Evening star., 1931-02-27

said the item for Mount Vernon Boule-
ward construction will be brought back.
There is no authorization. so far as
the House is concerned, for that appro-
priation,' he said. 1T has not passed
the House"
Chairman Simmons of the House sub
committee on District appropriations
referred to the price mentioned by Mr..
Smell of the cost per mile for this high
way. Il think l can visualize the cost
of this highway to the House" he said,
If I say this: If you will take silver
dollars and place them side by side and
run that silver-dollar line 1886 miles
from here to Mount Vernon, you will
have the cost of the highways. 1t ac-
tually figures S7.44 per running inch.
That will be the cost to the United
States. Were it not for the fact this
highway is named after George Wash
ington, it would be a major scandal, in
my opinion.
Here are some silver dollars" he
continued, displaying seven of them
He indicated how they would look lay
ing side by side on the table, and said
that LAY them 1886 miles from Wash
ington to Mount Vernon, and you have
the cost of the highway under the pro-
poSal we are asked to approve in this
viscalizes it pretty we'll"
Representative Treadway, Republican,
Massachusetts,, asked Chairman Wood
rs it ut fact, as the chair has
brought out, that SO far as the Mount
Vernon Boulevard is concerned, it has
not as yet been authorized?
Treadway Hits Amount.
"As 1 understand it," he continued,
that S2,7Oo,0O0 bill passed the other
body, but it has never come before this
body because I have been waiting for
a chance to knock it. While the eX-
pense is tremendous and we ought to
go slowly in agreeing to this additional
cost of 81, 10000, my principal objection
is that that wonderful boulevard is
going to run TO a private turnstile
where you have to pay admission to
private corporation in order to get
into the George Washington shrine"
There was vigorous applause when
Mr.. Treadway declared, That is the
limit"
Representative Byrns of Tennessee,
the ranking Democrat of the House
conferees, declared. Il want to agree
with what these gentlemen have said
with reference TO the tremendous cost
of this highway I cannot believe there
is any excuse for building a highway,
whether it be in the name of George
Washington or any one else, which will
cost S462 900 a mile. Certainly, that
was never contemplated by the Con-
gress. Even this appropriation, which
provides for $2.700 900. does not require
completion within that amount. It
simply provides for an additional sum.
I But there is this, of course, to be con-
sidered:
! Congress has appropriated s4,5o0,-
/ 600. The committee had no opportunity
\ TO make an inquiry about the facts
but it appears that the S4500000, as
the papers have stated, has already been
expended: then we may be in situa-
| ton whereby We must appropriate
something to complete this roadway.
say that without intending for one mo-
ment to disagree with my colleagues
I who have spoken with reference TO the
I outrageous cost of that highway"
Representative Smell suggested that
perhaps it would be better for Congress
10 stop the work now and find out how
much it is going TO cost TO finish this
project before we go any further"
! Mr.. Byrns said: If 1 am one of the