Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-05
Federal Government Asked to
Appropriate $500, 900 and
Pay Entire Cost.
COMMERCE SECRETARY
WOULD CONTROL AREA
Present Fields Would Be Enlarged
and Military Road Shifted
Under Bingham Plan.

Revised so as to make it essentially
! national project, the bill to establish
an airport for the National Capital at
| the south end of Highway Bridge has
| just been reintrcduCed in the Senate by
Senator Bingham, Republican, of Con-
necticut
The measure. which was considered,
but not enacted in the last Congress,
provided for loan by the Federal Gov
eminent to the District of Columbia Of
| 81 900, to be paid back by the Dis
| trlct in 10 years in annual inStallmentS
! of s250O00.
Under the bill as now presented, the
airport would be established directly
| by the Federal Government with an
authorization of S2,500,00O from the
| Treasury. and supervision of the air.
| port would be placed under the Secre-
| tary of Commerce. This eliminates the
proposal under which the District
would have met the cost of establish
ing the airport through loan.
Would Enlarge Present Fields.
Like the former bill. the bill contem-
| plates using the existing private land
| ing fields as nucleus, to which would
| be added certain adjacent areas of
land. The bill provides that a public
airport for the District of Columbia be
developed and maintained by and un-
| der the jurisdiction of the Secretary Of
Commerce.
The site would embrace the lands
known as Washington Airport and
| Hoover Field and any other lands with
| in the area adjacent to tracks of the
| Washington Virginia Railway on the
south and east the Boundary Channel
| on the north, the Agricultural Expert
| mental Farm and the right of way of
| the RoSslyn branch of the Philadelphia,
| Baltimore & Washington Railroad on
| the West
The necessary acquisitions of land
would be made by the National Capital
! Park and Planning Commission and
| then transferred to the Commerce De-
| partment. ANY part of Columbia Is
| land not included in the Arlington Me-
| mortal Bridge project or in the Mount
| Vernon Boulevard project, could be used
| in the airport development with au-
| thority to fill portion of the channel
! lying between Hoover Field and the
island.
Would Shift Military Highway.
The Secretary of Commerce would
make reasonable regulations and eStab-
| lish fees and tolls for the use of the
! airport. All departments and agencies
of the United States operating aircraft
would have free and unrestricted use
| of the airport and could erect hangers
and other facilities.
Whenever the President might deem
| it necessary in time of war, the airport
| could be turned over to the War De-
| partment by the Secretary of Commerce.
| The bill authorizes relocation of the
| military highway which now passes
| through the area of the proposed site.
no fin Of ha hi
| follows:
There is hereby authorized to be ap-
| propriated, out of the general funds in
| the Treasury, the sum of So 500 900 to
| carry out the purposes of this act, other
| than the operation and maintenance Of
the airport contemplated herein"
Bingham Asks Early Action.
The bill, which was introduced late
yesterday, was referred today to the
| Public Buildings and Grounds Commit
| tee, of which Senator Keyes, Republic
can, of New Hampshire, is chairman.
| Senator Bingham said he would ask the
| committee to consider the measure
soon. The Connecticut Senator said he
| still believes Washington should have
! an airport, expressing the opinion it is
| just as important to the city as having
railroad station.
A similar bill has been introduced
in the House.
ID. C. Sure to Approve Bill
Acting Engineer Commissioner Dom
aid A. Dawson said today that-he was
quite certain the Commissioners would
approve the bill, since they had ap-
proved it previously when it called for
payment for the airport eventually by
the District.
He said that the Commissioners would
certainly not now approve the BILL
which calls for buying an airport by
the District, on account of the Dis
trict's depleted finances, but that they
were still in favor of acquiring an air.
port if possible.