Evening star., 1926-03-09
BELT LINE BRIDGE
BILL IS ASSA|LED:
Montgomery Federation Asks
Congress Hearing-Speak-
ers Score ZihIman.
BY a STAFF Correspondent.

Legislation authorizing the construc.
tion of a belt line railroad bridge
acress the Potomac River above the
Chain Bridge, and connecting Fairfax
County. Va. with Montgomery Coun.
ty. Md, now pending in the United
| States Senate, was condemned last
night in a resolution adopted at a
meeting of the Montgomery County
| Civic Federation, held here in the
| schoolhouse.
Reports showing that the school sit
ua ton in the county was not serious
and urging a meeting of the citizens
of the southern end of the county in
| the Bethesda district with the idea of
providing some regular fire protec-
ton We're read and approved by the
| association.
A resolution censuring Representa-.
| tive Fred Zihlman of Maryland for
what was declared to be his failure
| to object to the bridge legislation at
! the time of it's passage on consent
calendar by the House of Representa-
! tives provoked a long debate, but was
| finally referred to the committee on
| transportation.
There was long-drawn-out fight
| over the seating of the delegates from
Garrett Park, Md, which resulted in
| the adoption of committee report
F., seating the second list of delegates
sent in.
Acts OH Fourteenth Street.
Without debate the federation adopt
! ed the resolution reported from the
committee on transportation by Il. G.
| Van FOSen, it's chairman, expressing
| opposition to any change in the atti-
| tude In Congress for the opening of
Fourteenth street. and recommended
| that this thOroughfare be continued
| through the Walter Reed Hospital to
| the Maryland line, and street cars
not halted at the southern boundary of
the hospital as proposed. Copies will
be sent to the Maryland Senators and
Representatives..
William w. Bride, delegate from
Edgemoor, and chairman of the COM
| mittee on public safety, presented a
report of that committee on the mat
ter of police and fire protection, par
ticularly dealing with problems in the
intensely developed southern end of
he county. A comprehensive study
should be made. he said. for the pur-
pose of determining whether there
should be a fire protection system
linked up with the rest of the county
or whether a separate system should
be developed in the Bethesda district.
Another important question was
whether 1t should be paid by the coun-
ty as whole or whether by each dis
trict in proportion to the amount of
protection it had. He pointed out that
the action of the committee reported
at the last meeting suggesting that
each piece Of volunteer apparatus
should have a paid driver was only "A
tentative recommendation of the COM
syrf4 N>d 1A
final. He paid a high tribute to the
volunteer system in the county, and
at this time he said he believed 1t to
be far superior to the paid system.
Lauds ID. c. Fire Department.
He recommended that the citizens
of Bethesda district should be called
upon to meet and determine what
kind of a system should be provided
for this section. which is rapidly
growing and now has millions In
property at stake. He pointed out
that the section is compelled to de-
pend upon the charity of the District
Fire Department. which may have to
be withdrawn at any time in the in.
terest of fire protection in the Dis
trict of Columbia. They come to
the aid Of their Maryland neighbors
now. he said. only because their high
sense Of duty and manhood directs
them, and he praised the District fire
fighters in the very highest of terms.
He recommended that the meeting 10
discuss fire protection needs be held
at the Bethesda School early in April.
The committee has been assured by
the county commissioners of their
aid in getting additional police pro-
lection, he said. but even they were
T. ~, nd
that steps be taken to increase their
powers to meet the needs incident to
the development of the county. In
criticisms of the county, he said. due
consideration should be given to the
limitations on the authorities.
Resolutions of thanks and COM
mendation for both the District and
Montgomery County Fire Depart
ments were passed, and the report
also was approved.
School Conditions Cited.
School conditions at Fort Bayard
Hills were reported on by Maj. E.
Brooke Lee, chairman of the commit
tee on education. He read a letter
from Edwin w. Broome, superintend-
ent of county schools. explaining the
conditions. and telling of the steps
taken to correct them. Only two chill
dren, third grade pupils, are out of
school, it was found, and these were
forced out of District schools because
of crowded conditions there. All Of
the people having children now in the
District of Columbia schools expressed
the desire to have them In Maryland
schools, but it was not believed de-
sirable to make a shift this late in
the season.
The Bethesda School is within easy
transportation distance from Bay
ard Hills and a bus will be placed
in service to transport the chill
dren out of school in this section to
the Bethesda School, and the promise
was made, Maj. Lee reported, that
when the new year starts sufficient
transportation will be provided to
transport all of the children of the
community whose parents want them
to go to the Bethesda School.
Maj. Lee, in his report, which was
adopted, said that the committee does
not believe that the present school
population in Fort Bayard Hills ex-
ceedS the number of children that can