MORE PLAYING FIELDS FOR THE PEOPLE
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The lack of adequate recreation grounds for the great majority of our young people is a matter which for many years past has occupied the minds of everyone who has the interest of the nation's health and efficiency at heart. To-day this problem demands an even closer attention. From nearly every city, town and village comes the cry from our boys and girls and our young men and young women for more and yet more playing fields, and so great is the demand and so far short of normal requirements the supply, that in every big city to-day a really critical and indeed tragic situation exists.
If we examine the reasons for this serious state of affairs we find that they are many. First, the lack of town-planning in the past, particularly in the last hundred years, when has occurred the greatest influx into our cities of population from country towns and villages ; secondly, the building of whole residential quarters with no deliberate provision for open spaces in connexion with them ; and thirdly, the actual absorption for houses, factories, roads and railways of the fields suitable for recreation, many of which were previously used for that purpose.
Each of these has been, and still is, a contributory factor to the shortage of recreation grounds, but the main under- lying cause of the whole trouble is this : whereas the building of houses and the construction of roads and railways, &c., have rightly been accepted as matters of national importance, the recreation of the people—which affects our national well-being to such a degree—has been left to take care of itself ; and how well, or rather how badly, it has done so can best be seen by anyone who takes the trouble to go into the slums or to visit the outskirts of any of our great. cities on a Saturday afternoon.
Our young people are continually- being told to play and not look on. There is real irony in this when we think of the thousands and tens of thousands who have no grounds to play on.
Surely, Sir, it is time that the value of providing more playing fields for the nation as an aid to the health, strength and happiness of the people was recognized in some official manner.
We do not for an instant suggest a Ministry of Sport; but we do very strongly urge, firstly, that the Ministry of Health, in whose hands lies the health of the people, should give a much closer attention to this matter, and in the closest co-operation with the Local Authorities endeavour to find a solution. The Government which decides by administrative and legislative action to ensure for the masses more playing and recreation fields of every kind will be doing an immense public service.
And secondly, we suggest the formation of a national organization, which, without trespassing in any way on the functions of the Local Authorities or of those other bodies referred to below, shall co-ordinate effort and support them in their most praiseworthy endeavours to provide the people with adequate recreation grounds.
In conclusion we desire to state that we very fully realize that the Local Authorities, many bodies such as the London Playing Fields, the Manchester Playing Fields and the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Societies, -the Metro- politan Public Gardens Association, the Juvenile Organization Committees in the great cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield and other centres, many great business houses and the governing bodies of our great national sports have been working in this direction for many years past, and indeed have given an immense stimulus to improving matters in their own areas and on behalf of those whose interests they -watch.
But in some cases they have failed to achieve their purpose through lack of funds and also owing, we suggest, to the want of a central organization to back up and support their chivalrous and praiseworthy efforts.
We sincerely hope that these many bodies will now take a further step and combine with others who are equally interested and prepared to devote their time to this matter, in order to create the central organization which, in our opinion, must be formed if a satisfactory solution of the problem is to be reached.
We invite anyone who is interested, and who is prepared to assist the movement, to communicate with the Honorary Organizer, National Playing Fields Association, IN Picca- dilly, London, W. 1.—We are, Sir, &c., NANCY ASTOR, ROBERT BADEN-POWELL, MARGARET BONDFIELD, BURNII AM, CADOGAN, CAMPDEN, CIIEYLESMORE, W. S. DONNE (Pres. Rugby Union), ARTHUR CROSFIELD, J. R. CLYNES, ARTHUR GREENWOOD, HAIG, HARRIS (M.C.C.), ARTHUR HENDERSON, W. L. HICHENS, THOMAS INSKIP, J. SCOTT LIDGETT, D. LLOYD GEORGE, A. F. LONDON, LONSDALE, J. RAMSAY . MACDONALD, OXFORD, T. J. MACNAMARA, PLUMER, JOHN SIMON, H. SMITH-DORIIIEN, PHILIP SNOWDEN, SUTHERLAND, C. P. TREVELYAN, SIDNEY WEBB, WODEHOUSE, JAMES YOUNGER (Capt. R. and A. Golf Club).
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