Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-21
TEAMWORK FOR GREATER CITY
URGED, AT CHAMBER MEETING
Trade and Civic Groups Call REIMBURSEMENT
of District and Federal Fiscal Rela-
tions Vital Problem.

With an equitable reimbursement of
the fiscal relations of the Federal and
District government set forth as
the most vital and pressing problem
now facing Washington, representa-
tives of the principal trade bodies of
this city and Of it's organized citizens
last night. at the first Fall meeting
OF the Chamber of Commerce at the
Willard Hotel, laid the foundation Of
cooperative movement designed to
make possible unity of action by these
organizations on all matters of major
Importance before the Commits sioners
and Congress.
Taking as their slogan. "Teamwor'l
for a Greater Washington" Edwin G.
Graham. president of the Board of
Trade; Maj. Gen. Anton Stephan.
president of the Merchants and Man
ufacturers' Association; James G.
Yaden. chairman of the Citizens Adj
visory Council. and Martin A. Leese.
head of the chamber, pledged the full
support of their associa tons in action
on legislation and other problems to
be presented to Congress.
Decision Brings Praise.
District Commissioners Dougherty
and Ladue, who were present as
honor guests, lauded the organizatio
on their determine ton to work to-
gether and to thrash out their differ
ences before matters go before Con-
gress, and stressed the need of the
District to present a united front to
Congress. Only by this means, they
declared, could the District obtain the
government it desires.
rIo,-d Marvin poUiv ptaot oI
president Of George Washington Uni
versty, also an honor guest of the
chamber. making his first appearance
before the orga nizatiOn, made brief
talk lauding the work of his prede-
cessor at the university. DIR. William
Mather Lewis, and joining with other
speakers in emphas sizing the value of
concerted action in civic affairs.
The chamber. in a brief business
session, went on record approving the
report of it's committee on police and
fire protection and public safety, urg-
ing the immediate installation of auto
matte electric traffic control lights at
all downtown intersections as means
of regulating pedestrian as we'll as
vehcular traffic.
Charles w. Darr, chairman of the
committee, in presenting the report,
declared that only by traffic lights
could the movements of pedestrians
be controlled. Declaring that such
regulation is vital in order to provide
protection for pedestrians at longest
ed intersections. he said that at pres
ent little or no attention is paid to
the pedestrian by traffic officers.
Favor Uniform Traffic Code.
The chamber also went on record
favoring a regulation requiring COM
pulsory and systematic examination
and testing of the headlights and
brakes of all automobiles operating in
the District and requesting the Dis
trict Commissioners to call a ma
tional conference here of all traffic
directors of the larger cities of the
United States to draft uniform
traffic code.
BY standing vote members OF the
chamber unanimously adopted reso-
luton expressing regret at the death
of Rudolph Kaufman, vice president
and managing editor of The Evening
Star.
In urging the necessity of the Dis
trict presenting a united front to Con-
gress on all matters of outstanding
importance, Commissioner Dougherty
said that before financial plan could
be devised to take care of the heavy
increases in governmental expendi-
lures here, which must be met in
the near future, there must be solu-
ton found for the present fiscal rela-
tions problem. He cited the projected
development Of a great civic center
to house District government activ-
tiles. to be located probably on the
north side of Pennsylvania avenue OPP
posite the Mall building program now
under way by the Federal Govern
ment, as an instance of increased eX-
penses facing the local taxpayers.
Calls 1t Essential.
The new civic center proposal, he
said, is essential because of the i'm
possibility of expanding the present
quarters of the District government
in the District Building. and urged
the building of a new center that
would be in keeping with the char
acter of the Federal buildings now
projected on the south of the Avenue.
Commissioner Dougherty spoke of