Newspaper Page Text
A-2 *** THE EVENING STAR Washington, D. C. FRIDAY. MARCH *B. 19«2 Senators May Hear 'Secrets' of Polar Airbase Project Today By th. Associat.d Pr«»* Some of the poorly kept mili tary secrets about the hush-hush United States polar airbase known as “Bluejay” may be told at a public hearing today. The Senate Watchdog Defense subcommittee—probing complain ants about multi-million-dollar waste—ordered public testimony starting this afternoon. For many months Soviet intel ligence agents in Russia have known Che supposedly top-secret base is at Thule. Greenland. They used a woman radio broadcaster known as “Moscow Molly” last year to try to disrupt the morale of thousands of United States construction workers. She patterned her style after “Tokyo Rose” of World War II notoriety and told the men their families were suffering at home and their wives were untrue to them. Cost Near S3OO Million. Chairman Lyndon Johnson of the Senate Preparedness subcom mittee has twitted military offi cials about trying to maintain their “secret” labels on the proj ect. No public estimate on costs of "Blujay” have been given, but previous testimony indicated it is near the S3OO million mark and already is in use by aircraft. Because of its ice-bound loca tion.. construction work can be carried on only the warmer part of each year, when ships and air craft can carry in workers, equip ment and materials. The Senate group is anxious to complete its investigation before the new work season begins. Fingerprints Not Checked. The subcommittee has criticized payment of more than $300,000 to workmen while they were at home awaiting a call to the job, and more than $3 million to one group of workers while aboard a ship that took 42 days to plow through ice to the airbase site. Senators also were surprised to learn that thousands of workers were fingerprinted before being cleared for jobs, but the finger-! prints were not checked against files of the Federal Bureau of In vestigation. The FBI arrested one “Blue-: Jay” worker, wanted for bank robberies in South Dakota, just as he was about to board an airplane in Minneapolis to fly to the job. Editor Hits Secrecy In U. S. Agencies By the Associated Press ‘CINCINNATI. Mar. 28.—More than 200 industrial editors were! told last night that there should! bg a “right by law. within the limits of security, for newspapers to have access to details of Gov— emment agencies.” The suggestion of Alexander F.! Jones, president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, came at a banquet session of the three - day convention of the American Association of Indus trial Editors. Mr. Jones, hitting out at Gov ernment secrecy, said that recent Internal Revenue Bureau scandals would not have come to light had it not been for the work of several newsmen and Senator Williams, Republican, of Delaware. The ASNE president deplored lack of voting by United States citizens, remarking that “in 1948. 48 million persons did not get near the polls.” He blamed this failure on the setup of the present primary law, which he termed a "stooße law.” j “In any State where you have the right to express yourself, you get a real cross section of what people think.” Mr. Jones asserted.j “We need a real presidential : primary law in which we have uniformity. The groundswell for! Gen. Eisenhower in New Hamp-! shire indicates that the people are fed up.” FBI Seizes Fugitive BOSTON, Mar. 28 UP).—'The FBI today announced the arrest ( of Henry W. Fair, jr.. 31-year-old! baker, on a warrant charging murder of his wife in Way cross, Ga.. in April, 1949. The complaint against him was filed in Waycross before United States Commis sioner Alma F. Handy. The Weather Here and Over the Nation District of Columbia and vicin ity—Sunny this afternoon, high est around 56; fair tonight, low near 36 in city. 30 in suburbs. To morrow, 6ome cloudiness and a little warmer. Maryland—Fair tonight, low of 28-33 in west portion and 32-36 in east. Tomorrow, some cloudi ness and warmer.. Virginia—Fair tonight, low of 30-35 in west and north portions. IMP Nr towPwimMUw 7» Wan** Ca«di*i*M Aft 01 . . A *°ia 1:30A M IST M«> 11,1111 H|jta«oUw^hj*« The wEather will be generally fair in the eastern half of the Nation tonight except for scattered snow flurries in the Upper Lakes region and light rain along the coastal sections of the Western Gulf States. Rain will fall along the Pacific Coast from Washington