Evening Star Newspaper, January 1, 1930, Page 37

THREE BODIE REPRESENTATION FOR D. C. Urge Permanent Settlement of Fiscal Relations, Municipal Airport, Ade- quate Schools and Highways. N impressive program of major city improvements was given impetus during the year of 1929 by the three major trade organ- | izations of the District. which represent the majority of the business | interests of Washington. ! ‘These three bodles, the Board of ‘Trade, the Chamber of Commerce and | the Merchants and Manufacturers' As- | sociation, also ardently championed the | cause of representation in Congress and | a voice in the presidential election for | the people of the District and urged a | permanent equitable settlement of the | problem of fiscal relations between the | Federal and local governments. | Outstanding among proposed capital | improvements were a first-class airport, | preferably at Gravelly Point; enlarged park and playground areas, adequate | school facilities and street and highway | extensions. Board of Trade Enlarged. ‘The year was one of marked enlarge- ment and progress for the Board of | Trade. The membership was increased | to more than 3,500 men and arrange- | ments were completed for moving the headquarters into larger quarters on 1 third floor of The Star Building. The | new offices have modern clubrooms. a library and other up-to-date facilities. | ‘They will be occupied early in 1930. | Of outstanding importance was the | effort of the community affairs com- mittee to secure the erection here of a Roosevelt memorial coliseum. This work was begun with a trip by commit- | tee members to New York for consulta- tions with the directors of the Roose- velt Memerial Fund. Co-operation of the Allied Architects of Washington was enlisted later and the 34 designers now are drawing plans for a monumental coliscum and ap- proach to the eastern entrance to the | city, which will be submitted to the| foundatfon with a view to influencing the decision of the directors as to what form the memorial will take. | The board’s efforts for an airport here during the year begar. with a tour of an officer of th: board in company with Assistant Engineer Commissioner Maj. Donald A. Davison of a number | of airports throughout the country. 'l‘neK gathered information was presented to the joint congressional committee. | Members of the board appeared be- fore this committee, urging the sele tion of the Gravelly Point site and ac- tion on the project in the near future. ‘The aviation committee of the hoard materially assisted in getting important witnesses to appear before the joint committee. Besides working for Gravelly Point and making surveys of contemplated airports within a radius of 40 miies of. ‘Washington the aviation :ommittee has completed plans for a meeting of the board in January to be sponsored joint- ly by the National Aeronautic Associ- ation and the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of arous- ing national interest in an airport for Washington. _ Sixteen prize-winning drawings of airports chosen from more than 500 in the Lehigh Portland Cement Co. competition have been secured for exhibition at this meeting. ‘The board presented at the Central High School auditorium the film, “History of Aviation,” for the purpose | of creating airmindedness in Wash-| ington. | mental in securing modification of the S CHAMPION The third annual survey of the com- merical, financial and municipal activ- ities of the National Capital was com- pleted and published. | The public health committee of the trade body made a survey of all hos- pitals in the District to indicate the | problem of the cost of hospitalization to a man of moderate means. Officers of the Board of Trade dur- | ing 1929 were: E. J. Murphy, presi- dent; George Plitt, first vice president; George Offutt, second vice president; Ben T. Webster, secretary; R. J. Cot- trell, executive secretary; J. Harry Cunningham, treasurer, and E. C. Brandenburg, general counsel. Two important civic projects were sponsored by the Chamber of Com- merce during the year 1929, which was marked v strenuous activity of its committecs and officers. The first was Washington's fifth annual industrial exposition. The exhibit was the most pretentious of the serles, with ap- proximately 100,000 visitors and a con- siderable increase in the number of firms participating. The second project was cherry blos- som _festival, to be held in the Spring of 1930. This is to be a city-wide celebration, arrangements for which are rapidly going forward under the di- rection of a general committee headed by Maj. Gen. Anton Stephan. The enactment by Congress of the so-called “diploma mill” law marked the culmination of the chamber’s fight for this measure. It repeatedly had requested the regulation of private schools in the District and in this con- nection had compiled a directory list- ing all the non-public educational in- stitutions of the city. Another effort of the organization which met with success during 1929 | was the endeavor, in co-operation with other local trade