Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-06
CRAMTON BELIEVES
SENATE WILL PASS
PARK SYSTEM BILL
Power Lobby Fights Meas
ure, He Tells Twentieth
Century Club.
PROPERTY COST GAIN
OF 10 PCT. is SEEN
Sponsor of Proposal Urges Pur-
chase of Area Now to De-
crease Expense.

Representative Louis C. Cramton of
Michigan, whose bill carrying an ap-
preparation of $16,000,000 for park and
playground development has passed the
House, told the Twentieth Century Club
today that he thought the Senate would
pass the bill, despite the lobbying
activities of power interests
Opposition to the bill has been ex-
pressed by power company which is
seeking a permit to generate hydro
electric power at Great Falls, which is
an area that would be developed under
the Cramton bill. The Michigan Rep
resentative told his audience in the
Y. w. c. A. Building that the power
company had not presented its views at
open hearings, but that its represent
atives had circulated about the steps
of the Capitol attacking provisions of
the bill"
Holds Estimate Too Low.
Mr.. Cramton said he thought that
Col. U. S. Grants estimate that lands
in the District increase in cost 8 per
cent each year was too conservative,
and discussing the $16,000,000 appro-
priation he said that the District In
paving out $1,000, 900 q year under its
provisions would not be doing more
than at present and would have OBJ
tanned necessary lands at much less
cost.
Supporting his opinion that the de-
Yelopment should be made possible i'm
mediately, he said that buying lands at
the rate of 100000 a year would
mean that in Is years the taxpayers
would have spent $1,600,000 more for
property than if they paid it out now.
He based his estimate on an increased
property cost Of 10 per cent.
Mr.. Cramton listed as the outstanding
projects contemplated under the bill
the extension of Rock Creek and Ana
costa Parks, establishment OF the
George Washington Memorial Parkway
from Mount Vernon to Great Falls on
both sides of the Potomac, and a bou-
levard to encircle the city and connect
the several Civil War forts, as well as
the development of miles of the
Potomac palisades.
Beauty Cannot Be Restored.
"There is an emergency he said, "be-
cause natural beauties once destroyed
cannot be restored. We can build so
years from now, but if the natural beau
ties surrounding Washington are per-
mitted to be destroyed there will be no
replacing them
He said in this connection that the
100000 items for the maintenance of
the National Arboretum probably would
be increased by this Congress. The in
stitution is an outdoor laboratory for
research work with trees and plants
and other plant life.
The guest of the Twentieth Century
Club Cramton also outlined provisions
Of the Colonial monuments bill, which
seeks to establish a national shrine en-
comprising the towns of jamestown,
Williamsburg and Yorktown, Va in CO.
operation with the Rockefeller Founda-
ton, which is restoring Williamsburg.
and the State of Virginia.
The provisions of the parkway and
playground bill, Cramton said, merely
put into reality plans already made by
the National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, and make it possible 10
carry out this development now, at a
time the people want it, and at much
less expense than would be necessary if
the work were deferred.