to Central California, in the Great Basin and in the Northern Rockies. It will be warmer in the Great Plains and the Southern Rockies. * —AP Wlrephoto. T, ' \. «■ i f * |V f f j PLAYTIME AT THE CO-Of—Parents In the McLean Gardens Co-operative Nursery School turned their own worktime into playtime for their children. Here’s the result—mock houses, boats, airplanes, blocks, swings and exercise bars. Mrs. Richard Mayfield Is school director and is assisted by Mrs. Dwight Johnson, hut even the parents step in to help now and then. —Star Staff Photo. Text of Truma The text of President Tru man’s message to Congress on voting by members of the Armed Forces follows : About 2.5 million men and 4-omen in the armed forces are of voting age at the present time. Many of those in uniform are serving over seas or in parts of the country distant from their homes. They are unable to return to their States either to register or to vote. Yet these men and women, who are serving their country and in many cases risking their lives, de serve above all others to exercise the right to vote in this election year. At a time when these young people are defending our country and its free institutions, the least we at home can do is to make sure that they are able to enjoy the rights they are being asked to fight to preserve. , I All of us agree that the men and women in our armed services ought to be able to exercise the {right to vote. Yet there are many barriers in the way. Traditionally, procedures for voting have been laid down by the States, not only in State elec tions but also in elections to Fed eral office. There are many varia tions among State laws on voting. In some States, absentee voting is either impossible or is encumbered with such difficult procedural re quirements that it is of little value to persons in military service. The resulting patch-work quilt of com jplicated and conflicting regula tions has, in the past, deprived many of our service people of the chance to vote. Cites War II Efforts. Efforts were made during World War II to improve and standard ize procedures. Many State laws! vere passed to facilitate voting by I persons in the services, and the Congress intervened to confirm the ! right of service people to vote in ! Federal elections, to provide simpler procedures for obtaining* ballots for persons overseas, and, *n some cases, to provide a Fed eral ballot to be used when State ballots could not be used. As a result, over 2V2 million of the 9 million persons of voting age in the armed forces voted! in 1944. The record was not good, but it was better than it is likely! to be this year, unless prompt action is taken. In many States,! the laws which facilitated voting in 1944 have now expired. Since; 1942, Federal statutes have af-| firmed the right of absent service! people to vote without registering |in person, but even this basic right may be ignored in some States this year unless vigorous action is taken. Recognizing that the situation required careful examination, I requested the American Political Science Association on October 23. 1951, to make a special study of voting in the armed forces, re viewing the history of Federal and State laws and procedures on the subject, “to be sure that we have a completely effective program for {voting in the armed services.” The American Political Science Association set up a special Com mittee on Service Voting, com i posed of qualified experts, which |34-38 in southeast. Tomorrow, {some cloudiness and warmer. I Wind (at National Airport): Northwest, 10 miles an hour, at 11:23 a m. Five-Day Forecast for Washington and Vicinity—March 29-April 2. Temperatures will average near normal for the period. Washing -1 ton area normal temperatures are 57 (high) and 38 (low). Rising Message on | conducted a comprehensive in quiry. The results of their study land their recommendations are [embodied in their report to me, i which I am transmitting, with this message, to the Congress. “Bill of Voting Rights” In this report, the Special Com mittee of the American Political Science Association has set forth a servicemen’s bill of voting rights, which I believe is so sound and right that it deserves the support of the Congress and the country: “We believe that all service men of voting age, whether in the United States or overseas, should have the right: “1. To vote without register ing in person. "2. To vote without paying a poll tax. “3. To vote without meeting unreasonable residence require ments. “4. To vote without meeting unreasonable literacy and edu cational requirements. “5. To use the Federal post card application for a ballot. “6. To receive ballots for pri mary and general elections in time to vote. "7. To be protected in the free exercise of their voting rights.