Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-06-01
PROVING GROUND
/ FIGHT WARNS UP
Senators Glass and France
: Argue Before Senate
!. Subcommittee.
WANT SCRAP DAHLGREN
.Marylander Urges Indianhcad
Location Over Judgment
: of Navy Experts.
WANT SCRAP DAHLGREN
Especial to The rlmcs-Dispa,ch J

/. special to The Times Dispatch.
!. WASHINGTON May 3l.-whethcr
-Indianhcad. Maryland. or Dahlsrcn.
Virginia shall he The site OF the chief
-proNnG grounds for the navy was
.the subject OF a virtual joint debate
today between Senator Joseph Z
France and senator Carter Glass be-
Store the naval subcommittee Of the
-Scnate Commute on Appropriations
Senator France supported the Mudd
amendment 10 the House naval bill.
(which proposes the abandonment of
tine new proving grounds at Dahl
-Sren and the concentration OF ac-
-trrtt:cs at the oder site, lndianhcad.
Glass Iphoids DnhiErrn.
= Senator Class upheld tho claims
.pf Dahlgrcn and asked, in connec-
-;ion with its proposed abandonment,
why is this. simply because of
,Maryland""
Senator France did not make di-
rect reply TO this rather caus,ic in
dury, but elaborated upon his de-
Iensc OF the availability OF the
maryland site.
:. senator france argued That APP
proXimately s!i.o0O.Oo0 has been cx-
pended al lndianhead and that al
though the testing range may be
hi, short at that point. there was no
,jus;incation for n duplication OF tests
.at DahlSrcn and Indianhcad.
About S2,5O00o0 has been spent at
.Iahlsren. he said, and the navy now
Wants an additional million for i'm
men;. he said. OF the extra amount
1T would cost 20 maintain Dahlgren.
Bases Plen on Economy.
~ am In favor Of economy" said
Senator France. and also favor
adequate facilities for our navy and
army. But l am opposed TO duplica-
;ion OF effort in either branch of ma
tional defense ana cannot see why
we should have 4 naval proving
ground at Dahlgrcn and also at In
dianhead. The lndianhcad station
has met our needs In the past; We
have expended more than Sll.00O.000.
and oppose its scrapping."
Senator Glass retortcd that France
had referred 10 the more than $1,000
600 expended AT DaniErcn and the
.million additional required as though
Dahlgren should hc abandoned be-
cause OF the money already spent
there. Using this reasoning. he said
we should first abandon Indian
head because we have spen, much
more, or about sll,o0O,0OO. at that
point"
stephens Favors Indinnhcn
Representative \. i. T. stephens.
OF Ohlo. member OF the House com
i,u, Si,
iaYorcd the retention 81 Indianhead.
he told the Senate subcommittee II
would cost another million dollars.
at least. TO complete the Dahlgrcn
site and 1t would. To a large extent.
duplicate the work done at the Mary
land point puhlgrcn, he said was
rather inaccessible, and some forty
miles from railroad. with danger
That the river would freeze and !cc
prevent operations in dead winter.
The maintenance OF DahlRrcn under
all the circumstances, thought Rep
resentativc s,ct'hens., would he
"pronlGate Waste"
McVny for DnhiErcn.
Admiral McVay repeated his argu-
ments in favor Of DahlEren Naval
officers. he said. objected to Indian
head because il was impossible 10
ties, long range guns al that point,
Guns OF more than !our-inch call
Der. ne said could be given only inn
perfect tests Al the Maryland polnt
and. furthermore, ~ was dangerous
having a proving ground near a gov
eminent powder factory.
The Senate subcommittee now
framing the naval bulge, took no