Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-20
Reluctant to Give Up Needed
Section Adjacent to
Hoover Field.
EXPERT is ASSIGNED
TO AID FIELD QUEST
Lieut.. Donald Duke Identified With
Establishment of Airways in
Various Parts of Nation.

1teluStdnCe OIL secretary OL ASti-
culture Jardine to part with an es-
sential strip of the Governments ex-
perimental farm adjoining Hoover
Field, it was learned today, may cause
of that site for the pro-
posed municipal airport.
While expressing the utmost SYM
pathy with the proposal to increase
the facilities at Hoover Field by re-
part of the experimental
farm, Mr.. Jardine communicated his
in a personal letter to Sec
retary of Commerce Hoover. Before
Mr.. Jardine's departure for Chicago
Secretary Hoover consulted with him
regarding the possibility of acquiring
certain strips of the Government
farm.
Secretary Hoover is holding the
letter from Secretary Jardine for Will
liam T. MacCracken, Assistant Secre-
tary in charge of aeronautics. until
the iatter's return to Washington
tomorrow. officials of the Aeronautics
Bureau, however, said it would be
almost impossible to use Hoover Field
for the purposes desired. without at
least a 900foot strip of the expert.
mental farm.
Assigned to Assist.
Anxious to aid the District the War
Department today assigned Lieut..
Donald Duke, one of the Air Corps
experts on airports and airways. to
assist Maj w. E. r. Covell, acting
Engineer Commissioner, in locating a
suitable field.
For the last three years, Lieut..
Duke has been identified with the
establishment of airports and airwayS
in various sections of the country.
He also is the author of book on
"Airports and Airways" and has been
flying for the past 10 years.
Maj. Covell believes that the advice
and assistance of the airport expert
will be of inestimable value to him
in selecting a site for the landing
field and the establishment of an air.
port which he declares should serve
as model for the Nation.
Lieut.. Duke reported for duty early
this morning and Maj. Covell con-
ferred with him briefly. AS a result
tentative program of action was out
lined which calls for survey for all
of the potential sites from the air as
well as from the ground. The in.
spectiOn from the ground probably
will be made tomorrow and the latter
part of the week Maj. Covell and
Lieut.. Duke will fly over the sites and
make pictures from the air.
Would Cost Part of Farm.
At Secretary Jardine's office today
it was explained that the Secretary's
reluctance to part with the strip Of
Government farm land adjoining
Hoover Field was based wholly on
the fact that it would mean the de-
struction of part of the farm itself
and would undo more than five years
of experimental work. which could
that period of time.
Mr.. Jardine, it was said, did not re-
fuse to turn over the land, but he did
state the objections of the department.
to the proposal so pointedly that there
could be no other Interpretation DIR.
William A. Taylor. chief of the Bureau
of Plant Industry, who has supervi'
sion over the experimental farm. said
that the department could better af.
ford to have it's buildings housing the
laboratories torn down than lose the
five years work in plant experimental
tion at the farm.
The question to be determined in
this connection, he pointed out is
whether Hoover Field as q site for
the proposed airport is more i'm
portant to the Government than the
experimental work at the farm. One
or the two projects would nave to be
abandoned. he indicated. if Hoover
Field could not be used in it's present
condition.
What is being done at the expert
mental farm. he explained, is a link
in an unbrokeu chain OF researches
zEf1 nv,I
sands of dollars have been expended.
"Only an emergency of paramount
Importance to the Government, DIR.
Taylor said. "would justify destruc-
ton of the farm"
Secretary Jardine's View.
1t Is understood that this is the same
position taken by Secretary Jardine,
who would be only too willing other.
wise, it was explained, TO help carry
>ut the proposed airport plans. The
asst proposal was for strip of the
farm, 500 feet by 900 feet, at right
angles to Hoover Field and parallel
10 the Military road. While this strip
S not so large as other strips pro-
posed, it nevertheless would destroy
he better part of the cultivated land.
Although yet unacquainted with the
different sites suggested for the air.
port, Lieut.. Duke, in taking over his
ask today, pointed out that undoubt-
adly some of them will be eliminated
from consideration just as coon as
ne and Mai. Covell make their investi-
CATION. The site finally selected. he
,mpha sized, should have sufficient
,rea to meet immediate needs and to
llow for expansion in case of need,
De we'll drained and accessible to the
,ity. site remote from the city. he
declared, would defeat the purpose of
In airport. Lieut.. Duke is firmly con-
'inced that Washington is in Iog-
cal location for an airport and that
10 time should be lost in establishing
t. Washington, he said, is a juno
ion for both commercial and military
Iir traffic, and in this respect COM
,ares favorab.y to Cleveland, Chicago,
st. Louis, Kansas City and Dallas
1t is imperative, he believes, that
become a stopping POINT
m the New York-Atlanta air mail
quite. which will go into operation in
August. The air mail. he points out.
5 forerunner of commercial air traf-
ic and with air mail planes stopping
lere passenger service is certain to
ollow.
Optimistic Over Benefits.
Lieut. Duke also is keenly optimis-
ic over the benefits which he says
will accrue to the District from a CON-
nercial airport. Besi1es the revenue
t will produce. he explained that light
lane flying clubs which had their
firth in Europe and are now being 4
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