Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-21
BINGHAM PREPARES
FIGHT IN CONGRESS
ONBR|DGE COLUMNS
Regrets Art Body'S Stand
Despite Protest of Air
Officials.
SUGGESTS LEGISLATION
TO PROTECT AIRP0RTS
safety More Important Than
Beauty, Senator Declares as Com
mission Insists on Project.

Legislation giving the Department OF
Commerce power to prevent erection OF
anything near airports that would be
regarded as hazardous to air naviga-
ton was suggested as possibility today
by Senator Bingham, Republican, of
Connecticut, in expressing regret that
the Fine Arts Commission again has
approved the proposed memorial COL
umns on Columbia Island in connec-
ton with the Arlington Memorial
Bridge.
The bridge is in the vicinity of
Washington Hoover Airport and there
has been considerable discussion re-
Gently as to whether the memorials
would interfere with the approach to
the airport.
Il regret very much to learn that
the Fine Arts Commission is pressing
for the erection of memorials which
will unquestionably constitute q serious
hazard to air navigation" Senator
bingham said.
Believes Safety Comes First.
I'm regard to ocean navigation. the
war Department Is empowered TO see to
1t that no one is permitted to erect any
thing which will interfere with safe
navigation. 1t may be -.eceSsary to
secure legislation TO place in the hands
Of the Commerce Department the power
to prevent any one from erecting any
thing in the vicinity Of an airport which
viii constitute obstacles to the safe ap-
proach to the port in all kinds Of
weather
1T may be necessary to forbid the
erection of anything constituting a
menace to air navigation within half a
mile of an established airport. The
safety Of those who desire to use the
ton should be paramount to all con-
Biderations of an artistic or CONNER
cial nature"
Senator Bingham said such legisla-
ton as he suggested, If considered,
would be national in scope.
The Arts Commission advised Lieut..
Col. u S. Grant, Sd, executive oficer
of the Arlington Memorial Bridge Com
mission yesterday by letter that it does
not regard the objection of the airmen
as valid" The Fine Arts Commits
sion views the projected columns as
guardians of the sacredneSs Of Airing
ton National Cemetery and foresees ad-
citional need for them when the ceme-
terry IS expanded in the near future.
Protested at Airport.
WASHINGTON Airport, President Hoover
recently asked the Bridge Commission
TO make further study Of the columns.
Mai. D. H. Gillette, assistant to Col
Grant on the Arlington Memorial
Bridge Commission, in making public
the contents of the letter. said that the
first part had TO do with quotations
from the report of the Bridge Commits
sion. The letter said that the Fine
Arts Commission agrees with the
architects that the columns are archi-
tectural features of first Importance 4"
The letter then goes on to deal with OBJ
5ections to the columns, the first being
Of an engineering nature, the commits
SIGN holding that there is no major rea-
con why they cannot be constructed.
The letter follows In part: Tho
Eecond objection is that the columns
would interfere with the air flights from
the field now in use by a commercial
eirport. The Commission Of Fine Arts
do not regard this objection as valid
In fact, they consider the columns
rather as a protection 20 the sacrednes,
OF Arlington by causing the commercial.
air routes to be diverted to the north.
Lights to Warn Flyers.
This will be all the more important
when the Arlington National Cemetery
shall be enlarged to take in the present
Agriculture Department Experiment
Farm. The columns as at present de.
signed will carry abundant light q.
warning to ayiators."
The Fine Arts Commission would bt
willing to postpone the erection OF thu
columns until the other artistic fea.
lures of the project shall have beer
finished"
The columns are an imposing feature
OF the Columbia Island plaza develop.
ment and proponents of their erection
say that they were provided for in Law
long before the aviation interests 10.
Gated their fields on the Virginia side o.
the Potomac River, downstream of thu
Arlington Memorial Bridge.