^ “8. To receive essential infor mation concerning candidates and issues. “9. To receive essential infor mation concerning the methods by which the right <to vote may be exercised. “10. To receive essential in formation on the duty of ‘cit izens in uniform’ to defend our democratic institutions by using, rather than ignoring, their voting rights.” Half States Bar Ballot. In contrast to these standards, there are 24 of our States—exactly half—in which many of our sol diers, sailors and airmen will be »unable to vote effectively and easily in 1952. Seven of these States appear to have laws that are in conflict with the provisions of the Servicemen’s Voting Act of 1946. These States either make no provision at all for absentee voting, or require registration by {servicemen in person. In addi tion, there are 17 States in which the statutory interval permitted between the sending out-of the absentee ballots and the time when the ballots must be returned lis so short that it will deprive service people overseas of a decent chance to get their ballots back on time. The report I am transmitting to the Congress recommends ways of overcoming these defects, either through special action by State Legislatures, or through more ef ficient and flexible administration of State laws, or through court action. It also recommends that the States take action to permit voting by spouses and dependents of persons serving in the armed forces, and by other civilians serving overseas. I hope all State officials concerned will take these recommendations to heart, and do all they can to improve the situa tion in their respective States. The best and most effective way temperature through Sunday, cooler Tuesday or Wednesday. Some rain likely Monday or Tues day totaling about one-tenth of an inch. River Report. (From U. S. Engineer*. > Potomac River muddy at Harpers Perry sue! at Great Falls; Shenandoah cloudy At Harpers Ferry, Humidity. (Readings at Washington National Airport.) Yesterday— Fct. Today— Fct. Noon 30 Midnight 00 4 p.m. 31 8 a m. 92 8 p.m. 40 10 a m. 50 1 p.m. 41 Record Temperatorea Thla Tear. Highest. 83. on March 23. Lowest. 15 on January 30. High and Law at Laat 24 Hhara. High. 00. at 3:20 p.m. Low, 36. at 5:45 a.m. , Tide Tablet. (Furnished by United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.) Today. Tomorrow. High 0:48 am. 10:28 a.m. Lew 4:UO a.m. 4:50 a.m. Hith 10:11p.m. 10:52 p.m. Low 4:43 p.m. 6:28 p.m. Tha In and Maaa. Rites. Set*. | Sun, today 5:50 0:28 iSun, tomorrow 5:57 0:28 (Moon, today _ ... 7:07 a.m. 10:04 p.m. Automobile lights must ha turned on one-hall hour after sunset. Precipitation. I Monthly precipitation in inches in the Capital (current month to date): Month. 1952. A vs. Record. January 4:48 3.55 7.83 '37 reoiuary 1.77 h. 37 6.84 ’B4 March 3.76 .3.75 8.84 ’Ol April 3.27 9.13 ’B9 May 3.70 10,60 ’BO June 4.13 10.94 00 July 4.71 10.63 ’B6 August 4.01 14.41 '2B 'September 3.24 17.45 ’34 October 2.84 8.81 ’37 November 2.37 8.60 ’BB December 332 7.66 'Ol Temperature! in Tartans Cities. H. L. H. L. Albuquerque 57 34 Milwaukee 43 31 Anchorage 29 7 New Orleans 75 53 Atlanta 69 43 New York . 57 38 Baltimore 69 35 Norfolk 55 44 Bismarck 38 16 Omaha _ 46 30 Boston 58 34 Philadelphia 58 39 Chicago __ 45 32 Phoenix . 81 42 Cincinnati 43 30 Pittsburgh _44 30 Dallas 55 32 Portland. Me. 52 26 Denver 51 30 Richmond— 65 39 El Paso.- __ 62 38 St. Louis. _4B 33 Indianapolis. 45 29 Salt Lake C. 87 32 Kansas City. 66 41 Ban Francisco 76 61 LouisvtUa 47 27 Seattle 68 40 Memphis 64 36 Tampa 68 64 Miami—B4 86 ?