funds under the Capper- -Cramton
Act for the last two years. Next
years budget also contains
nothing as it now stands passed
by the House.
Maryland officials find them
selves tied to an agreement with
a partner who is not living up
to his bargain. On top of that.
there is some sentiment in the
Federal Budget Bureau to either
modify or scrap the Capper-
Cramton Act as an economy
measure.
Whether the Capper- -Cramton
Act is repealed or not, Maryland
officials feel the lack of appro-
priations for three years straight
is going to have the same effect.
Private Building Menace.
Vacant land in each of the
eight stream valleys is in danger
of being used by private build
ers. Once that starts, the park
system is done. The only way
for the commission to stop this
is to get the funds to buy the
land before it is developed by
private builders.
Most of the desired land is
being reserved voluntarily by
the builders for parks. But, they
are restless. They can hold on
to undeveloped land. and pay
taxes on it. only for so long.
The commission has had to
step in on several occasions and
use money intended for develop
ment Of parks to buy land in
critical areas where the private
owners got tired of waiting for
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