The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-09-19
LOCAL MEN AT ROAD
MEETING OPTIMISTIC

Continued from page one)
lima and Tennessee renewed their
pleas for preference in the selec-
ton of the parkway route.
Tennessee insisted that the
parkway swing westward from
Blowing Rock and touch at Roam
mountain and Iron mountain and
thence to Gatlinburg to enter the
park from the west on the Ten
neSSee side.
Speakers from North Carolina
urged that the road be routed by
Grandfather mountain, Mt. Mitch
ell, the Craggies, Mt. Pisgah, the
Balsam range and into the park
at, Soco Gap. The Tennessee
route advocates favored a south
ern spur or small ''loop" of the
road branching off at Hartford, q
few miles of Newport, Tenn, and
entering the park on the North
Carolina. side by way of Water
vile, Catalooehee and ,Soco Gap,
thus providing two entrances"
Both sides presented elaborate
maps and pictures of the region
to be traversed by the parkway.
The hearing was held in the de-
partment of interior building and
each side was allotted an hour
and a half in which to outline its
case.
GOVERNORS IN CHARGE
Gov. Ehringhaus was in charge
of the North Carolina presenta-
ton and introduced each of the
speakers, while Gov. Hill McAlis-
ter served in that capacity for
Tennessee.
For North Carolina, the speak
ers were: r C. Browning, loca-
ton engineer of the State High
way commission and an expert on
every phase of the parkway dis
cusSions; Frank Page, former
head of the State Highway CON-
mission; Robert Latham, editor of
the Asheville Citizen, Senator
Robert R. Reynolds, Congressman
r. L. Doughton and Senator Jo-
siah Bailey:
For Tennessee the speakers
were: Frank w. Webster, chief
engineer of the Tennessee High
way commissions; General w. T.
Kennedy, of Knoxville; Will Tay-
lor, congressman from the second
Tennessee district; Senator Ken
meth D. Mcclellan, Senator Nathan
Bachman, and Governor McAlis-
ter, who summarized the Tennes-
see case at the conclusion.
The auditorium of the Depart
ment of Interior building was
crowded far beyond capacity and
more than $50 persons stood
around the walls. Despite Secre-
tary Iekes' plea that there be no
applause, the cheering and hand
clapping became vigorous when
fayorite sons of the two states
rose to begin their discourse.
The burden of Tennessee's case
was to the effect that North Caro-
lima was striving to deprive that
state entirely of any benefits that
might accrue from the parkway
development and that the report
of the original Radcliffe commit
tee,,, only this week made public,
followed the lines that had been
traced on maps. They character
lied today's hearing as an appeal
of lthe North Carolina delegation
from the original routing report.
The findings of the Radcliffe
commission recommended, the
Tennesseeans declared, that the
government parkway to cost
S16,OO0,OO0 follow the Tennessee
route. 49,.
North Cardinals claims were
predicated largely on the theory
that the parkway was intended to
follow the richest scenic regions
between the two national parks
and that fact assured Western
North Carolina of priority consid-
Grafton. Inc CarollnianS III the
latter part of the hearing asked
where could found such
scenery as that between Blowing
Rock and Mt. Mitchell.
Secretary Iekes was obviously
impressed by the earnestness of
the North Carolina speakers and
the size of the delegation. In the
Tar Heel contingent were APP
400 persons, a mum,
Der of whom were unable to md
standing room in the auditorium.
The Tar Heels outnumbered the
Tennesseans more. than 2 to l. !
At the conclusion of the hear.
ing Secretary Ickes made a orlet
statement in which he said that
such a demonstration testlhed
eloquently to the interest of peo-
pie in the two states.
~ shall try to decide the ques,
ton strictly on its merits after 1
have had time to get far enough
away from the splendid pleas
made here ctodavR he said,