Evening star., 1930-06-22
NEED
FOR 1932STRESSED
Bloom Predicts Thousands of
Extra Visitors Will Be
in City.

Extraordinarily large crowds. of visi-
tors are expected to come to washington
during the 10 months of the George
Washington bi-centennial celebration in
1892 by Representative Sol Bloom Of
New York, who with Lieut.. Col. U. S.
Grant, Sd, is associate director of the
bicentennial
Mr.. Bloom does not believe that the
reports Of tremendous crowds coming
here in the bicentennial year are ex-
aggerated. He is confident that the
program, so far as this city is con-
cerned, will be carried out without a
hitch.
There is only one thing which this
city lacks, in this connection, according
TO Mr. Bloom, and that is an important
one In view of the fact that the George
washington Bicentennial Commission
is endeaYoring to have every national
and international Organization in the
land hold its annual convention in the
National Capital in 1892.
so far as the City of Washington is
concerned there is only one difficulty"
SAID Mr.. Bloom. Washington does not
nave suitable auditorium. In the
national Capital we have the regrettable
situation OF city of superior beauty
and attractiveneSS to any other canital
IN the world, in my opinion, and vet It,
lacks the essential qualification of a.
meeting place for the Nations people. =
!. Mr.. Bloom said he did not wish To
disparage the auditoriurns That are
mere, OF which several are beautiful
ana ordinarily commodious meeting
places. But he declared that the
largest auditorium in Washington seats
$3.50 persons. =.
Il Know personally" added Mr.
Sioom ~of many great organizations
that2 would like to meet here, but will
De uilanIe 70 DO 50 because of the lack
OIL suitable meeting place"
Mr.. Bloom would like To see, an audi-
toratim built in this city by the wear
1879 capable of seating $4,000 persons.
II would be a splendid thing If the
government had such a building here"
ne said: I also think it would be a
gooo private enterprise. I know this TO
De fact-many large conventions
Wmch assemble elsewhere would meet
ditorium." ts - az
Mr.. Bloom said he had made a st,,dv
OF the situation and discovered that
some cities with half the population of
washington" have much larger audi
forums. He cited Omaha, Nebr.. and
memphis Tenn, las illustrations. The
FORMER, With a population of 220 600 he
SAD has an auditorium which seats
io,OoO, while the latter, with a popuia-
ZION OF sa25Q,000, has an auditorium
which; accommodates l2.5Oo nersonr
He called attention also to Houston
Tex, "a city with less than 900 900
population that has an auditorium seat
ing 10000 persons"
Mr.. Bloom said that washington
Tighttuily should have the biggest au-
oltorium In the United States" but by
comparison is shown to be in this one
respect sadly deficient"
Each State will have a special day of
celebration in Washington during the
plcentennial, explained Mr.. Bloom,
Don't you think" he asked. when
Ohio, for example, has a day here. there
VIII be enough visitors from that State
besides the Ohioans living in Washing
ton, 70 NIL an auditorium seating 5 600?
LOOK at the predicament We were in
last week! The National Geographic
Society honored Rear Admiral Byrd and
MS gallant crew just back from the
South Pole. President Hoover pre-
sented Admiral Byrd with a medal and
delivered an address. Yet I am in
formed that more than 10000 patriotic
Americans who applied for tickets were
turned away because of the lack of
space in the Washington Auditorium"
Mr.. Bloom said he did not know of
ANY project on foot" to build new
large auditorium such as he suggests
but he added: 1T certainly would be
a glorious feeling to wake up one morn
ing and find an auditorium in Wash
ington large enough to accommodate
l5,Q 900 persons"
Mr.. Bloom expects to leave for Eu-
rope on business connected with the
George Washington Bicsntennial as
soon as Congress adjourns. Foreign ma
! tions will be invited to participate in
the Nation wide celebration He will
explain to other governments that this
is not TO be a worlds fair" nor inter
national exposition, in the usual sense
of that word, but that 1t will be devoted
to bringing closer TO the people of the
United States and the world the real
character, achievements and ideals of
George Washington.