The Washington times., 1929-04-09
z A|RPORTS
LOOM IN
MD.

Representatives of the Wash
ington Board of Trade today
told the joint Congressional
Commission on Airports that
they were so anxious to have
an airport established in
Washington that they are will
ing to leave the location and
the cost to the discretion Of
the commission.
Three representatives of the or
ganization assured Senator Hiram
Bingham of Connecticut, chairman
of the commission. at hearings in
the rooms of the Senate Committee
on Territories and Insular posses
sions that they had deemed Graveley
Point the best possible site. but
were not welded to that selection.
However when Senator Bingham
asked these officials to consider
favorable airport sites at Camp
Springs and Chillum Md, they
cited arguments against those loca-
tions and for Graveley Point.
More Ports Needed
Senator Bingham intimated that
the municipal airport which is to be
chosen can not possibly serve the
needs OF the District for any con-
siderable number of years.
There will have 10 be several
airports in and near Washington,
IN n o
will need one for flying boats. We
will need an airport on the Potomac
to accommodate the great air traffic
which will be cunning up the river. (
.4& Bingham stresse dthe fact That
aeither one OF the'a two Maryland
sites can be prepared at consid.
erably less cost and in one-third
the time that the Federal Govern
ment would have to expend On
developing Grayelly Point.
He pointed out that while these
sites seemed more distant from the
city than Graveily Point they are
NOT in the line of traffic congestion
and would he only few minutes
away bv automobile. He emrha-
sized also that the Maryland loca
tions are capable of considerably
r-ore development in point of
acreage than Gravelly Point can he.
Money Item. Largest
W. w. Everett. president Of the
trade body. was the first called to-
day. To him Senator Bingham said:
''Probab bly, the most difficult prob
lem confronting hte commission Is
not the selection of site, but the
vexed question of who is going to
pay the bill. l..
Everett promptly replied that the
Board of Trade was willing to leave
the fiscal matter entirely in the
hands of the commission, as long as
washington is assured of an ade-
quate airport.
This sentiment was echoed by
Lawrence Il. Williams. chairman of
the boards aviation committee. and
Robert J. Cottrell. executive secre-
tary OF the board.
Williams told the commission that
when his committee was inspecting
airport sites, "Any number of real
estate people having land to sell
rushed in to get us to indorse their
piece of property"
Distance Discussed
He told the commission that in
as much as Gravely Point is Fed
eral property there can be no
chance of real estate graft.
Bingham directed attention to
| the fact that the distance from the
proposed headquarters building at
Gravelly Point to the Arlington
Memorial Bridge and thence to the
Capitol, is further than from the
Chil1um site to the Capitol. and
also is through a section where
traffic is usually heavy.
Henry Berliner, aeronautical engi-
neer and chairman of the committee
appointed by the National Aeronau-
tic to study local airport sites, said
the committee had chosen Gravelly
Point.
He was questioned at length on
the technical aspect of airport man.
asement and development. He was
followed by Lieut.. Nathaniel Duffy,
Duffy, director of the Buffalo Mu-
nicipal Airport, who gave a detailed
account of the airport project in his
city,
The commission has yet to hear
from a representative of the De.
partment of Agriculture and the
Baltimore airport.
Major Jack Berry. manager of
the municipal airport alta Cleveland,
advised the commission by tele-
graph that he was unavoidably de-
tanned in Cleveland and could not
appear at the hearing. The hear.
ings will close this afternoon until
after the regular session of Con.
gress gets under way.