The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-03-22
Twenty-Seven Camps and Is
Aviation Fields to Be
Abandoned = Majority of
Those Retained Located in
the Southeast

Id UdllOOA dhu 10y ilS ASAN'S
over the country was an
nounced today by Acting Secre-
tary Crowell. Less than $751;
100000 will be involved, Mr..
Crowell said, and it will not be
necessary to await action by
Congress, as the department
now has the necessary funds.
With these purchases completed ths
army will have so training camps. in
GLIDING the original 16 environments
constructed for the training of the ma
tional army, and 10 aviation centers
most of which will be in the south.
eastern states, Texas and California
The few fields to be retained in tnt
north will be regarded as summer fly
ing centers only.
Twenty-seven camps and Is aviation
fields will be abandoned. Orders al
ready have gone out for the abandon
ment of 20 of the camps. including
nearly all of the national guard tram
ing centers set up after the United
States declared war on Germany. Con-
struction work on the 81 camps, &C
cording to the war department figures,
represents a cost of approximately
100000. 900, of which $45,000,000 was
spent on four embarkation Canton
ments-Mills, New York, and Merritt,
New Jersey, and Stuart and Hill, New
port News.
COST $3.50, 900, 900
Approximately s2so,Ooo,ooo has been
spent in construction work on the Is
now owned and it was largely because
OF the sum involved that the depart-
lnent decided to go ahead with the
purchase. Most of the 80 camps now
are being used Jas rehabilitation CEN
ters, but no definite plans for their
4 employment after the war army is
,disbanded have been evolved. 1t was
explained that the whole problem OF
the future use of the camps depended
upon the nations military policy and
that no conclusion as to that could
be reached until the peace conference
in Paris had rendered its decision as
to world disarmament.
Announcement already has been made
that only two flying fields actually
would be used in training army avia-
tors in peace time and that others pur-
chased or now owned would become
storage plants for material on hand or
under contract. Location of the fly
ing centers to be retained shows a
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 diff
ferent fields in each section close
enough together SO that elementary
l. <1nI
within reasonable area.
Total expenditures on the 10 flying
and balloon fields to be retained rep
resent about $30,000000.
CHEAPER TO BUY
Besides the fields to be bought for
military purposes one other, Chapman
Field, Florida, also will be purchased
for business reasons" and subsequent
ly sold. The same procedure will be
followed in the case of Camp Sewer.
South Carolina. which was used as a
national guard training center.
Mr. Crowell said it was cheaper for
the government to buy this field at
the option price of $597,S40 and sell
it again than to pay the damage
claims made against the government
as the result of the building of the
camp. -
Secretary Crowell said that the de-
partment had contemplated retaining
Hazelhurst field on Long Island, but
that the land would cost entirely too
much money The option price OH the
field was placed at $1,550,000, or near
ly twice the cost of any Of the Is
aviation centers to be purchased. The
government has spent $5,34SS9S on
construction work at this field, or con-
siderably more than has gone into any
other plants except Langley field, Vir-
ginia, which is to be retained and
ri o. xuhi nI, to
to be abandoned
Plans of the war department for the
disposition of the camps and flying
fields set up during the war as OUT
lined by Secretary Crowell. were sum-
married. as follows:
SITES TO BE RETAINED
The cantonment sites now owned by
the government and to be retained for
special military purposes, together with
the cost of construction of each, fo.-
lows:
Doniphan, Okla, national guard, s2.7Os,
O0O!
Eustis. Va. coast artillery corps, s11,-
Funston, Kas., field artillery, $40, 800 OO0
Holabird, Md, motor transport corps.
$500, 900.
Humphreys. Va, engineers, 12,745,0o0
Jessup, Ca, motor transport CORPS ST.
417.0Oo
JouIiSon, Il 3D., quar- tcrindSter corps, Sos-
100000.
Kearney, Cal, national guard. $685.
600. 81.
Lewis, WASH, nationary army, $500
010.
Mcclellan. Ala. national guard. $780,
Co.,
Normoyle. Tex. motor transport corps.
$l,5S0.000
Pike, Ark, national army, $12,700.00o.
Sill, Okla, field artillery, mo amount)
Triple. Tex, national army, S. 100000.
Benning. Ca. miscellaneous. Sc, 100000.
TO BE PURCHASED
National army environments to be pur.
chased for military purposes. with the
cost of construction and the price at
which the sites will be bought follow:
Bragg. N. c.. 50, son. co., 81, 1900.
Custer Mich. $4,000. 900 $4,000
Desens. Mass. sl1 SEQ. 900 sse0. zoo.
Dix, n. J., ST. s00, 0o0- 1900.
Dodge. la. $40, 500. eoo ,O9e
Gordon. Ga. 81 100, cc0--s 900
Grant ILL.,. ss. 400, 900 81, 100000.
! jackson. S. c.. $40. COZ. 900, s625, 600.
Knox, KY, sle.s23, lSs-s s.. $50 zoe.
Meade. Md. SIG, 500, 0Oo-s4l5.0ao
Pike. Ark. sl27oo. ooo- 100000
(Centisues yh PAGE Twol