Evening star., 1926-03-10
D. c. BOD|ESSTR|KE
. BELT LINE BRIDGE
Board of Trade and c. of c.
Ask Hearing on Bills Be-
fore Congress.

Noicins opposition to the construc
ton of a belt line railroad around th'
National Capital the WashinGt OF
Board of Trade and the Washington
Chamber of Commerce have hotf
asked for hearings before the sub
committee of the Senate committee ol
commerce. to oppose the hill recently
passed by the House providing tht
erection of belt line railroad bridge
across the Potomac near Chair
Bridge. The requests were made to
Senator Hiram Bingham. chairman al
the subcommittee. TODAY.
Discovering that the hill had slip
ped through the House and that II
provided for bridge. which is an in
tegral part of the projected Wash
tnFton- -Loughboroug Belt Line. both
these organizations in their letters to
Senator Bingham reiterated their an
tagonism on the ground that fu'r her
railroad facilities are not needed in
Washington. inasmuch as the pres
ent terminals are adequate and that
II menaces large residential area and
interferes with the logical develop,
ment of the city.
Both these orsa MIA tons last Fall
made exhaustive surveys of the
necessity Of such line and bridge
from All sta andpoints.
Board Of Trades Protest.
The Board Of Trade letter. forward =
~d by Ren r. Webster. secretary.
reads.
House bill 1929, providing for a
bridge across the Potomac River in
passed the House and Is now before
YOUR subcommittee of the commit =
tee on commerce. together with SEN
ate hill H19e.
This proposed railroad bridge is
a part Of what is termed the Wash
tnEton- -Loughborocch Belt Line. which
company contemplates the establish
nent Of railroad terminals. freight
yards. etc.
When this proposition was first
advanced in the early FAN. the Wash :
ington Board Of Trades subcommit- :
tee on steam railroads spent consid-
era BILE time and effort in investigat- =
ing the matter before submitting it's
report and recommendation there
on. which was adopted hy the Board
OF Trade. The investigation was
thoroughly made and the committee
recommended adversely on the plan.
believing that said railroad termi-
nails. freight wards. etc. were not
future development of Washington
and contiguous territory. Further
more. the committee felt that such a
development would interfere with the
properly Of citizens in that section
and was certainly not in keeping
with the development and esthetic
trea tment Of the National Capital
The Washington Board OF Trade
feels that this is a matter of such inn
Aot -
llnlba and the people of ontgomerv
County. that hearings should he grant.
ed before final action is taken by your
subcommittee. Every opportunity
should he given those for and against
the bridge project to give an express
sion of their opinion
The Chamber Of Commerce letter
reads:
We find that the House of Repre-
sentatives has passed House bill 1923,
which proposes for the erection Of a
bridge across the Potomac River in
the vicinity Of Chain Bridge. and that
this matter is now before. your sub
committee, either under House bill
1929 or the corresponding Senate bill
2'96. We also understand that the
erection Of this bridge is part OF the
proposed plan known a = the Washing
ton Loushborough Belt Line which
contemplates the building Of a railroad
practically around the District of Co
lunlbia and the establishment Of
freight yards at Loughboroush, partly
within and partly without the District
Of Columbia.
THE matter Of the esta hlishment
Of these freight yards and the build
ing Of this railroad was brought to
the attention Of the board Of direc-
tors of the ashington Cha mher Of
Commerce In September. 1928. Al
that time the matter was thorouehly
considered and the hoard of directors
went on record unanimously as op-
posed to this project. and the fol-
lowing statement was forwarded 10
the Public Service Commission of
Maryla nd The board of directors Of
the Washington Chamber of Com
merce. having had it's attention called
To proposed belt line around the
westerly environs of Washington
from Potomac and Cameron yards
on the south tn an indefinite location
on the north, records its disa pprova I
of the proposal; first. because il be-
lieves no necessity exists. the present
facilities being entirely adeuuate
and, second. because the proposed
belt line would seriously damage
property values in the residential ]
district through which it is under
stood to be projected
The Washington Chamber Of
Commerce sees no reason for any
change of opinion upon this sub
ject. and we respectfully request that
before any action is taken a public
hearing be held by your committee,
so that the views Of our organiza ton
may be definitely expressed"
The chambers letter is signed by
Martin A. Leese. president: A. F..