Evening star., 1935-04-25
HOUSE COMMITTEE EXPERT TEST|l
REVIEWS FINDINGS HELD IGNORE
ON DISTRICT CRIME AIRPORT DEC|
Two Sessions Conducted in Trade Board Represe
Effort to Complete Charges Bill Repl
Consideration. Is Unfair to Dist
Meeting SET TUESDAY FIGHT FOR GRAVEL
ON RENTS SITUATION SITE TO BE CON-
Groups From Both Chambers OF Representative Jenckes
Congress to Weigh Housing Rift in Supposedly Un
Problem. Stand of Commit
Trade Board Representative
Charges Bill Reported
Is Unfair to District.
FIGHT FOR GRAVELLY
SITE TO BE CONTINUED
Representative Jenckes Reveals
Rift in Supposedly Unanimous
Stand of Committee.

Charges that members of the House
District Committee, in voting against
the Gravelly Point Airport site
Ignored" competent testimony. acted
with great injustice toward District
taxpayers, and planned to turn over
the expenditure of local tax funds to
rank outsiders" were made today by
Clarence A. Miller, chairman Of the
Aviation Committee of the Washing
ton Board Of Trade.
At the same time, Representative
Virginia E. Jenckes of Indiana. a
member of the committee. revealed the
first rift in the supposedly unanimous
stand of the District Committee, when
she announced she would vote against
all local airport proposals until Con-
gresS obtains more competent teSti-
mony on the question from transport
pilots.
Unfairness Charged.
"This is another instance Of the
unfairness of Congress to the tax
payers of the District of Columbia"
Miller said in attacking yesterdays
action of the House District Commit
tee in supporting the report of its
subcommittee on the airport matter
and reporting out a bill providing for
a commission Of seven members to
select a local airport site. Miller also
criticized the membership of the pro-
posed commission.
Miller said mo fair-minded person
could read the 237 pages of testimony
presented to the subcommittee and
reach the conclusions set forth in its
report"
THE evidence. on the contrary" he
said. clearly sustains the position
which the Board of Trade has taken
for number of years advocating the
Gravelly Point site.
"The subcommitte has completely
ignored the testimony of capable and
impartial Government officials and
the experience of other cities, and
accepted instead the testimony OF
witnesses who admitted they were in
capable of expressing sound conclu-
sion and Of persons interested in SELL
ing real estate to the Federal Gov
eminent and the District of Colum-
bia."
People Must Pay Half.
Miller pointed out that the bill re-
ported by the Committee will require
that the people of the District pay
one-half of the cost of the airport,
"yet they are to have practically no
say as to where that airport shall be
located"
"On the other hand" he said.
frank outsiders with no possible in
terest in the District of Columbia and
representatives of the Federal Gov
ernment are to have it within their
power to unload on the taxpayers an
airport at a site where it is not
wanted and at the same time present
them with a bill for half its cost.
During the course of the hearings
several members of the subcommittee
took exception to statements made in
the newspapers with respect to the
site for the proposed airport. The ac-
ton of the subcommittee, and its con-
sequent approval by the entire COM
mittee, has made them subject to
even more severe criticism then ahey
have yet received"
Board to Continue Activity.
The Board of Trade, Miller said,
feeling that it has been substantially
confirmed" in its views by witnesses
appearing before the House subcom-
mittee will continue its effort to have
Gravelly Point selected as the site for
the permanent local airport.
He said he will ask to appear be-
fore the Senate District Committee
to point out in detail the testimony
presented to the House Subcommittee
in support of Gravelly Point "and
show how the conclusions of the sub
committee were contrary to the evil
dence presented to it."
Mrs. Jenckes, in written state
ment to Representative Mary T. Nor
ton of New Jersey, chairman Of the
District Committee. said I'VE have
listened to every one tell this COM
mittee where to locate Washington's
airport, but the men who are really
qualified to advise US
She said that she wanted to hear
the opinion of the professional trans
port pilots on the matter and asked
that representatives of the Air Line
Pilots Association be invited to testify.
The committee, she said, should not
decide until we hear from the men
and women who are actually flying
these planes every day"
Let us not be swayed or influenced
in our decision by real estate pro-