Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-25
HOUSE COMMITTEE
HEARS PROPOSALS
FOR D. c. AIRPORT
Nelson and Bingham Favor
Acquisition of Private
Fields in Virginia.
STALKER URGES ADOPTION
OF GRAVELLY POINT SITE
Underhill Suggests Legislation Be
Reported Authorizing Plan Of
Private Ownership.

The House committee on public build
| ings and grounds had presented to it
| today several proposals regarding the
establishment of municipal airport in
| the course of a hearing, which was con-
| tinued until next Wednesday morning
at 10 o'clock.
Representative Nelson of Maine, a
member of the joint committee of five
members of the House and five mem
bers of the Senate who made special
study, covering year, on the needs for
municipal airport, spoke for his bill,
| which provides for acquisition of the
two privately owned air fields on the
Virginia side Of the river-the Wash
| ington Airport and Hoover Field-with
| adjoining land, to give an eight-way
airport of $50 acres.
Senator Bingham, chairman Of the
joint committee, spoke for his bill,
| which carried the unanimous support
| Of the committee, covering the same
| sites to be joined into a municipal air
port. The Bingham bill, however, diff
| fers from the Nelson bill in that it
provides for the National Capital Park
| and Planning Commission negotiating
for control of this property, while the
Nelson bill provides for straight-out
acquisition.
J Representative Stalker of New York,
member of the public buildings and
| grounds committee, pressed for adop-
ton of the Gravelly Point site, about
| half mile farther down the river on
| the other side of Highway Bridge, which
| is being gradually filled in by the Gov
eminent in dredging the river channel.
Representative Underhill, Republican
/ OF Massachusetts, a member of the
| joint committee, suggested that the
| committee might report some legisla-
| ton under which the same land could
| be thrown into a joint air field to be
operated by private interests under q
| guarantee that it would be kept open
for aviation purposes during the period
| required for economical DEVELOPMENT Of
the Gravelly Point site.
While he offered this suggestion as
perhaps more economical for the Dis
trict and to keep commercial Develop
ment of aviation terminals in private
industry rather than under a Govern
ment ownership and operation, Repre-
sentative Underhill said that he stood
firmly with the joint committee in its
recommendation If the committee on
public buildings and grounds thought
That the Bingham plan was preferable.
Private Ownership Favored.
l 1SSRAOoSAAedbANC WI1SuG Oh NIcOIRld.
also member of the joint Committee.
said he was inclined to favor private
ownership and operation, but also stood
unitedly with the Joint committee.
Charles w. Eliot, I'd, city planner of
Ghe National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, expressed the opinion that
under the more flexible authority to
negotiate specified In the Bingham bill
for control or acquisition Of the lands
ne thought some more economical ar
rangement might be made with the
present owners of the two air fields.
The Government might allow its prop
critics to be thrown into joint field,
with an agreement that the field should
be kept open for municipal airport.
Mr.. Eliot read from the annual report
OF the National Capital Park and Plan
ming Commission in 1929 favoring the
eventual use of Gravelly Point when
it had bsen economically-that is,
gradually-f1lled in, as practically all
i Is now under water and it will require
years to make the water fill by dredging
processes. He also read from the 1880
report quoting approval of the other
site proposed in the Bingham bill as a
temporary municipal airport until the
Gravelly Point site had been filed in.
Mr.. Eliot believes, however, that the
two privately owned fields included in
VAC GA4SA4dlA pLOpOSd1 OuRQG 10 De
bought by the Government.
Many Questions Asked.
Practically all members of the COM
mittee showed a decided interest In
the complicated question and asked
many questions.
Members of the committee on public
buildings and grounds were told that
the cost OF developing either the Gravel
ly Point site or the Joint airf1eld site on
the other side Of the Highway Bridge
would be approximately the same.
Both Senator Bingham and Repre-
sentative Nelson stressed the point that
IN acquiring these two privately owned
alrports the National Capital would have
an air terminal nearer to the center of
the city than any large city in the world
except perhaps Berlin.
Chairman Elliott laid before the conn
mittee petition from the District of
Columbia Department of the American
Legion opposing the proposed Bingham
location, signed by Howard S. Fisk. de.
partment adJutant, adopted last night
at the executive committee meeting of
the department, on the ground that
planes from the airport would disturb
memorial services at Arlington National
Cemetery. This claim was refuted by
Senator Bingham and other witnesses
In reply to questions, Senator Bing-
ham said that approximately lao acres,
or one-half of the proposed site, would
have to be bought under a written
agreement made by the owners to sell
at cost plus 10 per cent, and that the
other 140 acres is now owned by the
Government.
Senator Bingham said that the final
deciding consideration was that the
owners of the two private fields had
signed an agreement to allow their
books to be audited and to sell the
fields at what they had cost them, plus
10 per cent, making the total estimated
cost $1,700,000.