and automotive bodies, to secure reciproeity for District motor trucks operating in nearby Virginia. On July 27, Gov. Byrd issued a statement ordering that the imposition of the protested taxes be discontinued. Promotes Representation. Promotion of the cause of national representation has been unceasing dur- | ing the past year. Aid was extended in | organization and management of the | national representation headquarters | office and demonstration maintained in | the National Press Building during in- augural week. Radio talks on this sub- Ject were made in the chamber’s week- ly series and in The Star’s radio forum. In the field of civic activity the chamber has been particularly active | in the promotion of Washington as a great aviation center. The first anni- versary of Washington’s air mail serv- ice was celebrated at Bolling Field May 6. Throughout the year the chamber has worked for an airport for the National Capital and has urged that the Gravelly Point site be selected. The chamber urged at various times salary increases for police and firemen and indorsed the bill now before Congress for this end. The present left-hand turn, as pro- vided for in the traffic regulations, was supported and the chamber was instru- double-parking regulations, which, it is claimed, was causing hardships to local CONGRESS ACTS FAVORABLY ON D. G BUILDING PLANS Hoover Submits Budget Recommending $47,880,228 for Municipal Improve- ments and $10,226,400 for Parks. | HE present session of Congress, which convened on December 2, | has started with enthusiasm for | the Capital development pro- | gram, and during the past | month has passed several important bills and has considered others which are certain to be enacted within a short | time. The bill authorizing appropria- | tion of $9,740,000 for erection of the Supreme Court bullding went through both House and Senate in record time and has been signed by the President. Acting promptly on the Elliott bill. enlarging the public building program by adding $115,000,000 to the total a thorization in Washington apd a simi- lar amount throughout the cbuntry and | increasing from $35,000,000 to $50,000,- 000 the amount to be made available each year, the House passed this meas- |ure and the Senate committee began | considering it before the Christmas re- cess. Chairman Keyes of the Senate committee hopes to get early action after New Year. This measure also | greatly enlarges the area in which sites |are to be acquired in Washington by | specifically allocating $15,000,000 for | purchase of sites, including the ground now occupied by the Belasco Theater | and the Cosmos Club, privately owned land in the triangle west of Seventeenth street between New York avenue and B street, and more than 30 city squares south of the Mall from Delaware ave- | nue to the Tidal Basin, bounded on the south by Virginia and Maryland avenues, President Presents Budget. As the year drew to a close the Presi- dent transmitted to Congress the Fed- |eral budget, recommending a total of | $47.880,228 for the operation and im- | provement of the municipal govern- | ment Hacilities, and recommendations | totaling $10,226,400 for continuing work on the group of physical improvement planned for the area surrounding the Capitol, which will cost when completed more than $30,000,000. The President a few days later submitted supple- mental estimates for an additional $1,277,746 to be included in the legis- lative appropriation bill, now being drafted, for improvement of the squares | immediately north. of the Capitol Grounds in the parkway development [to Union Station. This is in addition | to $3,614,668 in the budget for the same |Clpitlol-Unlon Station Plaza develop- ment. Just before the holidays Chairman Simmons of the House subcommittee on of the legislation authorizing the ex- penditure of the District's accumulated surplus for acquisition of the land be- tween Third and Sixth streets north of Pennsylvania avenue to Judiciary Square for a municipal center, intro- duced a bill authorizing the Federal Government to take over the présent District Building, which is needed in the Federal building program on the triangle south of Pennsylvania avenue to the Mall. 1~ This bill creates a_commission to de- termine a fair valuation for the Muni- cipal Building, and instruct the Secre- tary of the Treasury to credit that amount to the District, with provision that it be used for a municipal center building. The District government would continue to use the present build- ing rent-free until a suitable new build- District appropriations, who was father | | hart bill to f|ve a salary increase of one additional step to all classified em- | ployes who were advanced only one ste} | wWithin their grades under the Welc! | law, and the Jones bill to give a Sat- |urday half holiday throughout the | year to laborers and mechanics in the | Government service. Senate Acts on Text Books. In the closing weeks of 1929 Chair- man Capper succeeded in putting through the Senate the bill extending free text books to pupils in