Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-29
PLAN FOR HANGAR
AND EQUIPMENT
FOR AIRPORT LAID
Committees Representing
Business Bodies Named to
CIinch Boiling Field.
MEETING TOMORROW
TO PERFECT PROGRAM
War Department Officials Say Site
Is Offered on Condition D. C.
Acts Immediately.

Committees representing the three
principal business mems organizations
Of the city were appointed today to
clinch the War Departments offer Of
Boiling Field as a temporary airport
by working out an arrangement to
maintain a hangar and equipment at
the field without expense to the Gov.
eminent.
Organization will be perfected at a
meeting tomorrow afternoon at
o'clock in the offices of the Washing
ton Chamber of Commerce, when
Maj. W. E. r. Covell, assistant Dis
trict engineer commissioner, will i'm
press on the business men the need
of demonstrating to the War Depart.
ment that Washington Is united be.
hind the airport movement.
Aside from the financing of the
temporary port Of call for air mail.
the joint committee faces the neces.
sity Of working closely with the Dis
tr1ct Commissioners in obtaining the
early passage by Congress of desirable
legislation to secure a permanent air.
port as speedily as possible.
For Immediate Action.
War Department officials made It
plain today that the use of Boiling
Field is not for an indefinite period,
but is offered on the sole condition
that the District takes Immediate
steps to provide field of its own.
Whether that field shall be munich.
pally or privately owned is a matter
with which the department Is not
concerned officially. but is one. which
must be determined in advance of any
concerted program, it was pointed out
today.
The personnel of the committees des.
ignated to work out these arrange.
ments were announced as follows:
Chamber of Commerce. Jerome
Fanciulli, chairman; A. Leftwich Sin.
clair, Merritt o. Chance, John J.
walker, Thomas P. Littlepage, Maj,
Gen. Anton Stephan, Rudolph Jose.
Martin A. Leese, Ivan Weld and
Charles w. Darr.
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
ciation-Maj. Gen. Anton Stephan.
chairman; Frank P. Harbin,, 6. II.
Frame, Gus Forsberg and Edward d.
Shaw.
Board of Trade-Edwin C. Graham,
chairman; Jesse c. Adkins, C. Phillip
Hill, Joshua Evans, jr.; Francis r.
Weiien, Frank p: Leetch, Ben T. Web
ster. stephen E. Kramer, Howard
Moran George w. Offutt and Robert
j. Cottrell.
1t will be necessary for Washington
TO raise $4,000, the estimated cost of
erecting hangar, machine shop and
other necessary equipment at Boiling
Field, before the War Department will
permit single air mail plane to land
there. Lieut.. Donald Duke, who Sc.
cured the War Departments tentative
oner, meanwhile will get in touch with
Pitcalrn Aviation, Inc, of Philadelphia,
which has the contract for carrying
mail over the New York-to. Atlanta
route. From that concern he will as.
certain how many men will be main,
tanned at Boiling Field and whether
more than one relief plane will be held
In readiness at the field.
Congress Action Needed.
Should Washington determine unon
a municipal airport, it will be neces.
sary to go to Congress for legislation,
In this connection, Lieut.. Duke
stressed today the imperative need of
getting administration support for In.
clus1on of an appropriation estimate
in the budget.
1t is expected that out of tomorrow's
meeting VIII come definitely worked
out plan of action that will not only
take care OF the emergency needs in.
vowed but will look to the establish.
ment of a permanent field COM
mensurate with the requirements of
the future growth Of commercial and
passenger air travel. With the sup
port Of the Government the proposal
is to establish an airport here second
to none in the country.
Maj. Covell and Lieut.. Duke are at
work on their report to the District,
completed for probably 10 days.
of Gravelly Point, on
the Potomac across from Hams Point,
undoubtedly will be made for a per.
manent site. The fact that the site is
in the District of Columbia and not
Virginia has been definitely determine
ed. This removes one Of the principal
objections to establishing an airport
there.