/ Service Voting lto assure our service people of their right to vote is through State action. Defense Department Duty. Some* of the recommendations of the report are directed at the executive branch of the Federal Government, and are designed particularly to strengthen the ad ministration of soldier voting In the Department of Defense. lam sending the report to the Secre tary of Defense, requesting him to consider these recommenda tions, to act on them where pos sible, and to report progress to me. The Department of Defense has the important duty, not only to facilitate voting, but also to see to it that the .informaion that service voters receive is presented in a completely fair and non partisan manner. The members of the Congress will be particularly interested in the recommendations made for Federal legislation. The commit tee recommends a long-range pro gram which will encourage service voting, provide adequate voting information to service people, and require regular reports to the Congress on the manner and ex tent of soldier voting. As a first step, the Committee recommends that the Congress contihue in effect existing satu tory jgrovisions affirming the right of fgtyke people to vote. These provisions,^which are contained in the first'Vivo sections of the Servicemen’* Voting Act oi 1846, are, by their terms, effective only “in time of war,” and wifi there fore lapse when the Peace Treaty with Japan comes into effect. I have already called this problem to the attention of the Congress in my commiitiication. to the Vice President and the Speaker of the House concerning the proposed Emeqpency Powers JExtensKm Ast. Report Recommended. In addition, the Committee rec ommends that the Secretary of Defense report biennially to the Congress, commencing in Janu ary, 1953, on action taken by the respective States in carrying out the Servicemen’s Voting Act. The Committee further recommends that the Secretary of Defense, in co-operation with the Bureau of the Census and the several States, be required to compile and pub lish statistical reports on the number of applications and exe cuted ballots received from serv icemen in each State, as well as the number of servicemen of vot ing age in each State. Such information will serve as a basis for improving existing laws and procedures in the light of expe rience. In order to acquaint serv icemen with their voting privileges and responsibilities, the Commit tee recommends legislative sup port for an effective information and education program designed to bring to absent servicemen some of the voting information available to all citizens in their own communities. With one dissent, the report of the Committee recommends the use of a Federal ballot this year in those cases where State laws are not sufficiently improved in time to give soldiers from those States the right to vote. There are administrative and legal diffi culties in the use of a Federal ballot, and our experience with it under the cumbersome pro cedures set up by the Federal law of 1944 was not encouraging, but the findings of the Committee point out ways of avoiding some of the difficulties experienced in that year. Agrees With Committee. I agree with the Committee that, in spite of the obvious diffi culties in the use of the Federal ballot, the Congress should not shrink from accepting is respon sibility and exercising its consti-, tutional powers to give soldiers the right to vote where the States fail to do so. Os course, if prompt action is taken by the States, as it should be, it may be possible to avoid the use of a Federal bal lot altogether. I believe, however, that the Congress should consider this matter with great care, and provide emergency legislation which will overcome the obstacles to soldier voting that may still exist in State laws as the elections draw near. Any such legislation by Congress should be temporary, since it should be possible to make all the necessary changes in State laws before the Congressional elections of 1954. Our experience during and after World War II conclusively demon strates that unless early action is : taken, hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women of voting age will be deprived of their con stitutional right to vote this year. I am confident that all members of Congress and all State offi cials will join me in the deter mination that those who are on the front line in the defense of our freedom shall have a chance to exercise one of the great rights with that freedom. jPlan so Put Recorder Office Under District |:Awaits Senate Action J ’ rj! i|, A Senate District subcommit tee will make a recommendation ; [.soon on proposals to! bring the ! recorder of deeds’ office under the District Commissioners or make it I a civil service job. j The subcommittee took no ac | tion after a public hearing yes j terday at which colored leaders i testified against legislation to put j the position under the Commis sioners. Two subcommittee