Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-03-22
PURCHASE OF ARMY CAMPS
 AUTHORIZED
Less Than $15,000,O00 Will
 Be Involved.
ADDITIONS WILL
 BE MADE TO PIKE
With Purchases Complete Army Will Have Thirty Training
 Camps.

Washington, March 21-Decision of the war department to proceed with the purchase of the sites of fif- teen army camps and thirteen bal loon and flying fields over the coun- try was announced today by acting Secretary Crowell. Less than $15,- OO0OO0 will be involved, Mr. Crowell said. and it will not be necessary to await action by congress as the de- partment now has the necessary funds.
 With these purchases completed, the army will have thirty training camps, including the original sixteen cantonments constructed for the training of the national army and which will be in the southeastern states, Texas and California. The new. fields to be retained in the north will be regarded as summer flying centers only.
 Abandon 27 Camps.
 TWenty-seven camps and 15 avia- tion fields will be abandoned. Or ders already have gone out for the abandonment of twenty 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 cost Of approximately $l10,000,00O of which S43,O00,O00 was spent on the four authorization cantonments, Mills, New York; Merritt, New Jersey; and Stu art and Hill, Newport News.
 Approximately $2S0,000,O0O has been spent in construction work on the 15 cantonments to be bought and the 15 now owned and it was largely because of the sum involved that the department decided to go ahead with the purchase.
 Most of the thirty camps are being used as demobilization centers, but no definite plans for their employ ed have been evolved It was ex- plained 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 at Paris had rendered it's decision as to world disarmament.
 To Use Two Fields.
 Announcement already has been made that only two flying fields ac- tually would be used in training army aviators in peace time and that others purchased or now owned would be- o<o r1o Ac m hand or under contract. Location of the flying centers to be retained shows a plan to have three general training centers, one in the far west and one in the southwestern part of the country, and one in the south east with the different fields in each section close enough together so that elementary and advanced training will be provided within reasonable area. Total expenditures on the nine teen flying and balloon fields to be retained represent about $30,OOO ,0OO. The cantonment sites now owned by the government and to be retain ed for special military purposes, to- gether with the cost of construction of each, include
 Donphan, Okla., national guard, $2,- 706,000.
 Funston, Kans., field artillery, $10,- 5OO,0O0.
 Normoyle, Tex, motor transport corps, $1,5S0,000.
 Pike, Arkansas, national army, $12.- 100000.
 Sill, Okla., field artillery.
 Travis, Tex, national army, $8,- POO ,OO0.
 National army cantonments to be purchased for military purposes with the costs of construction and the price at which the sites will be bought, include:
 Pike. Arkansas, SIP, o0,OOO-$4oo,- 900.
 Cantonments, the sites of which are leased and which have been or dcred abandoned and the cost of con- struction on each include:
 McArthur, Tex. national guard, $4,- GOO, ,000.
 r Beaure.ard, La. national guard, $4,900,00O.
 Logan, Texas, national guard, s3,- 100000.
 Cantonments, the sites of which are leased and which are to be abandon ed, and the cost of construction on each include:
 Bowie, Tex, national guard, ss'- 40O, ,000.
 Camp sites. now leased and the dis positior of which still is under con- sideration are:
 Kenrick. New Jersey, chemical war
 (Continued on page five)