Evening star., 1936-02-09
.LAWMAKERSP[AN
SESSION TO SPEED
|. AIRPORT MEASURE
May Seek Move for Bills
Consideration Under Sus-
pension of Rules.
SMITH MAY OPPOSE
ACTION, CHIEFS SAY
Proposal to Close Military Road
Advanced to Save Airline
Operation at Field.

BACKGROUND
Inadequate at best, Washington
Airport, in nearby Virginia, has
added handicap OF uehicular road
running across landing strip. In
recent months attempt to control
traffic on highway has been made
by use OF lights and guards. War
Department, hot0eUer. refuses to
sanction traffic control and airport
management threatened during past
ueek to remoue precautions.
Commerce Department then
threatened to close port. Post Of
fee Department to moue mail OPP
erations to Baltimore.
Facing a fight against emergency
legislation to close Military road tenn
porarily and so prevent closing of
Washington Airport to airplane opera
tions next Saturday, members of the
Senate and House Military Affairs
Committees are expected to hold a
special joint meeting tomorrow morn
ing to work out plans for engineering
the legislation through the Senate
and House at once.
Tomorrow's meeting Is to be at
tended by members Of the special SUBJ
committees appointed Friday afternoon
to complete the drafting of identical
bills providing for closing Of Military
road. These bills are to be introduced
in Senate and House at the opening Of
tomorrow'S sessions.
Blocked in their desire to jam the
closing bill through the House under
unanimous consent by the opposition
of Representative Howard W. Smith
Of Virginia. members of the House
subcommittee tomorrow will consider
the advisability Of seeking a special
rule for consideration Of the measure
under q suspension Of the rules.
Representative Smith, however, Is a
member of the Rules Committee, which
must pass upon the motion for a spe-
cial rule, and he is expected to oppose
both the motion to suspend the rules
when it comes before the committee
and the bill when 1t is called up in the
House. Senator Byrd Of Virginia is ex-
pected to lead the opposition to the
measure in the Senate.
TO Complete New Bills.
The subcommittee, at tomorrow's
joint session, will put finishing touches
on the new bills providing for closing
of the road between the halves of
Washington Airport. Under instruc-
tons of the Senate and House commit
tees, they are preparing identical bills
which will provide for the closing Of
Military road from its intersection with
United States No. at the south end
OF Highway Bridge to the intersection
with the GEORGETOWN Alexandria road
near the southeast corner of Arlington
National Cemetery. The road is to re-
main closed subject to congressional
action on a permanent airport plan
for Washington. Title to the road is
to remain in the War Department.
Judge Smith and representatives of
the Arlington County Board sought to
have title to Military road conveyed
to the county by the Federal Govern
ment. They are opposed to the clos
ing of Military road until a satisfactory
substitute is provided to carry Arling-
ton County traffic to Highway Bridge.
In completing the drafting of the
new bills tomorrow morning, however,
the members of the Joint Committee
are acting under instructions to treat
the closing of Military road as purely
emergency move to safeguard life and
prevent the threatened removal of all
local airmail and air transport opera
tions from Washington to Baltimore.
They will leave all questions of the
future Of Military road and the airport
problem to be settled later.
C0nferees to Meet.
Senate and House conferees on the
bill to create commission to select a
permanent local airport site also are
to meet tomorrow or later in the week
In another effort to break the dead
lock which has prevented action on the
bill since last Summer.
House conferees insisted upon the
naming of members Of the commission
to select the local airport. Opponents
of the measure charged that the
House commission was stacked" in
favor of Washington Airport and
against Gravelly Point. Senate con-
ferees insist that the naming Of men,
bers of the commission should be left
to the President.
The bill provides that the commits
sion can do no more than select site,
subject to final approval by Congress
and the President. The bill reached
conference between Senate and House
after nine years Of continual pickering
before congressional committees over
the merits of rival airport sites in and
near the District.