Evening star., 1925-08-28

Continued from First Page)
OF Montgomery County adjacent to
the District of Columbia already is
occupied for residential purposes
The proposed belt line would conse-
quently encircle the developed section
and separate il from the commun mites,
a little farther from the District
line in which the new growth is
now taking place and where the flu
ture growth must be.
Part of National Capital.
This valuable and thicklv settled
residential belt of Mont gomery County
should further be regarded. in CON
sidering both its requirements and it's
future. as part of the National Cap
ital. Washington City, as your COM
mission knows. exists entirely as the
home of the Federal Government and
there are no industries or ma nufa c.
turing plants Of any size located in
Washington. This condition merely
empha sizes the lack of justification in
the attempt of the promoters OF the
belt line TO create an industrial area
City's most valuable and fastest grow
ing suburban section.
This belt line would for four and
one-half miles on the northwestern
side of the District be Immediately
adjacent to the general Chevy Cha Sc
section, which compares with the
Rowland Park-Guilford Homeland sec
tions OF Baltimore City. and for four
miles on the northwestern side of the
District the proposed belt line would
be Immediately adjacent to the Ia
koma Park-Silver Spring Woodside
sections, which compare with the Ash,
burton Forest Park sections of grea ter
Baltimore Certainly no one would
propose building a freight belt line
through these sections of Baltimore
City. and the project is even more
indefensible in the similar sections of
Maryland adjacent to the National
Capital, because Washington is not
manufacturing or commercial city.
Seek More improvements.
I'm administering the affairs of
Montgomery County and planning for
It's future. we always have to remem.
ber that we are adjacent to the Dis.
trict of Columbia. which enjoys a vast
revenue from city taxation plus a 40
per cent contribution from the Fed
eral Government. We have made
every effort to compete with the Dis
trict of Columbia in governmental i'm
provements and adva antages for our
people. and we believe that the Mont.
gomery County suburbs are REGARDED
as favorably as home locations and
investment areas as the adjacent Dis
trict OF Columbia suburbs. Our street
and park plans are being worked out
to coordinate with those of the Dis.
trict of Columbia: our school and roa Il
systems compare favorably with those
of the District of Columbia: our conn
ty tax rate is very decidedly lower
than that of the District OF Columbia
and, in fact, Is the lowest tax rate OF
any of the % counties of MARYLAND.
The Washington Suburban SAM
tary Commission Ia State commission
is developing an adequate water and
sewerage system in Montgomery and
Prince Georges County suburbs of
washington at cost to the users,
which that commission advises IFS.
compares favorably with the cost of
similar systems in the suburbs of
other large cities.
Greater Washington Seen.
We contemplate advocating ade-
quate zoning protection to our resi-
Dental communities at the next ses-
sion of the Maryland General Assem-
bly,. We believe that the growth of
Greater Washington into Montgomery
County will ultimately extend well up
hIlo lhe niuuie or ROCKVILLE section
of the county.
IF Montgomery County is protect.
ed from such damaging encroach-
ments as the proposed belt line, we
feel that its future as well as the
main suburban residential area of
Washington City Is extremely bright.
The proposed belt line would provide
most positive barricade against a
continuation of the present high.
grade development which our county
enjoys, and we cannot too strongly
urge you to protect the property val
ues ana home interests of our people
by refusing this charter for which we
are unable to see the slightest justi.
fication"