SENATE No. 102 REPORT OF THE SPECIAL RECESS COMMISSION ON AIRPORTS AND AVIATION Under Chapter 59 of the Resolves of 1937 November 23, 1937 BOSTON WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., LEGISLATIVE PRINTERS 32 DERNE STREET 1938 CJje Commontoealtf) of o@assacfnisctts REPORT OF THE SPECIAL RECESS COMMISSION ON AIRPORTS AND AVIATION. To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives. The Special Commission relative to aviation in this Commonwealth, created by chapter 59 of the Resolves of 1937, herewith respectfully submits its unanimous report. Purposes of the Commission Chapter 59, which received its executive approval on May 28, 1937, reads as follows: Resolve providing for a Study by a Special Unpaid Commission RELATIVE TO THE PROPER PLANNING, LOCATION AND DEVELOP- MENT or Airports and to a Definite Policy and Program with Respect to Aviation and Related Matters within the Commonwealth. Resolved, That a special unpaid commission, to consist of one mem- ber of the senate to be designated by the president thereof, two mem- bers of the house of representatives to be designated by the speaker thereof, and two persons to be appointed by the governor, is hereby established for the purpose of investigating and studying the subject matter of the governor’s message, printed as current house document numbered eighteen hundred and fifty-eight, relating to the proper planning, location and development of airports and to a definite policy and program with respect to aviation and related matters within the commonwealth. The commission shall hold public hearings, shall be provided with quarters in the state house or elsewhere, and may expend, with the approval of the governor and council, for clerical and other services and expenses, including travel within and without the commonwealth, such sums, not exceeding, in the aggregate, fifteen hundred dollars, as may hereafter be appropriated. The commission 4 SENATE— No. 102. [Jan. shall report to the general court the results of its investigation and study, and its recommendations, if any, together with drafts of legis- lation necessary to carry its recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the clerk of the senate on or before the first Wednesday of December in the current year. Personnel of the Commission. In accordance with the terms of the resolve, the Presi- dent of the Senate named the Honorable James A. Gunn of Montague to the Commission, while the Speaker of the House of Representatives appointed Representatives Jeremiah J. Healy of Natick and John W. Lasell of North- bridge to serve on the part of the House. His Excellency, Governor Hurley, subsequently made the following ap- pointments to the Commission: Paul S. Bauer of Belmont and William S. Bowen of Boston. The Commission held its first meeting July 12, 1937, and elected Senator Gunn chairman and Representative Lasell vice chairman. The Commission appointed Lau- rence G. Hanscom of Wilmington secretary. Proceedings The Commission had a conference with the officials of the State of New Jersey at the Newark airport, and with officials of Pan American Airways at New York. It also held open hearings in Boston, Fall River, New Bedford and Worcester, and in addition visited the North Adams area for the purpose of investigating the possibility of an airport in this section. The Commission also attended the conference of mayors held at Washington, D. C., for the purpose of ascertaining, if possible, what the attitude of the municipalities of the country is with respect to the future development of airports. It was apparently the unanimous consensus of opinion of this conference that the Federal government should contribute financially to the development and maintenance of airports, since in time of peace they are vitally necessary for the inter- state transport of mail, and in time of war would be a bulwark of national defence. 1938.] SENATE No. 102. 5 In each location where a public hearing was held, special invitations were sent to the mayor of each city, together with representatives and other people interested in avia- tion in that community. The Commission had the benefit of conferences with Maj. Clarence Hodge, State Supervisor of Aircraft; Hervey F. Law of the United States Bureau of Air Commerce; Charles P. Howard, State Commissioner of Administration and Finance; Associate Public Works Commissioner Richard K. Hale; Arthur W. Dean, State Planning Board Engineer; William H. Day of the Boston Chamber of Commerce; Paul C. Ryan, Secretary to Governor Hurley; Capt. Albert L. Edson, Superintendent of the Boston Airport; Capt. Richard Cobb, commanding United States Army Air Detachment at Boston; Paul G. Kirk, Commissioner of Public Safety; and Mayor Fred- erick W. Mansfield of Boston. The Commission wishes to acknowledge with sincere thanks the co-operation and assistance which it has re- ceived from these officials as well as from H. S. Tiffany, American