Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-11
Vandenberg Introduces Res
oIution Providing for Ap-
pointment of Committee.
ARLINGTON SITES
HIT BY MACCRACKEN
Aero Leaders Say Room for Expan-
sion Would Be Lacking in
Bingham Plan.


denberg, Republican of Michigan, Of
fered a resolution calling for the ap-
pointment Of a special committee of
seven Senators to make study of the
problem from the standpoint of the
needs of various Federal activities as
well as the municipal requirements OF
Washington.
Believing that the question of an air
port concerns a number of different
Senate committees, Senator Vandenberg
proposes to have the investigating COM
mittee made up as follows: The chair
man of the District subcommittee of
the Senate appropriations committee,
Senator Bingham of Connecticut, and
one Senator each from the committees
on military affairs, naval affairs, COM
merce, District of Columbia, post Offices
and postroads, and appropriations.
These members would be appointed by
the Vice President, and Senator Bing-
ham would be chairman
The Vandenberg resolution will be
referred to the Senate District commit
tee for report before it Is acted upon
by the Senate Senator Vandenberg is
chairman of the subcommittee which
has been handling airport questions for
the Senate District committee.
Urgency of Facilities.
The purpose sought to be accomplish
ed by this new resolution is outlined in
the following preamble:
Whereas, it is vital to the resources
of the Capital of the United States that
its airport facilities should be adequate
for present and anticipated aviation
needs in order that Washington'S equip
ment in this respect should serve max
imum Capital requirements and reflect
the Capitals national leadership, and,
Whereas, this important problem in
also Federal facilities and a proper con-
sideration of the relationship between
them. and,
Whereas. comprehensive inquiry and
require simultaneous
study of such ports and fields as may be
maintained for the use and benefit of
the War Department, Navy, Post Office,
of Commerce and the mu-
niciDality, and,
Whereas, this multilateral problem
involves considerations ordinarily re-
ferred to six separate committees Of the
Senate, therefore, be it
Resolved. that there is hereby Gre
ated a special select committee of seven
Senators, to be known as the airport
committee, which is authorized and di-
rected to investigate the needs for air.
ports and aviation fields of the War
Department, Navy Department, Post
Office Department, Department of Com
merce and the District of Columbia. and
to report to the Senate the results of its
together with its recon-
nlendations of sites, plans and suitable
ALLEGATION of costs.
Bingham Plan Approved.
Opposition to the proposal of Senator
Bingham, chairman of the District ap-
subcommittee of the Senate
appropriations committee, that the De-
partment of Agriculture experimental
farms and Hoover Field be taken over
and combined to form an airport, was
voiced today by aeronautical leaders
here.
Flying people declare that there are
many objections to the Arlington farms
site, chiefly because of its limited size
and the impossibility of further ex-
pansion. This site was carefully studied
in connection with the airport survey,
they said, and after thorough delibera-
ton, was rejected in favor of the GRAY
ely Point site, development of which
IS provided for in the Stalker bill, which
is expected to come to vote in the
House late this afternoon.
Opposition to the Arlington farms
was led by william P. Mac
Cracker, jr., Assistant Secretary for
who has taken leading
part in the campaign for an adequate
airport for the Capital.
Grave,Iy Point Favored.
1--WE have studied the airport question
from every possible angle" MFR. Mac
Cracker said today, land have gone
into the matter very thoroughly. GRAY
ely Point has been agreed upon as the
most suitable area obtainable, and
nothing has occurred since that selec-.
ton was made to change the situation.
There are a great many more OBJ
jections to the Hoover Field site than
there are to the Gravelly Point site.
OF course, the site suggested by Sena-
tor Bingham could be developed as
flying field If money were expended,
but it never could be made as large
as the Gravelly Point area and I am
convinced that If the Arlington area
were selected, the choice would be sin
cerely regretted in the future"
Allen M. Smythe, chairman of the
airport committee of the Aero Club of
Washington, chapter of the National
Aeronautic Association, stated that the
area available by combining Hoover
Field and the farms would be made
quate for first-class airport.
There are only 80 acres available
for use in both tracts" Mr.. Smythe
said, land the usefulness of part of
this small area is destroyed by poor
acres form the absolute limit of ex-
pansion beyond which the field could
not grow.
THAT this area is absolutely INSULT
cient is shown by the experience of
Cleveland, which is operating 1,100-
acre airport and which is now looking
for two more fields of the same size
to handle the aerial traffic already
existing.
"The first unit at the Grayelly Point
site, will comprise 225 acres, with good
approaches from every direction and
the possibilities for future expansion
are almost unlimited. There are 900
acres available for development i'm
mediately."
Henry Berliner, who formerly oper-
ated Hoover Field as commercial flying
field and now is head of an airplane
manufacturing plant at Alexandria,
Va, was outspoken in his condemnation
Of the proposal made by Senator Bing-
ham.
-Four independent airport commit
tees were appointed to look over the va
rious sites in and around the District
Of Columbia, as possible municipal air.
port locations" he said. These four
committees, after independent and
thorough study Of all possible locations,
all CANA IN tho oy,nIifciry, that Cro x,a1Ixy