the junior and senior high schools, a measure of great importance to parents in Wash- ington. The House District commit- tee already has made a favorable re- port and early action on the bill is expected in the House. The old Congress which expired March 4 enacted a number of impor- tant bills for the District of Columbia, Although the new Congress was in spe- cial session for a considerable part of the year after March 4, it devoted it- ‘.!elf primarily to farm rellef and tariff | revision. Both Houses, however, pai |in the consideration of these jonal problems to put through in June a reso- lution which made available $3,000,000 from the accumulated surplus of Dis- trict funds for an immediate start on the purchase of the large area north of Pennsylvania avenue between Third and | Sixth streets for the development of the | Municipal Center for District activities. The present session is expected to ap- propriate another $3,000,000 to complete purchase of the land. An effort also was made in the early part of the special session to put through a resolution appropriating $500,000 from the Federal Treasury to enable the Joint Congressional rt Commission to start without delay ac- uiring land far a model air terminal in the National Capital, but this-did not succeed. The commission, however, is expected to resume efforts to get air- port legislation started early in the | present regular session. Discuss Alrport Plans, Recognizing the urgent need for an airport in Washingtop, the old Congress early in 1929 created the joint commis- sion composed of Senate and House members to submit recommendations. Headed by Semator Bingham, Repub- lican of Connecticut, who has made a special study of aviation, the commis- sion held lengthy hearings in the Spring at which Col. Charles A. Lind- | bergh and other outstanding figures in aviation told Congress what the airport | in_the National Capitol should include. The question of street railway merger was another important local problem which received serious attention in | Congress during 1929, but without | reaching a 1 solution. When the old | Congress expired March 4, the modified lan of consolidation which the Senate istrict committee had worked out died on the calendar. Thé new Congress had been in regular session only a few days when the Public Utilities Commis~ sion, which had been working on the subject of merger in connection with & street rate case during the Summer, submitted a new unification agreement to the Senate and House District com- mittees. As 1929 draws to a close it finds the Secnate committee m: plans for a public hearing to be he immediately after the Christmas holi- | ing is provided. To Expand Park System. business firms. The organization has | also_ worked for the centralization of traffic control, inspection of brakes and The members of the Semate District committee: (1) Senator Arthur Capper, Kansas, chairman; (2) Senator Wesley W RV S -, L. Jones, Washington; (3) Senator Frederic M. Sackett, Kentucky; (4) Senator Arthur R. Gould, Maine; (5) Senator The board threw itself wholeheart- edly into a fight to prevent the closing of Thirteenth street at Pennsylvania avenue by the proposed Government development of the triangle. An ex- tensive survey was made of conditions in the area to show that the blocking of Thirteenth street would seriously hamper the efficient handling of traffic, and the effort of the board culminated with the presentation to the National Capital Park and Planning Commission of the data amassed. The commission promised detailed at- | tention would be given to the problem and complimented the board for its work. The trade body also was re- quested to make a thorough study of the entire \ District highway _system | under the supervision of Charles Eliot, 2d, city planner, and submit recom- mendations to the Planning Commis- sion. ‘The board was active in obtaining the reorganization of the Police Trial Board, which was finally effected in conformance with a plan suggested by the public order committee of the or- ganization. Indorsement of the bill for increase in the salaries of policemen and fire- men was voted by the board members, who went on record as opposed to the abolition of capital punishment in the District. Recommends Budget Study. ‘The board recommended the appoint- ment by President Hoover of a com- | mittee for the study and settlement of fiscal relations between the Federal and District Covernments. A thorough study of {he budget was made and a practical budget based on the amount of money forthcoming was urged. The board expressed itself in favor of the continuance of the $1.70 tax rate on real estate in the District. It was rep- Tesented at the national tax confer- ence by E. F. Colladay, W. L. Beale, | John T. Bardroff and Robert J. Cojtrell The organization took an activé part in the inauguration of President Hoover, two of its directors being named vice chairmen of the inaugural committee. The board offices co-operated with the committee in sending out all the invi- tations and the personnel of the board's | membership committee was called on to | furnish many of the major aides to the | governors of States and other distin- guished guests present A The industrial interests committee was instrumental in the securing of the | suspension of the increase in coal| freight rates, the increase proposcd | being from $2.84 to $3.13. The suspen- | sion of this increase over a period of | almost six months is estimated to have | saved the community approximately| $300,000 A ‘special group, headed by John J.