Evening star., 1951-08-31
Capital Prepares
For Heavy 3-Ddy
Holiday Exodus
Greatest Traffic in
History on Virginia
Highways Expected

An exodus to the hinterlands
was expected to tax travel facili-
ties and traffic arteries today as
Washington began q long week.
end holiday.
Government employees and
many others were to leave their
Jobs this afternoon to take the
Labor Day holiday which will
extend until Tuesday morning.
Airlines, bus lines and railroads
were preparing for the expected
onrush. The airlines were adding
extra flights. Capital Airlines,
for example, will fly 10 extra
flights throughout its Nation
wide system.
The traffic warnings were
posted, but many, officials said
sadly, would disregard them as
they have in the past, and as a
result, the traffic toll is ex-
pected to be high.
Virginia Expects Record Travel.
Virginia State police said they
expect the heaviest travel in his
tory over Virginia highways.
Motorists were advised to leave
early enough to allow sufficient
travel time. Caution on the high
ways was urged.
Despite the outflow to other
areas, Zoo officials and park po-
lice were prepared to handle ca
pacity crowds at recreation IA
cilities here. :.
Beaches in nearby Maryland
and Virginia were expecting a
rushing business. Motorists re-
signedly looked forward to the
crawl to and from the bay beaches.
For President Truman. Labor
Day will be a day of business as
usual. That is the day he leaves
for San Francisco, to prepare for
the opening of the japanese Peace
Treaty Conference.
Battle Asks Cooperation.
Anticipating the heavy travel on
the roads. Gov. Battle of Virginia
called for "co-operation OF all
State and local law-enforcement
officials and individual drivers to
avoid a holiday holocaust" on the
highways.
The Governors statement was
issued in response to a request
from the Arlington Safety Coun-
Gil for a declaration of a state OF
emergency to try to prevent a La
bor Day flood of traffic fatalltles:
The Governor noted the loss OF
more than 600 lives this year IN
Virginia traffic accidents. he
added:
"Realizing the dangers natural
" arising from the increased holl-
day traffic, I hope every operator
of a motor vehicle will exercise
unusual care to guard against add
ing to this appalling record.
"The Department of State Po-
lice will continue to exert It's Ut
most effort to make this ap-
proaching holiday period one OF
safety, through strict enforce
ment of the traffic laws and maxi
mum patrol of the highways. l
am sure the local law enforce
ment authorities will do the
same"
Trend of Motor Travel.
The District division OF the
American Automobile Association
said the motor travel trend is
toward the cooler North and
Northeast, with inquiries preva-
lent on the Finger Lakes OF New
York. the Pocono Mountains in
PENNSYLVANIA, and some OF the
mountainous areas of North Caro-
lima.
But the bulk is heading for
New England and Canada, Mon
treal and Quebec being travel
detectives for the latter" Stanley
T. Banks, AAA travel director
here, said.
Locally, he added. the requests
are for Virginia Beach, Ocean
City, Rehoboth Beach and a few
calls for New Jersey beaches.
"a few are going to Georgia, "
Mr.. Banks said, "but virtually
none tn Florida" "