Evening star., 1933-08-16
IMPROVED AIRPORT
HERE IS DEMANDED
Experts, in Session, Will Seek
to Close Military
Road.

The Commerce Department Is deter
mined to improve the condition of
Washington's civil air terminal, even
If it has to go to the President to get
action" it was revealed by Assistant
Secretary of Commerce Ewing Y.
Mitchell at the closing session Of two
day conference with air transport oper-
ators today at the department.
Secretary Mitchell said he is now
taking up with the War Department
the question Of closing the portion of
Military road which divides Washing
ton Airport into two sections. He re-
ferred to this effort as an illustration
of the fact the Commerce Department
'is not unmindful of its obligations TO
promote the safety Of air transporta-
ton"
We are going to get the road closed
il we have to go to the President HIM
self for an authorization" Mr.. Mitchell
told the operators.
Legal Problem Involved.
He said the matter had been taken
up directly with Mai. Gen. Benjamin
D. FouloiS, chief of the Air Corps, but
that Gen. Foulois had raised a question
as to the legal authority for closing the
road. This legal problem, Mr.. Mitchell
said, had been submitted to South
Trimble, jr, solicitor for the Commerce
Department. who is expected to issue a
ruling within few days.
Mitchell quoted Wiley Post as hav-
ing criticized the condition of the air
port, saying that there were better
landing fields in the wilds of Siberia.
It is in the interests of public safety
and promotion of aeronautics to i'm
prove the condition of the field here,
even though it is privately owned and
operated. Mitchell said.
The two halves of the airport. which
up until the end Of last month was in
the hands of separate corporations,
have been acquired by the National Air
port Corporation and will be operated
as a unit under the name OF Wash
lngton Airport.
the aeronautical conference, at
tended by representatives Of air trans
port companies and commercial and
private airplane pilots from all parts
of the country, was called to discuss the
application of the economy measures
affecting aides to air navigation.
Mitchell Criticized.
The conference reached climax late
Yesterday when William P. McCracken,
ir.. former Assistant Secretary OF Com
merce for Aeronautics, intlmated that
Assistant Secretary Mitchell was lay
ing down on the job
MacCracken described the struggles
through which he had gone while in
office to obtain appropriations for aides
to air navigation and intimated that
he did not believe Mitchell was trying
hard enough to obtain funds.
Mitchell denied the allegation, de-
claring that although Congress had ap-
propriated $7,60O,000 for the activities
of the aeronautics branch, the Com
merce Department had been forbidden
by the Budget Bureau to spend the full
amount. Mitchell also was warmly de-
Tended by Eugene Vidal, assistant d1-
rector for air regulations, who declared
MacCracken was familiar with condi-
tions IN 1928, but this is another year
and conditions are very much different"
The manufacturers were invited to
submit written proposals for application
of economy to the Federal airwayS
which they used. Their proposals must
be submitted within 10 days, as the
new economy program will be put into
effect not later than September Is.