Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-14
MT. WEATHER SITE
OK. IS EXPECTED
House Appropriations Com
mittee May Include Fund
for Summer White House

The House appropriations committee
expects to include in the second def
cheney appropriation bill now being
drafted the $48, 1000 asked by President
Coolidge in supplemental estimates sent
to Congress late yesterday for repairs
on buildings on the 83-acre tract known
as Mount Weather. to make them suit
able for a Summer White House.
The only question in the minds of
members of both House and Senate is
whether President-elect Hover cares to
have such Summer White House es-
tablished. Members of Congress are
generally pleased at the proposal to use
surplus property. which the Government
now has and to preserve it for use in
future years as most slightly location
for a Summer White House, even though
individual Presidents might prefer to
spend their vacation periods elsewhere
Fess Bill Wins Approval
The Senate public buildings and
grounds committee today also made a
favorable report on the Tess bill to
create commission to study the ques-
ton OF establishing a country Summer
White House near Washington The
commission would be composed of the
President, the Vice President, the
Speaker Of the House, the chairmen
and ranking minority members of the
Senate and House committees on pub
| lie buildings and grounds, the architect
of the Capitol and the director of pub
lie buildings and grounds
The commission would be authorized
ito investigate and report to the Con-
gress as to the advisability of eStab-
fishing, in location convenient and
accessible to the city of Washington,
by the President of the United States !"
If the commission decided such
project advisable it would submit plans
and estimates to Congress, including a
recommendation as to the best location.
The commission would be directed to
report as soon as practicable
The FeSS bill authorizes the use of
$4,000 to be available to the commits
sion in making its surveys. This bill
leaves the question of location to be
recommended by the proposed commits
sion
The opinion was expressed privately
that Mr.. Coolidges' request had met
some diSfavor among members of Con-
gresS who want other sites investigated
before one is chosen.
President Coolidge recommended to
Congress in supplemental estimates of
appropriations submitted yesterday that
$4,000 be made available in the second
deficiency appropriation bill, now being
drafted, to make desirable repairs on
existing buildings, to be expended by
the director of public buildings and
parks. He suggested legislation to trans
fer the Mount Weather property to the
director of public buildings.
President Coolidge waited until near
the end of his term to suggest country
White House, his first public mention of
1t being in a letter to the st. Louis
Post-Dispatch on December 9.
las President about to retire." he
wrote, II feel at liberty to write of GER
tain phases of that Office which one who
was entering upon its duties might feel
some heSitancy in discussing"
He suggested that the Government
provide country White House in the
hills near Washington where he would
have that freedom of action which. ne
has only at the White House and where
he could get complete change of at
moSphere."
Although the inference was made that
it would be used mostly during the
Summer, the President wrote that the
residence would not be in a strict sense
Summer White House. adding that
it might be desirable at times for him to
visit various sections of the country.
A few days after his letter to the
PoSt-Dispatch the President suggested
that the property at Mount Weather
might be used as retreat for the Chief
Executive and this was followed yeSter-
day by his recommendation for an ap-
preparation.
Mount Weather is located near the
summit Of one of the ranges of the Blue
Ridge Mountains and is about miles
from BluemOnt Va