members. Senators Neely, Democrat, of West Virginia and Kefauver, Democrat, |of Tennessee, were not present. ! Senator Case. Republican, of | South Dakota, the other member, ! said he would meet with Senator j Neely soon to act on the matter, i The District Commissioners have indorsed unanimously a bill I by Senator Case, which would transfer the recorder appoint ment from the President to the I Commissioners. I Hunt Asks Civil Service, j But Senator Hunt. Democrat, of Wyoming, introduced a meas ure to put the recorder and his entire staff under bivil service. Colored leaders argued the recorder should remain a Presi dential appointee because the Dis trict Government has a poor record of giving Negroes other than menial jobs. The record er’s job traditionally goes to a f Negro. ; Only Woolsey Hall, former president of the District Federa tion of Civic Associations, joined s white civic leaders in urging that i the office be brought under the 1 Commissioners. 1 Virtually all witnesses agreed ■ that the recorder’s employes 1 should be under civil service. 1 Senator Case introduced his bill ■ after the Senate District Commtt -1 tee recently voted 9 to 0, to reject • President Truman’s nomination of • Earl Wayne Beck of Kansas City, > Mo., as recorder. Afterwards, the » President said he would not send r up another nomination. 1 Opposition Spokesmen. - Opposing the transfer of the re corder to the Commissioners were: ’ Perry W. Howard, Washington lawyer and Republican national 5 committeeman from Mississippi, 1 who appeared for the Colored Elks • of the World; Roy Garvin, attor ■ ney; Eugene Davidson, president, ’ Washington Real Estate Brokers ; Association; Thurman L. Dodson, [ attorney, former president of the [ Washington Bar Association and ‘ of the National Bar Association; ’ E. Lewis Ferrell of the Washing ton Bar Association and Henry ; Lincoln Johnson, attorney. 5 In addition to Mr. Hall, those ’ favoring the transfer were: Clif “ ford H. Newell, former president | of the Federation of Citizens As- J sociations, who presented the reso : lution of that body; John H. Con ■ naughton, also a former Federa ri tion president; Col. Frank H. Col ’ lins, Palisades Citizens Assqcia ! tion; and Rufus Lusk, president, [ Washington Taxpayers? Associa- I tion * . ; Adenauer Heavily Guarded, But New 'Plot'ls Dud By Iht Associated Bret* f BONN, Germany, Mar. 28.—A 5 second suspected bomb attempt *!on the life of Chancellor Konrad s 'Adenauer within 24 hours proved t;a false alarm late today. Never theless the Chancellor was given s ; unprecedented police protection as I !an Interior Ministry spokesman t isaid there were indications further ’attempts to kill him could be ex ■ pected. i Federal police today gingerly ■ opened a suspicious parcel and ' found inside a loudly-ticking an s tique clock. Police and populace were jit -1 tery after a mail package ad ® dressed to Mr. Adenauer exploded * last night at Munich, killing one ■ man and injuring four others. * Police seized all parcels addressed s to the 76-year-old Chancellor and ' were especially watchful for ■ Munich postmarks. The package J containing the clock was mailed * from Munich. Mr. Adenauer is a 1 collector of antique clocks. Now on Sale! 8,000 BOTAMfe 'Jw THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Regularly I*^o w ———i ■■ Regimentals ■ M A Tartan Plaids , V My! Neat Figures MM MM 2 for 1.50 DB^^HEDwKii j flie Fcdtrol Spotlight r Senate Extends Life of Its Unit Now Investigating Civil Service By Joseph Young The Senate has extended the life of its special unit investigating the Government’s civil service system and has given it an extra $50,000 to continue its work. •- The subcommittee will continue its activities to January 31,1053. With its previous appropriation, the new sum gives it a total of 5245,000 to work with. The group is part of the Senate : Civil Service Committee and is 1 headed by former FBI Agent Mel- : vin Purvis. the group made such an impressive 1 showing that 'frli. the Senate BPstl ' Iff mously to con- J* tinue it and to w!