| Esch, former chairman of the Inter-| state Commerce Commission, was | formed and held hearings, at which | various coal and railroad interests were heard. The consumers of coal, repre- senting the large stores, hotels, build-| ings and public utilities, were called in | and the board was uiged to appear before the Interstate Commerce Com-| mission_to bring an equitable adjust- ment of the eniire freight rate situa- | tion. The committee on municipal art held | its bi-annual competition for meri- torious building designs and almost 500 buildings were submitted to a spe- cial jury of architects, who made eight awards. From these eight structures the Fire Arts Commission selected the best, and highly complimented the board for its work in endeavoring to beautify the city. The board continued its work for| ational representation and appropri- | ated money for the use of the citizens’ joint committee working for this end. | Approval was given to the Cramton bill for the appropriation of $16,000,- | 000 for park development and improve- ment. Under the leadership of W. Everett the board raised $12,000 to| finance a general, city-wide survey, headlights, and for an automobile title registration law. The chamber's report on the 1931 District budgst advocated the creation of a properly constituted commission to investigate and work out a fair giun of fiscal relationship between the Fed- eral and District Governments. Com- mendation was given the unofficial five- year public improvement program drawn up by the District auditor and it was urged that this program be given official status. More public school buildings, parks, libraries and better streets were urged | by the various committees of the or- ganization. During the past Summer fitures were compiled tending to show that Washington's climate is not in- conducive to public comfort. ‘The chamber was active previous to the inauguration of President Hoover to re a ceremony on a scale suit- able to the dignity of the occasion. A number of meetings of trade and civic body leaders were held for this purpose under its auspices. Directing the chamber's activities for 1929 were Charles W. Darr, president; Rudolph Jose. first vice president; Harry King, second vice president; Dorsey W. Hyde, jr., executive secre- tary; W. McK. Stowell, treasurer, and Walter C. Balderston, general counsel. Tax and Budget Matters. Tax and budget matters, traffic con- ditions, new public development pro- grams and scores of measures affecting the District have occupled the atten- tion of the Merchants and Manufac- turers’ Association during the past year, which has been one of the busiest in the history of the organization. National representation for the half million Weshington residents has been advocated by the body and an_appro- priation was made to carry forward | educational work of the Citizens' Joint Committee in support of an amend- ment to the Federal Constitution for this purpose. The organization made a study of the budget estimates for the year 1930 and urged that the tax rate on real estate be maintained at $1.70. A recommendation was forwarded to President Hoover urging the appoint- ment of a commission to make a study | of the proper division of the costs of maintaining and developing the Na- tional Capital. Development of an adequate airport | for Washington was urged and approval | was given to the Gravelly Point site | on the Potomac. The association also | continued its campaign for the provi- sion of an adequate armory for the! District National Guard. It urged pas- sage of a bill to require the Federal Government to buy American-made goods in the purchase of needed equip- ment: a bill to prohibit the sending of unsolicited merchandise through the mails; the Cramton measure provid- ing for the development of a George | Washington Memorial Parkway along | the Potomac and for acquisition of | additional park and_playground sites | in the District; the Simmons bill pro- | viding for pians for a new Chain| Bridge; the Capper bill for a “blue sky” law for the District, and the Capper | bill providing for a real estate license | law for Washington. i | The Merchants and Manufacturers’ | Association urged adoption of a new | insurance code for Washington and | revision of the District license code. Better Business Bureau. | Statistics indicate that the Better | Business Bureau during 1929 accom- plished a larger volume of public serv- ice than in any of the nine years of its existence. ment probiems. which will be begun following the pub- lication of the census returns. yeal