Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-02
ROAD AND HOSPITAL.
PROJECTS URGED.
Prince Georges Communities
Show Unity at Meeting
for Improvements.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
MARYLAND PARK, Md, February
Reconstruction Of about q miles OF
concrete road between Halls station and
the Crane highway as an additional
direct route from Washington to
Annapolis, construction of a county hos
pital, and other matters of countrywide
interest, were urged at a get-together
session of the Chamber of Commerce
of the eighteenth election district Of
Prince Georges County, held last night
in the high school here.
Mayor Thomas Luckett of Capitol
Heights, president of the chamber, well
coined the visitors and gave brief his
tory Of the organization and what it
had and hoped to accomplish. L. S.
Perkins was secretary of the meeting.
j. c. Blackwell, clerk to the county
commissioners, declared that the COM
munity needed boosting. and it was the
proper time to get busy with the COM
missioners who are about to advise the
State as to roads desired in the county.
He stated that the available funds al
loted Prince Georges County this year
. aggregated $l34.000, as against $4,000
last year. The post road fund is $61 900,
and the remainder of the 1884, comes
from the gasoline tax for lateral roads
in the county. The county commission
erS will make their recommendations
earlier this year than last, and will
report to the States Roads Commission
In March. There are number of pc
titions on file from various sections for
the expenditure of part of the allot-
ment, and If the citizens of the Capitol
Heights. Seat Pleasant and Maryland
Park neighborhoodS expect to get any
portion OF the money expended In their
sections, they should make their wishes
known without delay.
Commissioner Road Plans.
Mr.. Blackwell stated that 1t was the
Intention OF the commissioners to rec
ommend concrete roads in sections
where the travel was heavy and gravel
roads In the rural sections. He did not
favor the building Of an almShouSe
with joint funds from Charles, st.
Marys and Prince Georges counties,
for the reason that the last-named
county, on account of it's large assess
able basis, would bear most of the ex-
pense of building and maintenance.
But If the people of the county," de-
clared Mr.. Blackwell, show no interest
in this and other propositions, the
county commissioners will not know
what to do" He thought the building
of a county hospital, to be located
somewhere in the upper section, was
urgently needed Approximately $4,000
was paid yearly to the hospitals of
Washington for taking care of county
patients. He stated that Montgomery
County receives $3.50 annually from
the State for the maintenance of its
county general hospital. Prince Georges
County'S almshouse. located near Ritchie,
costs about $4,000 year, and $4,000
Is appropriated for out-pensioners. If
there was a general hospital in the
county the State would allot s8,75O
toward its maintenance. Mr.. Blackwell
believed such an institution, in short
time, would be self-sustaining.
Registration Law Planned,
William Fierie, president of the Great
er Bladensburg Citizens Association.
stated that movement was on foot to
have the Legislature, now in session.
pass law requiring general registra-
ton OF voters preceding elections in
that town. Many outsiders are now
permitted to vote in municipal elections
in that town, he stated. This, he de-
clared, would rid the town Of its rot
Ten regime" ssS@ 4 1883 -
He spoke of the difficulties to be en-
countered in extending the River road
70 the left Of the right-of-way of the
alexandria branch of the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad, as proposed by the old
State roads commission, and of the
advantages of completing the highway
over the present roadbed of the River
road to connect with the Washington-
Annapolis Defense highway in Bladens-
burg.
DR.. Robert w. Mccullough, COM
mander of Synder- Farmer Post, Amer
lean Legion of Hyattsville, represent
ing the Northeast Washington Business
Mems Association, spoke, as did Frank
James, president of the Benning Cit
liens Association; Arthur p. owens,
president of the Hyattsville Chamber
of Commerce; Lemuel l.. Gray, former
president of that organization; c. D.
Anderson, its secretary; j. E. Downin
and z. A. Fuller of Hyattsville, DR.. w.
E. Baldwin of Washington and num-
Der OF others. During the evening the
Capitol Heights Community Band, un-
der leadership of George D. Chapman,
enlivened the festivities.
AT the conclusion of the session, re-
freshments were served by a committee
OF which DR.. j. S. Simpson was chair
man, Mrs. Irene A. Conner heading the
committee of women who served. Mrs.
James G. Blackwell, Mrs Simpson and
number Of others assisted Mrs. Con-