Evening star., 1926-02-09

| The history Of the development OF
| the National Capital and the conSol-
| idated opinion of eminent city plan
! nerS. landscape architects and civic
! leaders regarding the best course to
! pursue for future expansion and beau
titication of Washington We're present
! ed to the House yesterday by Repre-
sentative Ernest W. Gibson, Repub-
, lican. of Vermont.
Mn. Gibson had conducted hearings
/ on Il bill for a permanent planning
commission and had gone very care
| fully into the city planning functions.
His report To the House brought up
tu-date the comprehensive develop
ment of the National Capital. Explain
ing the purpose of the bill, he said, III
part
There has been Il growing CunNlC-
tiou that the Federal City ought To
have "A permanent planning commits
sion. clothed with sufficient authority
ana made up 50 as 10 command the
services of our best experts in city
planning in order TO give sure effect
to the ideals Of our people in respect
10 their national city. That is wha< f
this proposal seeks To accomplish. #
is another step in orderly progI<sss uf
development.
The duties outlined IL tfie PROPOSAL
may well be consolida,,-d with those of
the National Capit<I Park Commission
and save the crSation OF another com
mission. lhe-> too. it places upon the
new body fle duties heretofore eXer-
"lsed by the highway commission.
when Is abolished.
Coordination Is Lacking
The bill provides for the prepara.
ton, development and maintenance of
Il comprehensive and consistent plan
for the city of Washington and its en-
VlronS. 1t aims to obtain the naX-
Imllm amount of cooperation and cor
relation of effort between ali depart
ments working to the common end
planning Tor the Capital City pre-
SentS many difficult problems which
require in their solution the attention
of the best minds of our experts.
Since the L'Enfant plan of 1871
there has been no comprehensive, CO.
p:dinated and consistent plan for the
Federal City, which has now become
L. metropolis with an estimated popu-
ation of half "A million people. The
l. ESnfaut plan covered only the area
south of Florida avenue. Many years
ago the city spread beyond the old
boundary street. The present high
way plan may be considered in some
respects to be an extension of the
out the spirit of the original plan i'll
the production of straight street lines
over hills and valleys.
The Highway Commission. operat-
ing under the acts of 1898. 1898 and
1913. the Mcmillan Park Commission
ut 1901. the National Commission Of
Fine Arts created in 1910. the Zon-
ing Commission created lin 1920 the
National Capital Park Commission
created in 1924 to provide for the com
prehenSivc. systematic and continu-
Gus development of the park, park
way and playground system of the
National Capital and authority To aC-
Quire the areas needed FOR that pur-
pose in the District and in Marylan nd
and Virginia, and the Commissioners
OF the District of Columbia, have all
contributed within their powers and
appropriations to secure improve
ments for the Capital City. TlH re
moVal Of the railway tracks from the
Mall. the building of the great Union
Station. the placing of the Lincoln,
Grant and Meade Memorials in har-
mony with the revised plans for the
Mall, are outstanding achievements.
Park and parkway development is
proceeding rapidly and ca pably
through the new Park Commission.
But important as these improvements
have been and excellent as are. the
unrealiZed plans of the Commission