John J. Blaine, Wisconsin;' (6) Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg, Michigan; (7) Senator Daniel O. Hastings, Delawa: (8) Senator Hamilton F. Kean, New Jersey; (9) Senator William H. King, Utah; (10) Senator Carter Glass, Virginia: (11) Senator Royal S. Copeland, New York; (12) Senator Millard E. Tydings, Maryland; (13) Senator Coleman L. Blease, South Carolina. Members of the House District committee: McLeod, Michigan; (16) Edward Beers, Pennsylvania; (17) Gale H. Stalker, New York; (18) Frank Reid, Illinois; (14) Frederick N. Zihlman, Maryland; (15) Clarence J. (19) Frank Bowman, West Virginia; (20) Florian l.nllperl. Wisconsin; (21) Albert R. Hall, Indiana; (22) Robert Blackburn, Kentucky; (23) Patrick J. Sullivan, Pennsylvania; (24) John W. Palmer, Missourl; (25) James L. ‘Whitley, New York; (26) C. B. McClintock, Ohio; (27) Merlin Hull, Wiseonsin; (28) Christopher D. Sullivan, New York; (29) Mary T. Nor- ton, New Jersey; (30) Joseph T. Whitehead, Virginia; (31) Vincent L. Palmisano, Maryland; (32) Malcolm Tarver, Geor- #ia; (33) Robert S. Hall, Mississippi; (34) Wright Patman, Texas; (35) Represeniative Robert G. Simmons of Nebraska, chairman of the subcommittee on District affairs of the House appropriations committee; (36) Senator Hiram Bingham of Connecticut, chairman of the Senate subcommittee on District appropriations. Arts Commission Sees Year Success BLY assisting in the expansion of Washington and its environs during the past twelvemonth, the National Commission of Fine Arts views the close of the year 1929 with satisfaction. The Washington terminus of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Mount Vernon Highway, the new Washington Airport development, design of the new public buildings along_ Pennsylvania avenue, restoration of the Mall, Merdilan Hill Park, municipal buildings, as well as| memorials to men and events afar, have | engaged the attention, of the commis- sion during its deliberations scattered through the year. H. P. Caemmerer, executive secretary of the Fine Arts Commission, has writ- ten for The Star a review of the or- ganization’s work during the year, sum- marizing the important events that have marked its meetings. In this first-hand close-up of the subject Mr. Caem- merer says: “Hamlin Garland, the author, on a recent visit to Arlington, was standing by L'’Enfant’s tomb, looking off over | the city of Washingion. He turned to his companions, saying, ‘This is no longer my Washington, In my Wash- ington, Arlington was far away from the city—remote and isolated. Now it is a constituent part of the Greater Washington—already great in concep- tion and vast in extéent, and when the highway to Mount Vernon and the driveway to Great Falls shall be com- pleted, the vistas are unlimited.’ “One Summer night in 1901, the members of the Senate Park Commis- slon saw with mind’s eye the vision now revealed as an actuality to Mr, Garland. Resting on the steps of the exquisite little temple in the grounds of the Villa Borghese, in Rome, the long-talked-of Memorial Bridge was visualized as a low, broad passageway leading from a monument to Lincoln to the graves of his soldiers; and more than this—as the link connecting parks on both banks of th: Potomac. that time and then were presented in plans beautifully rendered, with a wealth of illustrations. Those plans fired the mind of the American people. The people pondered them in their hearts and as opportunity has come have been realizing them—never before so abundantly as during the year 1929. “Even after general plans have been outlined the work of adjusting those conceptions to the actual ground re- previous | quires a large amount of consideration ; of details, whencver Congress provides Figures for the year ending January | for carrying out & specific project. 1 show that more than 8,000 matters Changes readily suggest themselves to had its attention, including some 5000 a new generation of artists living under investigations of advertisements. Ap- | changing conditions; and such sugges- proximately 2,500 persons availed them- selves of services of the bureau in ob- W. | taining information regarding invest- More than 800 com- plaints against business firms were han- dled in a mediating capacity during the tions, even although ultimately re- fected, require consideration, for the and Persians, but a vital thing. So the Commission of Fine Arts (often calling in its former members, who are never out of touch with the Washington | vania avenue, Al | thes: fine conceptions took outline at| plan of 1901 is not a law of the Medes | k work) have restudied the water gate and have somewhat modified the origi- nal conception to accommodate the vastly increased automobile traffic. For pylons that might have impaired the scale of the Lincoln Memorial, the commission have advised groups of sculpture; and (after a thoroughly stud- ied competition, in which all of the work of the compbtitors was scruti- nized) have recommended the sculp- tors. “The commission suggested a chenge in route of the Mount Vernon Highway