Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-02
FOR MODEL ARMORY
Plea Made in Behalf of District
National Guard.
GEN. MILLS ANNUAL REPORT
Discusses Need of Facilities for Prop
er Care Of Property.
GENERAL MILITIA INTERESTS
Adjutant General Parmerter's Ac-
GEN. MILLS ANNUAL REPORT
GENERAL MILITIA INTERESTS
Adjutant General Parmerter's Ac-
count of Annual Camp at Har-
pers Ferry in August.


District of Columbia for the use OF the
National Guard is warmly advocated by
Brig. Gen. A. L. Mills, chief of the d-
vision of militia affairs of the War De-
partment, in his annual report. In so
doing he Endorses the recommendations
to the same effect made by all his prede-
cessors in Office.
In a general chapter on the subject of
armories for the organized militia OF the
United States Gen. Mills says the subject
is one intimately connected both with the
instruction of the militia and with the
proper care and preservation of United
States property in their possession. An
accompanying table shows in a detailed
manner for the first time the nature and
extent of the delinquencies of armory
facilities. The principal delinquencies de-
scribed include the use of armories for
non-military purposes, unsuitable location
and the inadequate protection of United
States property. Gen. Mills adds that
steps have been taken in several states
which will insure decided Improvement
in armory conditions before the end Of
the present year.
District Project Discussed.
I'm this connection" says Gen. Mills.
1T is particularly pleasing to note that
during the second session of the Sixty
second Congress the Senate committee
on public buildings and grounds took up
for consideration the bill making pro-
vision for the erection of an armory in
the District of Columbia. The chairman
of the committee visited the present very
Inadequate and diScredtabe makeShiftS
that are provided for the National Guard
of the District of Columbia, and the COM
mittee gave very full hearings and close
attention to the arguments which We're
submitted showing why model armory
should be erected in the federal capital.
THE plans for this model armory had
been previously prepared under authority
of an act of Congress, and the report of
the commission containing copies of plans
is printed as House document $50, Sixty
first Congress, second session.
1.-The Senate committee on public build
ings and grounds made a unanimous re-
port in favor of the bill as originally in
troduced, aproriating Sl,750O00 for the
erection of the building and authorizing
the using of the north portion of the gov
eminent reservation south of b street
north and between 18th and 18th streets
west.
1.-The bill was called up in the Senate
June %, 1912, and passed with an amend
ment requiring the District of Columbia
to pay half of the cost. The bill has
been referred in the House of Repre-
sentatives to the committee on the Dis
trict of Columbia. which committee has
promised to give it careful consideration.
ut is certainly not creditable to the
federal government that no adequate
provisions have heretofore been made for
housing the brigade of the National
Guard of the District Of Columbia. The
prospects seem good, however, that some
action will be taken at the next session
Of Congress-. aA!a M
Embodies Essential Features.
.rba armorv 90 plappad will auhodI- in
it all of the essential features of good
armory construction 1t will have a large
drill hall, ample storage facilities. locker
rooms, an assembly room for each COM
pany, swimming pool, riding hall, rifle
gallery. kitchens. gymnasium. lecture
halls, squad drillroomS, medical eXamin-
ing rooms and infirmary, and a place in
which all of the field artillery and all of
the wagon transportation of the brigade
can be housed.
THE number of organizations to be ac-
cOmmOdated in this armory comprise two
regiments of infantry. battalion of coast
artillery, a troop of cavalry, a signal COM
pany, a battery of field artillery and an
engineer company. The aim of the au-
thorities Of the National Guard of the
District of Columbia is to provide every
thing that is essential, from a military
standpoint inside of the building.
by reason of its proximity TO other
government buildings. and in conformity
with the views of the commission Of fine
arts, a handsome exterior has been insist
ed upon by Congress.
1T is felt at this time. when the division
of militia affairs is making every effort
to induce the states to provide adequate
armory facilities. that Congress, which
has exclusive jurisdiction over the District
of Columbia, should act promptly on this
very important bill. 1t is important not
only to the National Guard of the District
of Columbia. but will serve as a valuable
object lesson to the many National Guard
officers who visit the federal capital each
year
Strength of District Militia.
The strength of the organized militia
of the District of Columbia at the time
of the last annual inspection January
April last is stated as 134 officers and
1886 enlisted men, being a gain of eleven
officers and eighty-two men, compared
with the last previous inspection. The
District stands number one in the relative
order of states and territories in the pro-
portion of the strength of its militia to the
number of male inhabitants available for
military duty. With an organized strength
of 1,641. as reported by the adjutant gem
eral, the number of males of militia age
according to the federal census of 1910,
was 7S.349. being a percentage of militia
of 900. In only seven states was the
strength of the militia in excess of the
requirements based on available material.
Regarding the joint encampment of the
National Guard of the District of Column
bia and battery of the Sd Regular Field
Artillery and troop of the 18th Cavalry
at Harpers Ferry, w. Va, August HIS.
Lieut.. Almon L. Parmerter, adjutant gen.
eral. District of Columbia militia, said
in his report:
1.-THE good results obtained at Harpers
Ferry camp lead me to believe that the
camp instruction is of more value to the
guard than that obtained throughout the
balance of the year and would do more
to prepare the guard for field service
LAS the instruction given to the guard
is bound to be of an elementary charac-
terri, due to existing and unavoidable
conditions, and the camp instruction
is considered the most valuable that can
be given. it is believed that the restric-
ton requiring three months service prior
to the camp to federal pay for camp
service does not give the best result in
this guard"
WILLIAM F. WOOD DEAD