Evening star., 1940-10-16
District Fights
Bearing Yearly
Cost Of Airport
Vots Expenditure and
Failure to Consult
Capital Emphasized

opposition to efforts now belng
made at the Capitol to saddle on
the District Of Columbia the costs
of maintaining and orerating the
$13,000000 Washington National Air
port at Gravelly Point is being or
ganized by officials of local avia-
ton and business organizations.
The opposition will be based on
arguments that the new airport was
conceived and constructed wholly by
the Federal Government without
consultation with local officials or
citizens. as a model and monu-
ment to civil aviation. on a scale
economically unjustifiable for city
the size of Washington.
washington National Airport has
been built to a scale and with a
degree of elaboration far beyond the
needs Of q city of a half-million
population explained an official of
the Aero Club of Washington, chap
ter of the National Aeronautic As
sociation. 1T is just about as much
q Federal project as the Commerce
Department Building. There is no
more Justification for the citizens
of Washington to be called upon to
pays the cost of maintaining and
operating this national monument
than for them to be asked to MAIN
tain and operate the United States
Capitol"
Approved No Costly Plans.
It was pointed out that the Aero
Club, the Washington Air Derby
Association, the Aviation Commit
tee of the Washington Board OF
Trade and other aviation and civic
organizations which have support
ed the building of an airport for
Washington never gave their ap-
proval to plans as elaborate or cost
" as those developed for the Gravel
ly Point project which now is
nearing completion.
Estimates of cost for the projects
which were supported by local Or
ganizations ranged from little
more than S2,500O0O to less than
s40O0,O0O. Even these projects were
opposed several times by the Dis
trict Commissioners. however, on the
ground that the District government
could not afford to build or support
an airport until other and more
urgent local needs had been cared
for.
At least one local protest against
efforts to identify the District of
Columbia financially with the Grav-
ely Point project has been filed with
Federal officials, it is understood. In
this protest, made some months ago,
It was pointed out that the expen-
diture of Federal funds on the scale
then contemplated raised the prof.
ect completely out of the class Of
municipal undertakings.
Washington National Airport,
moreover, has national defense i'm
portance beyond other comparable
civil air terminals.
Congress has been asked to appro-
pirate S255.650 for the maintenance
and operation of the airport during
the remainder Of the current fiscal
year. The airport is expected to
open for operations December II, the
37th anniversary of the first alrplane
flight at Kitty Hawk, N. G. This
appropriation, however. includes the
cost of furniture, fixtures and equip
ment for the terminal building and
the purchase and operation OF an
ambulance, fire truck, motor boat,
passenger cars for use on the air
port and between the airport and
the city, uniforms for guards and
similar expenses, including SIS 900
for salaries.
S275,OOO Cost Estimated.
IT has been estimated that opera
tions costs, including salaries and
maintenance, will average about
s275,000 a year.
The amount of income is still con-
iectural. Under the terms OF a con-
tract for the gasoline and oil con-
cession. the Government will receive
$50. 900 income annually from the
concessionaire. Contracts with the
three airlines operating out OF
Washington, covering their pay
ments for the use of the airport and
It's facilities. have not yet been
signed. They are expected to pay
considerably less than the rates they
now pay at Washington Airport,
however. Income from the reStau-
rant. dining room and lunch counter
concession will depend largely upon
I,n oi,-