Evening star., 1935-12-22
PARK Commission
TO TAKE BOUNDARY
ROW TO CONGRESS
Votes to Contest Ruling
Awarding Valuable Land
to Virginia. I
AIRPORT WORK URGED !
AT GRAVELLY POINT
Cost of Development, Including
made Land" Estimated
at $750,0o0.

The findings of the District OF
Columbia Virginia Boundary Commits
sion, setting up the "headland-to-
headland" theory and awarding around
s1,000,0O0 worth of disputed property
to Virginia interests, will be fought in
Congress by the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission.
This was decided yesterday, when,
the commission voted to instruct its,
chairman, Frederic A. Delano, and it's
executive officer, Arno B. Cammerer,
director of the National Park Service,
to appear before the committees of
Congress to oppose the conclusions Of
the report. They were directed to CO.
operate with the Justice Department
and the District Commissioners in
opposition to the stand taken by the
boundary commissioners.
Thomas S. Settle, secretary Of the
Planning Commission, said the bound
ary report took a great deal of land
the Supreme Court of the United
States has awarded to the Federal
Government" On the basis Of the
rulings of the highest court, he said,
the Federal Government has expended
millions of dollars on the Mount
Vernon Memorial Highway and other
Improvements.
Hold Decision Detrimental"
The planners adopted the position,
Settle declared, that the land decision
is detrimental to the State of Vir-
ginia, as well as to the Federal Gov
ernment."
Two weeks ago the Boundary Com
mission submitted its report, adding
another chapter to a problem that has
agitated local interests for many years.
1t adopted the boundary of the District
on the west bank of the Potomac
River as running at the low-water
mark from headIand to headland,
across creeks and other indentations
Of the waterway.
Gravelly Point should be developed
without delay as Washington's major
airport, the commission voted yes
VI NH AhoeA4AAaNCo d1C lEdNl " GuUUlld
to the Works Progress Administra-
ton, the commission was informed,
one program providing for expendi-
ture of S250,000 between January
and July l, under which land would
be created by hydraulic engineering
by pumping sand and gravel from the
bed Of the Potomac River, while an
other, contemplating expenditure Of
$500, 900. would provide in addition for
the purchase Of land now in existence.
Would Dredge River.
Both programs would raise the ele-
vation feet above high tide and
at the same time provide for the
dredging Of the Potomac River, in
the interests of navigation.
Settle pointed out that the Gibson
bill, sponsored by Senator Gibson, Re-
publican, of Vermont, would provide
for leasing Washington Hoover Airport
by the Federal Government.
The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission refused to ap-
prove the proposal to spend 81 500, 900
as is estimated by the chief of Army
Engineers-to purchase the Washing
ton Hoover Airport. The planners
contended that even if this we're done,
Washington would still lavk an ade-
quate modern airport. The only
answer to the question is to begin
work on the Gravelly Point airport
without delay, they held.
Park Conference Slated.
Creation of a park for Alexandria,
Va, at Battery Cove, at Hunting
Creek and Jones Point, will be the
subject of a conference to be held
with the Secretary of War by Plan
ming Commission Spokesmen. The
whole area comprises some As acres,
part of it created by pumping earth
out of the river bottom, but no definite
area proposed as a park was men,
toned.
The commission harked back to the
beginnings of Washington in recon-
mending to Secretary Ickes that the
four highway traversing the Mall
be given new names. The names of
North Vista drive and South Vista
drive were found unsuitable, officials
said. Accordingly, Secretary IckeS
will be requested to decree that the
names of the new highways in the
Mall, reading south from Constitution
avenue, shall be: Madison, Washing
ton, Adams and Jefferson drives. Rep.
resenting the first four Presidents Of
the United States-an of whom were
active in the creation of Washing.
ton-each of the new highway termi-
mates at Union square, just west
of the Capitol. An act of Congress is
not necessary for the change, officials
said.
Under legislation now contemplated,
the District Commissioners would be
empowered to name any street for a
State of the Union not now adequately
represented. The planners sponsored
this move and so voted yesterday.
With new developments in progress
in the Mall and elsewhere, Maine,
Missouri and Ohio avenues were elm
mated and these States are without
street representation here. Some
States, like Arizona, have names only
on paper streets. An Arizona avenue
exists, but only in theory, in the
Glover-Archbold parkway. {.