* 1 $195,000 pre- M/W /'> %, viously voted it. * m Had the exten- *•»»»• sion not been forthcoming, the Purvis group would have had to end operations at the end of this month. Mr. Purvis feels that with the new’extension and the additional funds his group can come up with the most thorough and widespread recommendations ever developed in Congress for improving the Government's personnel system botn for employes and in the sake! of efficiency and economy. Every phase of Government per sonnel operation is being studied by the group. Its findings and recommendations could revolu tionize the Government’s civil sendee system. From the start, Chairman John ston of the Senate Civil Service Committee has emphasized that the purpose of the investigation was not to smear Federal em ployes but to help them by re moving the various stumbling blocks and red tape that hamper both them and the Government in personnel matters. * That the Purvis group is sin cerely interested in fair play for Federal workers was illustrated yesterday when it issued a report criticizing the House’s action in adopting the leave accumulation ban rider. The rider was de scribed as unfair and unjust to Federal workers. Both Chairman Johnston and Senator Langer, Republican, of North Dakota, the committee’s ranking minority member. Joined in denouncing the House’s action as detrimental to Federal em ployes and the efficient operation of Government. They declared the rider wouldn’t save one cent but would cost mil lions of dollars since it would mean that many agencies would have to work employes overtime at overtime rates to make up the slack caused by the workers hav ing to take all of their 1952 an nual leave by June 36, 1953. Also, they declared that, until the time that Federal workers are given, unemployment compensa tion benefits, it was desirable that Federal workers could accumulate annual leave as a buffer against the day when they might lose their jobs. Senators Johnston and Langer declared they will do everything in power to kill the rider when it comes up for Senate ac tion. ** * * NEW JOBS—Congress has ap proved and sent to the White House the bill transferring from the FBI to the Civil Service Com mission the job of conducting loy alty checks in a dozen additional Federal agencies. President Tru man’s signature is considered cer. tain. This will open up more than 2.600 new investigator jobs in the commission. The jobs will be in grades GS-9 and 11, with some trainee jobs in grade GS-7. The jobs will be filled on a re gional basis. For those in the Washington area who would like to compete for these investigators’ jobs, contact the Civil Service Commission’s fourth regional of fice, Third street and Jefferson drive S.W. QUOTE —Bernard L. Gladieux, former top Government adminis trative official who now is with the Ford Foundation, recently made a speech in which he charged that present Federal per sonnel laws make it extremely dif cult to fire employes with perma nent status. Declared Mr. Gladieux: “Under this concept, we have come to as sume that merit ahd ability are synonymous wittt'status’ and that if one has acquired civil service status, in no matter what obscure manner such as by a 1936 execu tive* order blanketing in fVPA em ployes, then.he belongs to the club of the anofhted and is entitled to rise up the ladder under some special charm. Nothing short of disloyalty or malfeasance can dis lodge him.” ** * * CAPITAL ROUNDUP—DonaId M. Coumoyer has been elected president of Weather Bureau No. 23. AFL American Federation of Government Employes. Others elected were Alfred B. Tugman, vice president; Alice Franklin, secretary-treasurer, and Mrs. Ma rion A. Clark, sergeant at arms. . . Five Mutual Security Agency employes have been commended; for outstanding service. They are 1 Esther Thevenin Hines, Mary C. Morrill, Norine L. Pentz, Mary W. ! Rock, and Anita E. Yale. ... Al bert H. Greene has been appointed general counsel of the Defense Materials Procurement Agency. (Be sure to listen to Joseph Young’s Federal Spotlight radio broadcast at 6:15 p.m. every Saturday over Station WMALJ Maryland and Virginia Newt in Brief"— Teacher Pay Raise Vetoed by McKeldin Gov. McKeldin has vetoed an act of the 1952 General Assembly •vhich would have raised Mary -1 land teachers’ pay minimums by S3OO a year. The Governor gave the same reason for yesterday’s veto as he l did last year, when he killed a I similar bill—raises in teachers’ salaries are the responsibility of local governments and not the State. The Governor also vetoed six other bills, including one which would have required at least one member of the Tidewater Fish eries Commission to be an active waterman or have been in the sea! food business within the five-year period prior to his appoint ment.