Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-14
Funds.laCkinq
For Airport, but
- iN
ightContinues

a@Ae&Ae-A'A Ao~&e Notestt4 u AoAtE
parade Of expert witnesses and
home owners, all Of whom con.
tended that property values would
suffer seriously within several
miles OF the new airport.
/. AFTER IL MONTHS STUDY
Mayor Edward ]. Jeffries' air.
port committee, headed by Edward
S. Evans, made the choice after IA
months of study William M
Walker Jr., commissioner Of public
works; c. v. Burnett, manager oil
the airport, and Evans led the
council chamber fight for its adop-
ton.
"A most hazardous condition
exists ut the present airport"
Evans said. 1T makes those Of
I'M In the air industry CULVER
with fear from time TO time N
we think Of tho clang Of the
ambulance gong and the flames
shooting out from the crumpled
! wreckage Of . plane"
Evans pointed out that on nine
lys in the past year there have
ZEN over 1000 landings and take
offs at the municipal airport. The
congestion Is due to the large mum.
Der Of small private planes and
training planes which conflict with
the operation Of the large trans
ports.
The proposed new airport would
be reserved exclusively for the
commercial airlines and there
would be not more than 200 take
offs and landings there per day
Evans explained.
sls,000,0o0 REQUIRED
More than $4,000. 900 would be
required TO enlarge the present
airport in accordance with the
city's needs and even then the
surrounding stacks of industrial
plants would preclude instrumen,
landings, Evans said.
The Eight-Mile road wyomins
avenue selection was made onls
after every other possible site Il
the entire Detroit area had beer
examined carefully and discarded
Tor one reason or another. he
added.
Wallace Visscher, vice presiden,
OF the Wayne Oakland Civic Asso.
cations, Inc, and Fred r. Bolton,
attorney, headed the opposition
forces.
NOISE, VIBRATION CITED
The noise and vibration of low.
nying transport planes coming in
ana leaving the port was cited al
the principal objection.
There In over 81. O0o OO0
worth Of residential property in
the City Of Detroit that would
DO affected by this airport"
Visscher said.
"One estimate n that the Air
port would deprociate values 10
per cent and II this occurred the
CITY Of Detroit would lose over
100000 every year In taxes and
probably the total tax loss Of all
municipalities affected would bo
close 20 half million dollars q
year."
The opponents of the proposed
site took up the charge that they
were not air-minded and hurled Il
right back at the mayors airport
committee.
"Your vision Ii too narrow
and stified," declared Recorders
Judge John v. Brennan. "You
are not looking moro than 10
years i'm tho future In selecting
this site"
CALL SITE TOO SMALL
Bolton and other speakers for
the opponents of the site con-
tended that the one square mile
proposed was too small and tina,
just as the present airport rapidly
became outmoded so would the
new one.
They suggested that the COM
mittee select a site much farther
out in Oakland County, where q
two or three square mile airport
could be established to accommo-
date the flood of aircraft which Is
expected as an aftermath of the
war effort.
K. G.. Waterhouse, city manager
of Huntington Woods; Warren
Gilbert, mayor of Pleasant Ridge
and Jay Gibbs. manager of Fern.
dale, all presented the official OBJ
jections Of their respective COM
munities.
However, the Village Of Oak
Park, in which the proposed site
Is actually located, expressed It's
approval of the plan through Su-
pervisor Harry Cousins.
The members of the Common
Council took no action on the 10
Ycation of the airport yesterday
and several members after the
hearing said they were still un
decided and wanted to have mor'
time TO think the matter over.
Gen. Hugh 8. Johnson, "Amer-
fca's Fighting Thinker" writes