The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-04-17
ARMY CAMP SETTLEMENTS.
Fifteen to be Purchased and Twenty
to be Abandoned.

Decision of the war department to
proceed with the purchase of the
sites of Is army camps and 1S bal
loon and flying fields over the coun-
try was announced recently by act
ing Secretary Crowell. Less than
s15,000,00O will be involved, Mr..
Crowell said, and it will not be nee
, essary to await action by congress as
the department now has the necessa-
ry funds.
With these purchases complete,
the army will have 80 training
camps, including the original l6
environments constructed for the
training of the national army, and ls
aviation centers, most of which Will
be in the Southeastern States, Texas
and California. The few fields to be
retained in the north will be regard
ed as summer flying centers only.
Twenty-seven camps and fifteen
aviation fields will be abandoned.
- Orders already have gone out for
the abandonment of 20 of the camps,
including nearly all of the national
guard training centers set up after
the United States declared war on
Germany. Construction work on the
27 camps, according to war depart
ment figures, represents a cost OF
approximately s100,000,OO0 of which
100000 was spent on the four
embarkation cantonments-Mllls,
New York, New Jersey, and Stuart
and Hill, Newport News.
$2s,00O,OOO Expended.
Approximately s2S,0O0,000 has
been spent in construction work on
the cantonments to be bought and
the Is now owned and it was largely
because of the sum involved the de-
partment decided to go ahead with
the purchase. Most of the 80 camps
are being used as demobilization CEN
tiers, but no definite plans for their
employment after the war army is
disbanded have been evolved. 1t was
explained the whole problem of the
future use of the camps depended
upon the nations military policy
and no conclusion as to that could
be reached until the peace confer
ence at Paris had rendered it's decis-
ion as to world disarmament.
Announcement already has been
made that only two flying fields actd-
ally would be used in training army
aviators in peace times and others
purchased or now owned would be-
come storage plants for material on
hand or under contract. Location of
the flying ceaters to be retained
shows plan to have three general
training centers, one in the far west,
one In the southwestern part OF the
country and one in the southeast
with the different fields in each Sec
ton close enough together SO ele-
mentary and advanced training will
be provided within a reasonable area.
Total expenditures on the 10 flying
and balloon fields to be retained rep
resent about $30,000,000.
To Buy and Sell Sewer.
Besides the fields to be bought
for military purposes, one other,
Chapman field, Florida, also will be
purchased 3for business reasons"
and subsequently sold. The same
procedure will be followed in the
case of Camp Sewer, S. c., which was
used as a national guard center. Mr.
Growell said it was cheaper for the
government to buy this field at the
option price of s597,940 and sell it
again than to pay the damage claims
made against the government as the
result of the building of the camp.
The total amount spent on Camp,
Jackson at Columbia has been s10,-
100000. The purchase price, on
basis of options previously taken,
will be s625,o00.
Camp Wadsworth, which cost S4,-
100000; is to be abandoned.