Evening star., 1945-05-14
HouseUnitNears
Agreement on
BoundaryBi||
Committee Reported
Prepared to Cede
Airport to Virginia
BY DON S. WARREN.


BY DON S. WARREN.
Members of the House District
Committee today neared-but didn't
quite reach-an agreement on the
form of bill designed to settle the
Century-old District Virginia bound.
ary issue.
At the conclusion of lengthy
hearing on the question, Chairman
Randolph scheduled special session
of the group for 1890 am. tomorrow
in the hope bill may be reported
to the House.
There was no dispute in the hear.
ing today about the proposal to cede
to Virginia all the territory of the
National Airport. although it was
reported that officials of the Civil
Aeronautics Authority would pre-
fer" to have the airport kept as
part of the National Capital.
Fears Sale of Liquor.
Controversy did arise over one
section of the pending bill which
would give to the United States
exclusive jurisdiction" over the air.
port, which it already owns, while
ceding the territory to Virginia
representative Smith, Democrat, of
Virginia, expressed fear that if this
section was included a license to
sell hard drinks at the airport might
result.
IF that happened" he said,
then We would have one barroom
In Virginia, and that would be in
the national airport We just can't
stand for that, gentlemen" He re-
ferred to the fact that only light
wines and beer may be sold by the
drink now in Virginia. Whiskies
and other hard drinks are sold only
from dispensaries.
Mr.. Smith agreed that fears of
the sale of hard liquor drinks at the
airport were leased somewhat" by a
statement by Alexander Holtzhoff
an assistant to Attorney General
Biddle, who voiced the opinion that
the States laws would apply in such
case. Mr.. Smith objected to the
addition of the extra provision in
the law. however. so there would be
no question at all.
Uncertain on High Water Mark.
The historical boundary line of
the District is at the 1871 high-water
mark on the Virginia shore of the
Potomac, but today no one knows
for sure just where this high-water
mark ran The bill would make the
present high-Water mark generally
the boundary, except that all the
airport area, some of which is the
landing strips built up out of the
river bed, would be ceded to Vir-
ginia.
The section of the bill in dispute
would give exclusive jurisdiction to
the United States over the airport,
instead of merely concurrent juris-
diction 1t would reserve to Vir-
ginia the right to tax gasoline and
oil sold on the airport tract for use
in over-the-road vehicles, but not
for use in airplanes.
Harvey Law, manager of the air.
port, raised the question as to who
would provide police and fire pro-
lection for the airport and declared
that Arlington County authorities
repeatedly had refused to answeN
calls for police. Representative
Smith insisted that Arlington
County stood ready to cooperate"
and said he would see that it is
done. However, he contended the
United States Park Police would
be the proper agency to assume po-
lice protection for the federally
owned area.
Might Need Further Legislation.
S. G. Tifton, acting head of the
Air Transport Association, repre-
senting airlines using the airport,
stressed that without the inclusion
of the disputed section of the bill
additional legislation would be
needed to assure proper police pro-
lection. Others suggested that
bill be presented to give the Civil
Aeronautics Authority, which super
vises airport operations, necessary
authority for its guards there to
make arrests.
Mr.. Smith and Mrs. Holstzoff
argued that if the special airport
section were added to the bill it
would result in another delay of
year or two before the boundary
question could be settled, since the
Virginia Legislature already has
ratified the boundary settlement
plan without this section. If it were
added in the bill to be passed by
Congress, they said, the act would
not be effective until Virginia passed
on the added clause.
Thomas S. Settle, secretary of the
Park and Planning Commission, OBJ
jected to inclusion of this section
for' the same reasons, warning that
1t involved questions of a States
rights.
Chairman Randolph, who had
supported the disputed section, in
terjected: "It may be a sovereign
State, but it also is static because
these questions haven't been settled
over a period of quite some years"
Representative McGehee, Demo-
crat, of Mississippi moved that the
controversial section be eliminated
from the bill before it was reported,
but, others wanted to be heard be-
fore the vote would be taken, and