Evening star., 1933-08-20
D. c. CIVIC LEADERS
BACK FERRY FIGHT
Spur Eastern Shoremen to
Consider Request for U. S.
Loan of s425, 900.
Dy . STAFF Correspondent of The Star.
CAMBRIDGE. Md. August IL

1y Staf Correspondent OF The Star
CAMBRIDGE, Md. August 10
Spurred on by the active alliance of
Washington, D. c., civic leaders who
journeyed here today to participate in
a cooperative rally. Eastern Shore
men tonight are considering the draft
ing of a petition to Secretary of Inte-
rior Ickes, acking him to push the appli-
cation for a loan of S425,000, which
now is pending before the Public Works
Board for use in establishing a new
ferry service across Chesapeake Bay
from Chesapeake Beach to Hudson,
near here.
More than 500 persons, representing
the entire lower portion of the East
ern Shore peninsula, assembled in the
opera house here this afternoon to hear
their cwn and the National Capitals
industrial leaders urge them to carry
forward in "a fight to the finish" their
four-year effort to secure the new ferry
service.
Littlepage Applauded.
Thomas P. Iittlepage, president of
the Washington Chamber of Commerce
and leader of the Washington expedi-
tion to Cambridge today. drew pro-
longed applause at the rally, when ne
roundly scored the political opposition"
the Marylanders to carry their battle
to the Secretary Of Interior immedl-
ately.
Pointing out that washington inter-
eSts have not delayed action or op-
posed in any way the plans for the new
ferry which would bring the buyers and
markets of this section of Maryland
"a to 54 miles closer to washington
than they are with present travel ia
cilities, Mr.. Littlepage told his Cam
bridge audience that this thing has
been fought by your own MARYLAND
politicians" Prior to the depression,
Mr.. Iittlepage recalled, the hackers of
the proposed ferry had sufficient funds
to establish the new line and they ap-
piled to the Interstate Commerce Com
mission for approval.
That approval was given" Mr.. Lit
tlepage declared, "and then our friends
at Annapolis sought to restrain the
commission in the D. c. Supreme
Court
Barred by Politicians.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
was sustained by the court, but by then
the depression had begun. Then the
ferry hackers sought a loan from
the Reconstruction Finance Corpora
ton and again the Interstate Com
merce Commission approved the plan.
This time the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation submitted the application
for & loan of S425,000 to the Public
Works Board and every step along the
way was barred by that political bunch
at Annapolis"
The application is pending before
the Public Works Board now" Mr.. Lit
tlepage declared, and 1 strongly urge
upon you to draft petition signed by
people from all over this Shore and
lay it right on the desk of the Secre-
tary of Interior. Then you'll get some
where"
Enlarging on his charge that Mary
land politicians had blocked efforts to
secure the loan for the ferry, Mr.. Lit
tlepage said that he and other Wash
ington men had sought in Government
Offices in Washington to push plans for
the new service heard EN- talking
against the ferry and against you on
the other side of closed Office doors
while we waited outside to get hear
ing"
Maryland Men Speak.
The meeting here was presided over
by Russell S. Davis, president of the
Cambridge Rotary Club. Maryland
residents who spoke for the new ferry
included Roy R. Cunningham of Cam
bridge; Carl Monsees, president of the
Lions Club of Salisbury: DR.. Charles w.
Purnell, hotel proprietor of Ocean City,
and Horace Davis, former mayor of
Berlin, Md. Each pledged his city and
his citys efforts in securing the ferry.
Claude Owen, president of the Board
of Trade of Washington, was the first
of the Capital civic leaders to speak.
Mr.. Owen pointed out that the new
ferry. shortening the time between
Cambridge and Washington by 2l2
hours for the round trip, would make
the 100000 persons of Washington's
metropolitan area and the 100000 per-
sons of the Eastern Shore acquainted
neighbors" of mutual benefit to one an
other. He pledged the support of the
Board of Trade
Isaac Cans, here as president of
the American Automobile Associations
board, advocated the new ferry as
means of opening to Washingtonians
the beauties of Eastern Shore. Ma