from the one favored in the report of 1901 to one along the bank of the Po- tomac, with the view of bringing the location so far as Alexandria partly within the District, thus insuring ade- quate control. The land takings, the lalndscape plans, and especially the bridges as designed, have had the hearty approval of the commission, which wel- comed the employment on the highway of the artist who made such a notable success in the development of the Bronx Parkway leading out of New York City. “Closely connected with the upper end of the Mount Vernon Highway was ‘Washington's Coney Island, an aban- doned race track and a swamp, all along the military road to Arlington. This one was the most_unsightly of all the entrances to the District of Columbia. Naturally, the commission responded to requests for advice as to the design of buildings for the new Washington Ter- minal Airport, which promises not only a transformation in the appearance of the lands, but also airport facilities quite adequate for the present, with plans for future development. No other city will have so acessible an airport. Avenue Building Design. “Of major importance has been the attention given (o the design of the new public buildings along Pennsyl- Washington and Jeffer- son set the style of architecture for the National Capital—a style that had en- dured throguh the ages, modified and cenriched duting great periods, and now flexible, adaptable, simple, digni- fled and Instinct with vigor, as befits the outward and visible manifestation of a filt Nation. The work of the commission here and in the develop- ment of the area between the Capitol and the Union Station has taken the form of consultations with the archi- tects and landscape architects to the end that harmony among the bulldings, due subordination according to func- tion, and conformiiy to the general plan of the city shall be preserved. ‘The same questions have been discussed in regard to the tentative plans for the municipal center, which will have Had- field's Court House as its architectural ey. “The plan of 1901 calls for a restora- tion of the Mall to its original design a8 a park connection between the Capi- tol and the White House. The opposi- Py tion to this featuree, both open and covert, was greater than that directed against any other portion of the plan. It became necessary to divide the enemy and beat him in detail. This was done in the location of the National Museum, the Department of Agriculture and the Freer Gallery, normal to the newly drawn axis from the Capitol through the Washington Monument to the Lin- coln Memorial site; also in the loc: tions of the Grant and Meade Monu- ments. Now Congress has established officially the plan of 1901 from the Mall in its entirety, and the National Cap! tal Park and Planning Commission is preparing working drawings for the roads and crossings. As this improv ment continues park features of ele- gance and beauty will be added, and a serles of driveways paralleling Pennsyl- vania avenuue will be provided for light vehicles. This means a great trans- formation. “The commission has regarded the setting of the Washington Monument as the crowning feature of the central composition of the National Capital. Therefore the commission has been disposed to allow this particular project of the Washington Monument gardens to await the completion of the Mall and the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial, being convinced that public taste would in time see the necessity of the proposed treatment (or something akin to it) and would then demand the execution of this vital feature. Buch time is now approaching. Careful Study Given. “No detail of the plan of 1901 had more careful study than these gardens had. This study had for its object, first, to bring the Monument itself into those vital relations to both the Capitol and also the White House which L’Enfant so carefully planned and Jef- ferson so faithfully marked, but which Were not observed in the exact location of the Monument. Those responsible for the site clalmed L'Enfant's au- thority, but lacked the training and the feeling for plan which the Frenchman rul into his design and which Wash- ngton and _Jefferson recognized and supported. It required a surgical oper- atlon on the part of the commission of 1901 to restore a proper environment to the Monument. It was like setting a broken leg, but it was accomplished so skillfully that in so far as relations with the Capitol are concerned no one would know the limb was ever broken. The relations with the White House are still to be developed with gardens and ter- races as shown in the drawings. “Now, all this planning for the Monument gardens belongs distinctly to the realm of the fine arts. for the artists. The man on the street (who is always a stickler for simplicity that usually is slovenliness) will object, as he objected vigorously to the loca- tion and setting of the Lincoln Memo- rial. but when the Monument gardens :}h:‘" be finished he will rush to enjoy em. eat | o “Aml dor Jusserand once ex- rm&ud some. impatience over the way n which Meridian Hill Park was de- veloping. Mr. Greenleaf, the landscape architect, remonstrated, saying, ‘Mr. Ambassador, Meridian Hill Park fis going to be a dream of beauty.’ ‘Per- haps,’ was the retort, ‘it may be a dream of beauty some time. Now it is a night- mare!" This nightmare is fast awaken- ing into an actuality of beauty. The great terrace is lifting itself from the depths, and the lower gardens and pools are assuming such shape that shortly President Buchanan may take the handkerchief off his bronze face and feast delighted eyes upon their refresh- ing loveliness. Then will the gift of his devoted niece (and hostess) come to | full fruition. “A decade ago the typical District school house, fire engine house and po- lice headquarters had no architectural character or consistency and no land- scape setting. Now, thanks to a mu- nicipal architect rare among his kind, these clvic buildings speak the language of the Nation's Capital—a language ‘Washington and Jefferson could readily understand, although they would be at & loss to make out a base ball report. Churches and other semi-public build- ings are finding in colonial and early republican architecture motives which best serve their purposes. Thus a truly American style is growing up, in which many elements are brought into unity and concord. Land Purchase Duty. “The Commission of Fine Arts Is charged by law with passing upon the proposed purchase of lands by the Na- tional Capital Park and Planning Com- mission, and frequently is called upon to do s0. The aim of Congress was to make certain the systematic, harmoni- ous development of the park system of the District of Columbia. In no in- stance has conflict of views arisen. On the contrary, harmonious co-operation between the two bodies has been the unbroken rule. “President Hoover in his annual mes- sage to Congress urged that the appear- ance of buildings facting the important Government buildings and parks should be subject to supervision by the Com- mission of Fine Arts. The surpassing beauty of Paris comes from such regu- lation. The transformation of the area dominated by the Philadelphia Fair- mount Parkway is being worked out by f public control of adjacent The Commission of Fine Arts never has sought to extend the It is work | ded and the executive departments sustain with the Commission of Fine Arts are hast made evident by the steady in- crease in the number of projects on | di which the advice of the commission is required.” One of the extremely important legis- | lative measures for making the park system of the National Capital the finest in the world, with conservation of the scenic and historic beauties of Great Falls, the gorge of the Potomac and the early engineering works of George Washington and preservation of the watershed for Rock Creek Park— designed to give the Capital City a most both branches of Congress. ‘This is the Cramton bill, one fea- ture of which is the George Washing- ton Memorial Boulevard parkway on both sides of the Potomac River from Mount Vernon and Fort Washington to | Great Falls. It is a proposal that two funds be made immediately available, one of $7.000,000 for acquisition of land in° Maryland and Virginia and the other of $16,000,000 for acquisition of rlrk and playground tracts in Wash. ington, An identical bill was introduced in both House and Senate and received favorable report from the House com- mittee on public buildings and grounds and was passed by the House without a dissenting vote. Another measure which was ad- vanced on its legislative way was a bill authorizing an expenditure of $65,000 for preservation of Wakefield, the birthplace of George Washington. Of this amount $15,000 is for the Sec- retary of War to move the existing statue and $50,000 toward building a replica_of the birthplace of Washing- ton. being raised by the Wakefield National Memorial Association, to which John D. Rockefeller is a generous contribu- tor. The Senate passed this bill a few days ago and the House would have passed it under unanimous consent on the day before it went into recess, but for the objection of Representative Cramton, who wanted more certain assurance that the plans for the replica are historically correct. He emphasized that after the holidays he will ald in putting through this legislation. Body to Act on Design. Closely related to the Government's plans for new bulldings and other im- provements here is the Shipstead bill, which would authorize the Commission of Fine Arts to pass upon the exterior design of private construction work facing the more important Federal arcas. This same bill was introduced i he House. The Senate District committee recently voted to report -the measure favorably and it s on the Senate calendar. The Senate in the latter part of 1929 passed“a_resolution offered by Senator Smoot, chairman of the Public Build- ings Commission, fixing July 1, 1930, as the date for the closing of Center Market to make way for an early be- ginning on the new Department of Justice Building forming a tlrt of