Evening star., 1935-07-16
AIRPORT DILEMMA
WAITS HOUSE VOTE
Situation Confused as Bill
to Sell Military Road Faces
Decision Today.

WaSnlngJOnS airport SlCudtlOn To-
day was in a greater state of con-
fusion than at any time in its trouble
some history while all the interested
parties awaited congressional action,
expected this afternoon, on the
amended McSwain bill which would
dump the whole problem into the
lap of Arlington County.
The amended McSwain bill, pos
sibly to reach q House vote today,
provides for the sale OF Military road,
crux of the airport fight. to Arlington
County for 81 and for the closing of
the road for 10 days to give county
officials time to reach a final decision
on the airport question.
Oficials Of the Bureau Of Air Com
merce and the Commerce Department
await some definite congressional ac-
ton on the Military road matter with
considerable anxiety. Eugene l..
Vidal, director OF the bureau, and the
officials under him who are charged
with air transport safety admit they
are in a dilemma over the local air
port matter.
Control Held Inadequate.
Vidal has stated publicly that air
transport operations at washington
Airport are unsafe as long as Military
road remains open and virtually stands
committed to closing Of the local air
port to air transport operations unless
a permanent solution is reached. He
feels that the present control OF auto
mobile traffic by signal lights and flag
men is inadequate, and this view is
shared by his chief. Secretary of Com
merce Roper. Vidal and Roper also
consider the use of barriers, such as
railroad crossing gates, as merely a
temporary expedient and as un-
satisfactory for permanent airport
use.
At the same time the Bureau of Air
Commerce is extremely reluctant to
close Washington to all air transporta-
ton except as last resort to prevent
the loss of life The bureau has the
right to prohibit the use of Washing
ton Airport by any interstate air
transport airplane carrying passengers
and already has used this power in
the case Of unsafe airports at Green's
boro, N. c., and Springfield, Mass.
Would Cripple Airlines.
To deny all passenger sirlincrs the
right to land here. however Vidal
admits, would De to strike a heavy
blow at the airliues ana to the thou
sands of passengers Who use Wash
ington Airport. Washington Airport
now is the EaSte~1 terminal for Penn
/ sylvania Airlines. viii Ia operates pas
senger service to + ttshurgh, Cleve-
land and Detroit SID airmal and
passenger service vert of Detroit to
! Milwaukee 1t also is the terminal
for Central Airlines, operating pas
| senger and mail servie to Detroit
! Not only would clo- ing of The air
( port to these lines seriously cripple
them, but it virtually would compel
Abandonment of Warrington Airport,
{ which receives its chief revenue from
4 the airlineS
The Bureau Of Ar Commerce has
| no power to restrict me use of Wash
1 ington Airport BIZ sirmail planes
which carry no Passengers or by air
planes engaged in purely local opera
tons. Virtually all II the airlines to-
day. however, nave abandoned the
airmail plane pure and simple and
are using combination passenger and
airmail planes OH ali schedules.
! Sale Of Road Opposed.
Samuel J. Solomon. manager of
Washington Airport, today expressed
the belief that sale Of Military road
to Arlington County would spell the
doom Of Washington Airport and for
ever rob Washington Of the oppor-
tunity of establishing a model air
transport terminal there Should the
county purchase the road and keep 1t
open. 1t is regarded as probable that
the airport may be subdivided and sold
for commercial and industrial pur-
poses Solomon during the past few
| years has had a number of offers from
concerns and individuals who wanted
to establish industrial plants, gasoline
stations and other businesses on the
airport property, it is said.
Should the present airport manage
ment decide to go out of business as
an airport. it is indicated. dismember-
ment of the property may begin at
once and Washington will be left with
out q civil airport capable Of handling