Evening star., 1935-08-25
BOARD TO DEMAND.
FUNDF0R HIGHWAY
Prince Georges Commits
sioners and Civic Body Join
"Death Road" Fight.

0~Atu i~Nr 'SS
"Death" highways doom will be
demanded by the Prince Georges
Grafton this week.
Leaders Of both group, shocked by
the collision on the Defense Highway
near Bowie last Tuesday which cost
five lives, held the time to be oppor-
tune to crystalize their demands for
widening of the road.
While the horror of that tragedy Is
still vivid in the minds Of those re-
sponsible for highway safety. county
leaders believe the issue should be
forced-either additional unnecessary
sacrifice of human lives or wider,
straighter, safer road.
Will Demand Funds.
Setting an example for civic groups,
the county commissioners expect }
call on the State Roads Commission
and the Public Works Administra-
ton to make funds available imme-
diately for the widening and straight
ening Of the road.
Perry Boswell, president of the
board, not only expressed himself as
personally convinced the widening Of
the Defense Highway should be listed
as the mo. l improvement" needed
in the county, but expressed conf
dence the rest Of the board would
unanimously support him.
Boswell made a personal inspection
of the scene of Tuesdays collision.
and asserts the spot is but one of the
many death traps" on the Defense
Highway.
Holds U. S. Should Help.
He pointed out that the Federal Gov
ernment should not hesitate to come
to the financial assistance of the
State in improving the road because
1t links two important Government
centers-WaShingon and Annapolis.
1t should be even more important to
have those two cities connected with
the safest possible thoroughfare than
Annapolis and Baltimore-yet the
Baltimore-Annapolis highway already
with the aid of Federal funds, he
noted.
The commissioners are to formulate
their demands at their meeting Tues
day. Among the delegations sched-
uled to be heard at that session Is
one from Bowie, headed by r. Lee
Mullikin, secretary of the District
Road Committee, in charge of second
ary roads. Composed of persons who
live in the vicinity of Tuesdays crash,
who have seen several other tragedies
at the same spot, this group. more
than any other, realizes the urgency
Of widening the road, and will insist
the commissioners make their de-
mands in the strongest language pos
sible.
Federation Action Sought.
Composed largely CT associations
bordering the Defense Highway, the
County Federation of Citizens Asso-
Citations will be called upon to support
the widen the Defense Highway"
movement tomorrow night.
Delegate John S. White, militant
leader IN the federation's flood-control
fight, is to ask the organization to de-
mand immediate action on the project.
Through numerous trips to Annapo-
lis during the session Of the General
Assembly last Winter. Delegate White
said he was impressed with the danger
of the highway and the need for its
improvement.
Ralph Powers, new president Of
the County Chamber of Commerce,
hasteno the appointment OF the
chambers Road Committee that 1t
might be prepared to campaign for
the highways widening as soon as its
Fall meetings start next month.
Powers yesterday designated w. F.
Mulligan of Berwyn as chairman of
the committee. He termed widening
Of the Defense highway a vital prof.
ect in view of the roads history of IA
deaths in the past IS months.
Believes Load Heavier.
He added that from his own obser-
vation he believed traffic on the road
much greater than shown in official
tabulations, made during normal"
hours, and more than sufficient to JUS
tify its immediate widening.
While the county leaders chorused
their demands for improvement of
the road, Representative Stephen
Gambrill, in Washington, voiced views
similar TO those Of Commissioner Bos-
well.
He said the widening should be one
Of the first projects of the State Roads
Commission, pointing out that the too
great volume of traffic which the road
has been required to carry for years
probably will be noticeably increased
n v that the Washington, Baltimore