Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-09-15
Responsibility in Protecting Life

ATGVSpOuSlDlllLy III xTVtcCt1uS AAS'
A ridiculous muddle Of red tape, to-
gether with lax and incompetent fall
ure on the part of Federal officials to
assume responsibility, is evidenced in
permitting the continuance Of the pub
lie menace to life and property repre-
scented in the condition at the airport
on the other side of the river. Will 1t
require some appalling disaster to hasten
action that long ago should have been
taken?
Could anything be more dangerous?
Here is an airport, with planes taking
OF and landing day and night. Land
ing and taking OF they cross Travelled
highway-Military Road. Wednesday
night big transport plane. carrying
fifteen. passengers, narrowly escaped
crashing in the pilots successful ma
neuver to avoid hitting an automobile.
There must be few automobile drivers,
indeed, who. using this highway. have
not been scared out Of their wits by the
sudden zoom overhead Of q landing
plane that seems to miss the top Of
the car by inches. II this condition is
permitted to continue indefinitely, there
Is going to be smash-up. It is almost
miraculous that there has been none
to date.
The authorities should decide whether
the planes are to be forbidden to cross
the road at low altitude In taking on
or landing, or whether the road itself
should be closed. One or the other
should certainly be done.
Inaction, it is claimed, Is due to d.
vided responsibility. That is a poor ex-
cuse. The whole matter rests in the
hands Of the Government, and its vari-
GUS officials, directly or indirectly con-
cerned, should get together and do
something. Military Road comes under
the jurisdiction Of Fort Myer and the
War Department as far as appropria-
lions in the past for its maintenance
are concerned, although the United
States park police assist in traffic reg
ulation when conditions require such
attention. The airport Is privately
owned, although the Federal Govern
ment claims title to part of the land.
The airport property. however, pays
taxes to the State Of Virginia. Neither
the State of Virginia nor Arlington
County will have anything to do with
the road. The Department of Com
merce has an indirect control over the
airport, through its licensing power over
the planes that use It, Assistant Secre-
tary Mitchell has made . gesture by
asking one of the solicitors to write an
opinion on the subject. The opinion
may be written-some day. What he
will do with 1t after 1t Is written, Mr..
Mitchell has not said.
But the reasonable course would be
to close the road now, rather than deny
planes access to the airport because the
road runs through it. The road itself
is in wretched condition. 1t is narrow,
bumpy. and the edges have been al
lowed to deteriorate until it is unsafe.
The new approach to Memorial Bridge,
which runs to the north wall of the
cemetery, and the Columbia pike, offer
two alternative routes that serve In
place of that section Of Military Road
through the airport.
The road should be closed. But who
would close it? Well, who would close
it If . washout or some other menace
endangered the lives of those who use
1t? Its use now constitutes a menace
not only to those who travel it, but
to the passengers Of the planes using
the airport. The military authorities
at Fort Myer have in the past been
charged with responsibility for main
tenance of the road. They should close
the road as an emergency precaution and
let Congress unravel the dispute as to
its permanent fate. The road Will un-
be closed In the future. as 1t
plays no part in the new system OF
approaches to Washington now
being developed.
The situation calls for action, not an
endless and futile argument over who
should take 1t.
rha IN j,,.tice If Fate IA again dig