The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-03
BAKER ADVISES
PURCHASING Of
U. S. CAMP SITES
Would Cost About $l2,OOO,-
600 to Acquire Sites AL
ready Approved.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 3.-Secretary
Raker said today he intended to seek
The views OF congress on the question
of purchasing the land on which army
cantonments are located. He said the
War Department thought some of
these camps should be made perman-
ent and that 1t would cost about $12,-
100000 to acquire the sites already
approved for this purpose. The mat
ter will be brought up by the secretary
when he appears tomorrow before the
House military committee.
Secretary Baker would not disclose
what training camp sites had been rec
commended by the general staff for per-
manent retention. Sc said specifically,
however. that the disposition Of flying
fields was not now involved.
The secretary indicated that this
program had no relation to recommen-
dations that may be made at some fu-
ture time with respect to the perman-
ent military policy. Since there is to
be a military establishment in any
case. he said. the acquisition of sew.
eral OF the cantonment sites would be
OF benefit to the service. He added
that they could be used for summer
notifications or for divisional or even
larger maneuvers as existing perman-
ent facilities for the army do not pro-
vide any post where the quarters or
grounds are extensive enough for
these purposes.
War College Plan Framed.
Within the next few days, Mr.. Baker
said, the army war college will COM
plete the army reorganization bill up
on which it has been working and he
will then seek hearings before the
military committee to take up the
proposals. 1t is now understood that
the war college bill embodies the gen.
eral staff and departmental reorgani-
zation plans in addition to the neces-
sary legislative provisions under
which tables of organization for the
regular army can be issued, but there
is nothing to indicate that that goes
beyond the regular army or touches
the question of permanent military
policy. It has been held at the War
Department that this cannot be pre-
sented until proceedings at Versailles
have gone far enough to show what
military force it would be wise of the
United States to have always avail
able for quick mobilization.
Many auxiliary services and units
we're created during the war for which
there is no authority in the regular
military statutes. The new act will
give opportunity for these to be given
permanent status and also will state
he views of the army itself as to the
stress to be laid upon such new
branches of the military establishment
As the air service. Incidentally, the
whole question of the future of the
army air service. whether it is to con-
fnue as separate branch or be again
smalgamated with the signal corps.
will be taken up and 1t is anticipated
hat while the aerial forces will not
DO again placed under any other arm
of the service, radical changes in the
existing emergency organization will
be proposed.
With the presentation of the reor-
ganization bill the congressional COM
nittees will be told of the detailed eX-
penditures to be made up under the
appropriations already submitted.
These provide for a regular army of
half a million men, roughly, but the
estimates do not show the Importance
hat is to be attached hereafter to
such services as the tank corps, artil-
cry, aircraft. transportation corps.
chemical warfare service or any other
allied branch of the army