Evening star., 1946-01-19
Trade Board Speakers
DiseussD.C. Subways,
Representation, Taxes.

Representation, Take!
Three issues vital to the Distric
were considered by the Washington
Board of Trade last night as it helc
a District Night" meeting for its
first gathering of 1916:
l. The Sumners-Capper resolu.
tion for an amendment to the Con-
. stitution to empower Congress te
provide national representation fol-
the District and voice in the
selection of President and Vice
President.
2. The question-Will future Dis
trict budgets starting with 1947-8
require tapping new tax sources to
bring them into balance? And
3. Does Washington need under
ground streetcars?
The latter was made the subject
OF a Town Meeting of the Air"
with George v. Denny, jr, as master
of ceremonies. The hour-long meet
Ing was broadcast over Station
WMAL.
Summers Explains Plan.
The board, whose members and
guests crowded the Mayflower Hotel
ballroom, heard Representative
Summers, Democrat, of Texas ex-
plain how the Summers Capper pro-
posal would empower Congress to
provide for national representation
and vote in national elections
without depriving Congress of its
prerogatives as a legislature over
the District
1T is an enabling provision which
recognizes and removes every OBJ
lection I've ever heard made any,
where to giving the District a voice
in its own government, Mr.. Sum-
ners said.
There can be no just government
without the consent of the governed.
neither can there be just government
II taxation is imposed without rep
Tesentation," he continued.
There is no conflict between the
fact the District was chosen as the
workshop of the Government" and
the amendment; it recognizes the
dominant interest of the Federal
Government in the District, he said.
He explained that such legisla-
ton as Congress would enact under
the Constitution as amended would
provide the National Legislature
with some one who could speak with
authority on the interests of the
District. This would be valuable
assistance" to Congress, he con-
cluded.
d. c. Sacrifices Savings.
Brig. Gen. Gordon R. Young, En-
g1neer Commissioner for the District.
told the board the 1867 District
budget, about to be made public by
the President, lis balanced" but that
in order to balance it the District
has had to allocate all its war saw
ings-s10,000,000-to pay for criti-
cally needed capital improvements.
Even so, he said, the Commission
erS were forced to omit capital i'm
provementS requested by department
heads for which the money is not in
sight.
I'VE will not have one penny for
capital improvements in the fiscal
year beginning July l, 1947," he
warned. This means that addi-
tional revenue must be Immediately
provided" He pointed out that a
tax committee is studying possible
sources of additional funds.
1T is sincerely hoped that the
necessity for raising taxes will be
obviated by fair-minded Congress
increasing Federal payment" he
said.
A panel of four speakers was in
troduced by Mr.. Denny to thresh
over the question Would subsur-
face streetcar lines improve trans
portation IN downtown Washing
ton?"
They were Capt. H. c. Whitehurst,
District director of highways;
George Keneipp, manager of the
Keystone Automobile Club; Harry
Barrett. chairman of the trans
portation committee of the District
Chapter, American Institute of Ar
chitects, and Max S. Wehrly, city
planner on the staff of the National
Capital Park and Planning Com
mission.
Viewpoints Differ.
To the question Capt. Whitehurst
answered:
"A system of subways of the
rapid transit type from downtown
Washington to any of the outlying
areas is not warranted but,
system of street car tunnels and
underpasses, including terminals, is"
Mr.. Keneipp responded:
Il emphatically think it would"
Mr.. Barrett answered:
The architects are not convinced
that streetcars operated in subWays
would reduce congestion, make shop
ping any easier for the shopper, or
reduce travel time between shop
ping stations, but do favor short
lengths of subway and underpasses
at points which are congested."
Mr.. Wehrly answered:
Yes" But he reworded the ques-
tion before answering to will the
Underground streetcar lines main
tain the economic health of down.
town Washington" and qualified his
answer to this with but only if
they are properly located and if their
cost can be justified. Otherwise, he
said, the answer was moi"
Capt. Whitehurst said the District
has all the information necessary
for solution to the city's trans
portation ills, and I'VE have reached
the conclusion that the patient must
be operated on and if we wait too
long the patient will die"
Mr.. Barrett said radial high-speed
highways, sunk in the ground or
elevated so that traffic lights and
intersections would not stop traffic,
plus high-speed loop highway
around the borders of the downtown
business district, would do more
good than putting downtown street.
cars underground.
The Washington architects urge
he said. that a national competition
be held under the auspices of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission to create an overall
Metropolitan Area plan.
Mr.. Keneipp went all out for gen.