the triangle development. This reso- lution still requives House approval. Since passage of this resolution Chair- man Capper of the Senate District legislative committee has decided to introduce a bill to authorize a new Center Market. Early in the year Congress completed enactment of the authorization for a new Farmers' Market to be located near the water front in Southwest Washing- ton, replacing the Farmers' Market which formerly stood where the new Internal Revenue Building is now be- ing constructed. he Dale-Lehlbach bill to liberalize the civil service retirement law has been started on its legislative journey agein in the present Congress, having failed to become a fter being passed by both Houses of Congress, when former President Coolidge last March withheld his signature. The Senate civil service committee already has reported it favorably and.it is on the Senate calendar awaiting action. The House civil servioe committee at a speclal meeting made this mewsure the special order of business to be considered immediately after the holi- ay recess. . The Senate eivil service committee also has reported favorably the Brook- beautiful setting—was given impetus in | his ‘This would be added to a fund | days in the hope of obtaining action on the merger early in 1930. Senator | Biaine, Republican. of Wisconsin, who filed a minority report against the old merger resoluf , has indicated that some of the things he objected to have been eliminated in the pending plan. The old Congress early in 1929 passed, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1930, the largest District appropriation bill in tory, carrying approximately $38,- 470,000. While the measure was in the making the Senate subcommittee on District appropriations, lead by Chair- man Bingham, tried to have the United States bear a larger share of the cost of- upkeep of the Capital City, but the House insisted on continuing the $9,- 000,000 lump sum as the Federal share, One of the last acts of the old Con- gress in March was enactment of the ill authorizing the long delayed im- rovement of Union Sation Plaza, the unds for which were requested by the Budget Bureau in the recommendations it recently submitted to the new Con- gress Authorize District Probes, In addition to the local legislation it passed during 1929, the Senate adopted two resolutions authorizing investiga- tions by the District committee. One was the Brookhart resolution, providing for an inquiry to determine what new laws the District needs to regulate the real estate business and the sale of se- | curities. The other was the Blease | resolution calling for an inquiry into | police affairs and certain matters in the | district attorney's office. The Brookhart resolution was placed | in the hands of & subcommittee, headed | by Senator Blaine, Republican of Wis- consin, which .is expected to make recommendgtions to the full committee early in the new year. The resolution as passed by the Senate declared that the District has no adequate law relat- ing to the issuance and sale of stocks, bonds and mortgages; no adequate law inhibiting unethical real estate - and finance operators, and no law providing for an orderly foreclosure of mortgages and trust deeds. Oscar H. Brinkman, former clerk to the Senate District com- mittee, was engaged as legal aide to the Blaine subcommittee to submit data | to be used in framing new legislation on these subjects. ‘The Bleasé resolution provided for an | inquiry into the reasons for the sus- pension of former Policeman Robert J. Allen following the investigation Allen made into the McPherson case. It also | authorized an’ inquiry to determine Whether there was any delay in the handling of indictments growing out of the death of a Chinese who was found shot on the street last Summer. A third provision of the resolution called for a report on the number of permits issued here during the year to carry concealed ‘weapons. In addition to these specific questions, the preamble of the resolution was broad enough to cover an inquiry into any branch of the District Government. The subcommittee to which the Blease resolution was referred, headed by Senator Sackett of Kentucky, held several executive meetings during the past two months to consider the ques- tions contained in the resolution, but has not completed its work. The sub- committee decided recently to wait until after the Christmas recess of Con- gress before deciding upon its future course of procedure. In addition to having a cubcommittee conduct an inquiry, Senator Blease made several speeches in the Senate to- ward the close of the year criticizing police officials. Considers Prohibition Law. As the year drew to a closs Senator Howéll, Republican of Nebraska, was Dllttlnqnlhc finishing touches on a bill to be introduced scon to give the Dis- triet a local prohibition enforcement law, supplementing the national prohi- bition act. e Nobragka Sanator began working on this bill aftsy he had delivered a speech in the Senate in which Le touched on prohibition en- forcement in Washington.