Evening star., 1938-04-19
|NSPECT|ON0F ALL
LEADING AIRPORT
SITES IS PLANNED
House Committee Members
Probably Will Make
Tour Next Week.
BRIEF APPEARANCE
MADE BY SOLOMON
Manager of Washington Field
Presents Pilots Petition
for Enlargement.

Members Of the House Committee
on Public Buildings and Grounds de-
cided in executive session today to
make ground inspection of all
promising" local airport sites, prob
ably beginning next week.
Unable to assemble a quorum of the
committee, Chairman Lanham post
poned until next Wednesday testi-
mony from Samuel j. Solomon, man
ager Of Washington Airport, on plans
for enlargement of the present field.
Mr.. Solomon appeared before the
committee today long enough to file
plan providing five runways with
minimum length of more than 4.500
feet and petition signed by 25 pilots
Of Pennsylvania-Centra Airlines re-
questing enlargement of Washington
Airport.
The signers Of this petition" Mr..
Solomon told the chairman, ARE the
pilots of the only airline in the world
which has perfect safety record
Pennsylvania Central Airlines has
been in operation continuously since
1927 and never has had a fatal acci.
dent"
Mr.. Lanham said he still hopes his
committee will be able to recommend
definite airport site to Congress.
Opposes Snap Judgment.
This is not matter for any snap
judgment" he said. The committee
members insist upon making thorough
study before they commit themselves
to any recommendations.
Mr.. Lanham refused to designate
the sites to be visited next week 70,
fear proponents of other sites might
insist on additional inspections, thus
overtaxing the committees time.
I'VE are going to make a thorough
study of all sites which have any real
possibility but We don't want to waste
time on those which obviously are too
small and inadequate the chairman
explained
The committees action in summon
ing Mr.. Solomon was taken in some
quarters as an indication that mem
bers have abandoned hope for the
Smith Gravelly Point bill which has
been under consideration by the COM
mittee since last fall.
In the face of certain objection,
Chairman May of the House Military
Affairs Committee yesterday after
noon abandoned plans to call the
Camp Springs bill before the House on
the unanimous consent calendar.
Works for Agreement.
Instead he proposed the creation Of
a special House committee composed
of the various factions involved in the
local airport controversy in an effort
to work out some sort of agreement
Mr.. May told newspapermen that
when he entered the House yesterday
afternoon, prepared to call up the
Camp Springs bill, he was informed
that at least three members were wait
ing to object to its consideration. He
named as the chief objectors Chair
man Vinson of the House Naval At
fairs Committee Representative Lam
ham and Representative Wood OF Mis-
souri,. member Of Mr. Lanham's COM
mittee.
The Public Buildings and Grounds
Committee now has before it the Smith
bill authorizing construction on the
Gravelly Point site and bill by Mr..
Wood designating q site at Suitland,
Md
Mr.. May said ne had proposed the
creation Of special committee to be
composed of three members from his
own committee. three members of the
House Naval Affairs Committee and
three members of the House Public
Buildings and Grounds Committee.
This committee would be instructed to
canvass the whole situation in an
effort to bring in bill on which
members Of the House might agree.
Little Hope in Present Session.
With the present session nearing
its close, however, little hope was held
out for any permanent airport legis-
lation for Washington this year, the
twelfth consecutive year in which
Congress has considered the local
airport problem.
Substantial progress toward improv-
ing local airport safety has been taken
by the present Congress, however, in
the passage of the Copeland bill au-
thorizing the closing of Military road
through Washington Airport. Mr.
Solomon now is awaiting receipt from
the War Department of the necessary
papers transferring the road to his
jurisdiction. AS soon as the transfer
is complete the airport will pay $25,-
900 to Arlington County, Va, to
finance construction of a substitute
road around the airport and will
begin an airport construction program
by filling the Military road right of