Airlines; Paul F. Collins, Boston & Maine and C. V. Airways; E. W. Wiggins, Wiggins Airways; Robert Love, Intercity Airlines; Harold Martin, Dennison Air- port; Charles Hamilton, Bayside Airways; and numerous other operators throughout the State. General Considerations. Aviation Policy. The Commission was cognizant of the remarkable growth of civil aeronautics in the United States of America since 1927, and desired in its investigation to determine, if possible, the answer to the following question: What should be the policy of the Commonwealth of Massa- chusetts with regard to the development of aviation as a long-term policy in the future? The Commission wishes to express itself most emphati- cally that it believes that the control, location and design of airports in the future should be a state and 6 SENATE No. 102. [Jan. Federal function. The Commission does not mean to suggest by this statement that all airports should be exclusively the property of the Commonwealth of Massa- chusetts. However, it does feel that with the growth of air mail and air transportation that has taken place since 1927, as illustrated in Appendix A of this report, the proper location of airports to best serve the Common- wealth of Massachusetts can be done only through the medium of the State as a controlling factor. Airport development is urgently needed in the following general locations: 1. Fall River-New Bedford area. 2. The Worcester area. 3. The North Adams area. 4. Two additional airports located in Metropolitan Boston, probably adjacent to the circumferential highway, Route 128, to take care of the already overcrowded condition of the East Boston airport. This Commission believes that the proper mechanism of control of airport development and the logical design in the future should be done by a division of aeronautics coming under the Department of Public Works, and to this end it has drafted a bill which is appended to this report. At the present time the entire development and regulation of aviation is handled by a subdivision of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. This force consists of a supervisor and four inspectors, one engineer, two stenog- raphers, and one temporary stenographer. The salaries expended in this present set-up for the year 1937 will amount to a total of $16,290, and with expenses amount- ing to $2,889.36 estimated for the current year, gives a total of $19,179.36 for the year. It is the belief of the present Commission that insufficient saving is made in continuing the present arrangement to justify any further continuation of it. In order that the growth of aviation facilities, or rather the decline of aviation facilities, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1929 may be compared with the 1938.] SENATE —No. 102. 7 growth of the air transport, the Commission is including in Appendix B a survey made at its request by the avia- tion division of the Registry of Motor Vehicles. It can be seen from Appendix B'that until 1932 there were only three airports in the Commonwealth which were owned or leased by municipalities. Subsequent to 1932, the Federal government, through its relief program, induced certain cities or towns to acquire or lease a total of fifteen airports in Massachusetts. Of this total of fifteen air- ports only four are owned by municipalities, and as a result these four alone, together with two which are located on state-owned land and are leased by munici- palities, can expect additional Federal aid from the Works Progress Administration. This has resulted, through changes of Federal policy, in airports having work started on them and being left in an incomplete and unusable condition, with the result that now there is only one airport in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which today’s airplane can safely land upon, and that is the East Boston airport. Tomorrow’s airplane is in the offing, and even this airport will need extensive enlargement. A further study of Appendix B will reveal that there has been a decrease in the number of airports and landing fields since 1929 of from 45 in 1929 to 37 in 1937. The number of auxiliary fields which come under the classifi- cation of being available only for emergency use has also decreased from 17 in 1929 to 13 in 1937. A further study of the data included in the Appendix will show the large number of airports which have been abandoned and discontinued, either as emergency fields or as airports. This Commission feels that the adequate location and selection of airports to be developed by the Common- wealth of Massachusetts should be a matter to be decided by experts of the division of aeronautics. If the Legisla- ture then sees fit to develop these fields, the best interests of the people of the Commonwealth will be served. The Commission believes that the town or city or group of towns and cities concerned should acquire and deed to the State this land necessary for an airport.