Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-15
Chapman Urges
u. 5. Funds for
Parkway Drive
New Plan Presented
By Interior Official
For Disputed Road

The Interior Department last
night proposed that the contro-
versial Arizona avenue drive
through Glover Archbold parkway
be constructed entirely by Federal
funds and be controlled by tbs
National Park Service. ..,
Such a recommendation was laid
before the House District Com
mittee in a letter from Undersecre-
tary of the Interior Chapman. He
submitted a bill to implement his
suggestions It Is in line with
recent recommendation of the Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission.
The Chapman plan, however. Is
entirely different from a bill already
approved by House District SUBJ
committee which would authorize
the District Commissioners to plan
the roadway in conjunction with
the Public Roads Administration
and eventually to pay for it out
of the District highway fund.
The Chapman letter posed .
problem for the House District
Committee. At its next meeting
the committee plans to consider
the bill already approved by its
own subcommittee on public serv-
ice streets and traffic, headed by
Representative Beall, Republican,
of Maryland. How the Chapman
proposal will be handled was not
clear last night, since the sub
committee has already completed
hearings on the controversy and
approved the bill introduced by
Representative Murdoch, Democrat,
of Arizona, with minor amend
ment.
Public Opinion Divided. ),
Public opinion In Washington Is
divided on the proposed project.
Some citizens groups at dis
lance from the parkway have
strongly favored the highway as
necessary to help carry increasing
ly congested motor traffic. Citi-
zens associations, in the immedi-
ate vicinity of the park, however,
and representatives of the philan-
thropists who donated the land to
the District are strongly opposed to
any roadway. asserting that 1t
would spoil the park.
Mr.. Chapman, in his letter to
Chairman Dirksen Of the House
District Committee recommended
that the proposed highway be q
parkway drive" and be planned,
constructed, and controlled by the
Federal Government.
Funds would come from parkway
money appropriated by Congress
for distribution by the National
Park Service. The once Of Ma
tional Capital Parks, a field office Of
the National Park Service, would
plan and construct the roadway
and control the adjacent park lands
as well as the road. 1t would be pa
Ptrolled by the United States Park
Police.
Developed as Parkway.
Irving c. Root, superintendent of
National Capital Parks, said last
| ilASllt tlldt uIluCI GllE pFODOScQ
Chapman bill, his Office would build
the road lin collaboration with"
the District Highway Department,
and the Public Roads Administra-
ton OF the Federal Works Agency.
1t would be developed as a park
way and not a highway and would
be intended for "passenger-carry
ing vehicles" only.
Mr.. Chapman emphasized that
donors of the park land had given
it for park purposes only The Ma
tional Capital Parks Office, he told
the committee, lis reluctant to ad-
vocate fast traffic highway
through park land donated by Mrs.
Anne Archbold and Charles G..
Glover for park and playground
purposes. The elimination at this
time of the names of these donors
OF certain large tracts in the
Foundry Branch Valley, which they
look up upon as memorial gifts,
would initiate against the under
standing in that respect reached at
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