Evening star., 1926-01-03

| rifle range on Sundays ana mondays III
order to win the trophy. He already
has qualified 80 OF his men, ana mas
| only q few more before his command
will be eligible for the priced trophy
| establishing this unit as the best outflt
| OF shots in the local guard.
! The local guard, as II whole, has de-
yeloped some excellent rife shots dur
ing the year, and finished high on the
list in the national matches at Camp
! Perry, Ohio, last Summer. A number
| of the other units also have taken
their men to the local range, but none
has qualified as high a percentage or
men as E company. In order to en-
courage and facilitate rifle practice.
| the range has been kept open and
! available at periods convenient to the
men who desired to give them time in
an attempt to qualify. Lieut. ). g.
| Jensen who has been ordered up for
examination for promotion to captain
| in the ordnance department, has been
| directing the rifle practice of the local
guard.
! That the possibility of any of the
| local guard, except the 18th Military
! Police Company. going TO Phliaoei-
phia, for participation in the sesqul-
centennial celebration has been passed,
is indicated in a letter which Gen.
! Stephan has written to Maj. Gen.
! William G.. Price, jr., Pennsylvania
! National Guard. regarding the matter
| of sending District troops there.
| 1t is indicated in the letter that the
| 29th Military Police Company may go,
! if there are other national guard units
/ in camp there at the same time with
! which 1t may train.
! "Replying to your letter of recent
date, reference the possibility of units
! of the 29th Division camping at or
/ near Philadelphia during the Summer
/ of 1926" said the letter. 81 have been
| informed that Maryland does not de-
! sire to send any units TO such an en-
1 campment, and Virginia has not re-
Piled as yet. Our own troops COM
i prise Coast Artillery and Engineers,
| the Coast Artillery camping each year
at Fort Monroe. Va, and the En-
! gineers at Fort Humphreys. Last
! Summer an exception was made ana
| the Engineer Regiment camped at
! Virginia Beach, Va. However, .the
regimental commander has recon-
rnended that the place for encamp-
ment be changed to Fort Humphreys
again this year.
| Police Company, which might be
available to participate in the camp
at Philadelphia, and / will appreciate
very much an expression from you as
! 20 whether or not any Pennsylvania
! units will be encamped there during
| the Summer with which separate
! company might train"
! The 29th Military Police Company
| has heretofore been training each
year with the 121st Regiment of En-
| gineers, but it is the desire this year
| to send it to a separate camp. as 1t Is
an infantry company. Conditions at
| Virginia Beach last Summer proved
| that ii was most unsatisfactory for
/ this unit to train with the Engineers.
Lieut.. Raymond NJ. Peak, command
! ing the, Military Police, Is anxious to
| take his command to Philadelphia for
| the festivities. 1t will be a drawing
card for the men, many of whom are
| not anxious to return to Fort hum
phreys with the Engineers this year.
/ This unit has only n small strength
| and the cost of sending them to Phil
adelphia will not be great, as they
have no heavy equipment to be trans
| ported.
| A tentative draft Of Il bill, to be in.
! troduced In the Senate and House or
! representatives, providing for the
| erection of an armory for the Natlonai
/ Guard of the District Of Columbia. as
a memorial to those in the military
I
during times of war. has been pre-
| pared at guard headquarters. AS soon
! as the draft is finally decided upon.
| efforts will be made to have 1t intro
duced in the two houses and follow
| it up promptly with request for hear
! ingS and prompt action.
| AS tentatively drawn the bill pro-
vides for an armory to cost 81 100000,
! but those in charge Of drawing up the
! fai N
| be the figure included in the final
draft This figure was included at
! first because it was the one in the first
measure introduced for an armory
! here. many years before the World
! War. However, it was pointed out
| that an armory such as was proposed
at that time to cost S2.0O0,OOO would
| cost several times that figure now.
The proposed measure also reduces
| the size of the original commission
| provided for an armory. There IS
/ strong hope that the measure will
| receive prompt consideration, to the
end that it will be finally passed and
! some assurance given the local Guard
| that it will get permanent home, Tor
| which it has fought for years. On
| June 80 next it must vacate its pres
| ent quarters at 472 L street north
west, with no place in sight for it to go,
| but if there Is assurance that an ade-
! quate permanent structure will be
| erected it was pointed out that the
Guard can put for up for time with
some cramped and unsuitable quarters
wherever they may be found.
The tentative bill provides for the
| appointment of a commission, com.
| posed of the ENGINEER Commissioner
of the District of Columbia, the direc-
tor of the office of public buildings
! and public parks of the National Cap
| ital and the officer commanding the
! National Guard of the District of Co
| lunbia, be created and authorized and
| directed to enter into contracts for the
! construction of q memorial armory
| building for the National Guard of the
District of Columbia, in accordance
with plans for such armory submitted
| by the commission appointed by the
| act of Congress approved May 80,
| 1908. or such modified plans as may be
approved by the commission author
| lied in the new measure to bring 1t
| within a cost not to exceed $4,000, 900,
which sum is to be appropriated on
the basis of so per cent by the District
of Columbia and 40 per cent by the
| Federal Government. The bill also
would make available Immediately
| SIS 900 for the preparation of detailed
plans and specifications.
| 1t provides that the arn1ory shall be
! located on ground owned by the
United States In the District of Co.
| lumbia, on a site to be selected by the
commission provided for in the bill
and approved by the Commission of
Fine Arts. The construction of the
building would be placed under the
direction of the director Of the Office Of
public buildings and public parks of
| the National Capital.
The measure also says that space in
the memorial armory shall be set aside
| for lIse as a nerna nent meeting Mace