Evening star., 1954-12-18
Transportation
StudyRaises
Strategy Issue
Broyhill Holds Out
Against Supervision
By Planning Council
BY George Beveridoe

-
The question Of whether Con-
gress should be asked to au-
thorize a Washington area trans
portation study to be conducted
by presidential commission or
by existing planning agencies
was still up in the air today.
Representative Broyhill. Re-
publican, Of Virginia. who
strongly favors the White House
commission approach. made a
strong-but not conclusive-bid
for support from Washington
groups at a meeting yesterday.
Participating were Col. Thom-
as A. Lane, District Engineer
Commissioner; William s.
Cheatham, National Capital
Planning Commission counsel:
William Press, Washington
Board Of Trade executive vice
president, and Robert E. Nc
Laughlin, District Public Utilities
NOIklIllloolOll C1Ldl1 Aldus
All those attending are on rec
ord in favor of such a Presiden-
tial commission study. or at
least backed it during the last
session Of Congress.
Doubtful of Strategy.
But the District and planning
officials yesterday asked whether
it might not be better strategy
to seek a direct appropriation
for a study supervised by the
new National Capital Regional
Planning Council.
There repeatedly were two
main reasons for this feeling:
/. A fear that a special study
commission bill might run into
the same trouble that resulted
in a Presidential veto last year
"a concurrent proposal for es-
tablishment of a separate COM
mission to regulate area transit
operations.
2. A question, raised by the
planners, of whether it is nec-
essary for new study group to
"overlap" jurisdictions the plan
ners already have.
Mr.. Broyhill said he is holding
out for presidential study
group because he feels 1t Cd
has better chance of being
authorized by Congress and that
90 its top-level recommenda-
tions would have more chance
Of being put into effect thah
would another set of recommen-
dGt!ons from Federal planners.
May Raise Question.
II feel that, if we just asked
for additional appropriations for
the planners, he said,> "the
question would naturally come
up about what has happened to
the many previous studies made
by the planning commission. !
don't want to be asked that
question"
"They haven't convinced me-"
he added. that the planning
commission could get the money
or If 1t did that its study would
be worth anything
Participants in yesterdays
meeting stressed that their dis
cussion did not mean the groups
would not end up supporting the
presidential study group, but
that their concern was only
about the best chance OF getting
some study authorized.
Mr.. Broyhill said the "only
real obstacle" he secs is the area
transit regulatory proposal.
Virginia legislators and public
utilities officials last year
strongly opposed the regulatory
proposal. which was backed by
Representative Hyde. Republic
can, of Maryland Mr.. Broyhill
said he has been told by Repre-
sentative Smith, Democrat, of
Virginia, and next chairman of
the. powerful House Rules Com
mittee. that the opposition will
continue if the proposal is raised
again.
The group yesterday decided
to seek a meeting next week with
Mr.. Hyde to discuss his stand
on the matter.
Draft of Bill Presented.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Broyhill made
public a tentative draft of his
proposed presidential commits
sion bill. which has been revised
to bring Federal planners into
the study.
Its highlights:
The President would appoint
three members from private life
who would serve with the chair
men of the House and Senate
District Committees on the FIVE
man commission. The commits
sion would report within one
year on all phases of transporta-
ton and mass transit needs. in
cluding technical design. financ-
ing and regulation.
The commission could hire its
own technicians, but it also
would rely on technicians Of
existing Federal planning agen-
cies for much of its work.
The commission also would
work closely with a nine-man
group. authorized by the District
and by the Maryland and Vir-
ginia legislatures. to be set UP
to study mass transit needs in
the area. Virginia and the Dis
trict has appointed its three
members each. Maryland, as yet.
has not.
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