Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-06-22
SOLDIERS FAVOR
14TH Street LINE
Reed Hospital Patients Cite
Need of Extending Trans
p0rtation Facilities.

Soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital. If
statements made by a number Of them
today to Star representative may be
accepted as a criterion of sentiment at
the post. practically to man favor
the extension of 18th street through
the hospital grounds.
II the SOLDIER patients could send q
representative to the highway COM
mission hearing tomorrow on the pro-
posal to extend 18th street they would
instruct him to indorse the plan on
the ground that life would be made
more tolerable for them IL they were
provided with additional facilities for
reaching the city.
Further AfGuHeAt.
They would have such representa-
tive telIsthe commission. further. that,
in their opinion. plan1 to send 18th
street through the reservation on a
grade sunk below the general level,
use of the hospital colony. would re-
move all objections to the building
of car line over the property, es-
pecfa1ly in view of the fact the line
would not be near any Of the wards.
This was indicated by the soldiers
in statements made to The Star repre-
sentative. All of them indorsed the
extension plan. They pointed out they
are finding 1t increasingly difficult to
travel with any degree of comfort
ever the crowded Georgia avenue line
the only line that serves the hos
pitai and growing residential sections
north OF 1t in the District and Mary
land.
II IS not uncommon. they said, for
wounded soldiers to have to stand all
the way to and from the city on the
Georgia avenue cars. They believe
the only practical! solution of this
problem. which will become more
serious as the city grows to the north
Is the~extension of 18th street in ac-
cordance with the highway plans.
Matter Widely Discussed.
The matter has been discussed
widely among the men at the hos
pital since the highway commission
announced it would conduct a hearing
tomorrow for the purpose of sound
ing out public opinion as to the proper
course to pursue. The hearing will
be held in the boa rdroom Of the
municipal building and will be pre-
sided over by the Secretary of War.
There are two measures pending in
Congress. one proposing to close all
streets in the hospital reservation and
the other to extend 18th street
through the reservation. the latter
Focht of the House District commit
tee at the request of the District
Commissioners. Both the Senate and
House District committees have ask
ed the highway commission for a re-
port on the bills.
hearing would disclose that the Dis
trfct Commissioners. members of the
! Maryland delegation in Congress, a
large number of citizens associations
in the District and communities in
Maryland favor the extension Of 18th
street as a vital necessity to the de-
velopment Of the territory north Of
the hospital.
Opposition to the extension of the
street will come principally from the
hospital officials and government
medical authorities.
Nearby Maryland Interested.
Takom Park. Kensington and other
Maryland communities, it was indicat-
ed today, will send delegates to the
hearing. It will be contended by these
protestants that Congress has shown
an interest in the development Of the
sections in Maryland. just over the
District line by authorizing them to
water and sewerage disposal systems,
and that it would stultify the policy it
has built up in this connection il il
denied the communities in question
means of obtaining additional trans
portation facilities.
Having recognized the fact that hum
dreds of government employees who work
in the District reside in Maryland and
that there is a close connection between
the development of the National CAPITAL
and the bordering sections in Maryland.
Congress, it will be claimed, should 70
the fun length, OF its indicated policy
by joining more adequate transporta-
tion facilities with water, sewerage and
other. improvements which have been
made possible through action Of Con-
gress.