—A. P. ** * * Road Funds Alloted The Virginia State Highway Commission today announced tentative allocations totaling $23,- 624,536 for road construction in the next fiscal year beginning July 1. Final approval of the al locations will be made after public hearings May 5 in Roanoke and May 6 in Richmond. Meanwhile, the Northern Vir ginia Regional Planning and Eco nomic Development Commission last night supported a proposal that any new bridge between Washington and Virginia across the Potomac be adapted to both rail and auto traffic. Welfare Head to Fight Miss E. Susan Hendricks, di i rector of the Prince Georges County Welfare Board, said to -1 day she will resist a move to fire ' her when the welfare board di- RALEIGH HABERDASHER, 1310 F ST SPECIAL PURCHASE! Fine Quality, Spring Styled RALEIGH SHOES 0.87 EXCEPTIONAL AT Nk An unusual opportunity - to choose fine spring P shoes at exceptional savings. Wing tip, moccasin, quarter brogue straight models crafted of rich calf. Sizes 6 to 12, AA to RALEIGH HABERDASHER WASHINGTON'S FINEST MEN'S STORI 1310 f ST. * NA. 9540 Peace Cross Project Could Get Unspent < Defense Money ' By Harold B. Rogers Unobligated defense money probably will be used for plan ning the much-needed flood-con trol project at Peace Cross, Bla densburg, Md. This hopeful prospect arose despite denial by the House Ap propriations Committee of $50,000 for planning the- program as recommended by President Tru man. The money was stricken out yesterday by the committee as it reported the Army civil functions appropriations bill to the House* Committee sources, however, emphasized that the Bladensburg project was so vital that it has been officially certified as a de fense project. Therefore, it was pointed out, unobligated funds can be used by the Army engineers to go ahead specifically planning the project, which already has been outlined by the engineers in gen eral form. Welcome News to Area. This development was expected to be warmly welcomed by the Bladensburg community, which for years has suffered from recur rent floods. The Peace Cross flood control need has been certified as a de fense project by the Chief of Army I Engineers. ! The sum of $25,006 has been made available to the local office of the District Engineer, for plan ning. Already some progress has been made on the job by the use of about $2,000. The remainder of the fund is available. After the $25,000 is used, an official said today, it is somewhat problematical as to whether more will be made available. The first step now under way in planning is a study to see spe cifically if the proposed three-year construction is “economically feasible.” Combination Project. Conditions have changed some what since the first preliminary program was recommended, it was pointed out. But if the project is still found to be economically feasible, the engineers hope to start the first phase of construc tion in 1954. It would be a com bination flood control and naviga tion project. As explained recently to an appropriations subcommittee the { first step in the flood control proj ect as planned by the engineers ; is to build the necessary roads and bridges to raise the road! , system in the area permanently ; above flood level. ’ Stressing the defense need for , the project, L. S. Ray, commis , sioner of the Washington Subur ban Sanitary Commission, told the subcommittee: “It is imperative that U. S. Highways Nos. 1 and 50 out of Washington, which intersect at the Bladensburg Peace Cross be open at all times, in the event it is necessary for civil defense purpose to move a large number of people from the National Capital quickly. “In 1951,” he explained, “traffic here was interrupted for 29 days by the flooding of the Anacostia, so the likelihood of the area being flooded at time of emergency is not remote.” rectors and the county commis ; sioners meet next Tuesday. The directors have asked for : her resignation, but County Com l missioner W. Everett Marton in tervened in her behalf and . arranged for Tuesday’s meeting. . It is expected that the discussion t then will cover all of the activi- I ties of the county department, ! which has been under fire from ; many groups in recent months. ** * * Assembly to Meet The Virginia General Assembly will meet in Richmond tomorrow ■ to watch the presiding officer of i the Senate and House sign bills ■ which were passed in the final > hurried days of the 1952 session ■ which ended March 8. 9