Evening star., 1927-01-26
URGE NEW ARMORY
FOR D. c. MILITIA
Head of District Guard and
Others Plead for Better
Facilities.

the District Militia were made today
at a hearing before the House pubhc
buildings and grounds committee.
Rather than have Congress provide
an armOry inadequate for the District
Guard at this time. Chairman Zlhl-
man of the House District com
mittee, who appeared at the hearing
declared it would be better if the
project were delayed for two years.
Brig. Gen. Anton stephan, COM
mander of the District National
Guard, and Col. Lloyd NJ. Brett, ad
jutant general, formally presented
the plea before the committee. out
lining the plans for the proposed
armOry they said they did not re-
gard the appropriation of $2,0O0,00O
authorized in the Zihlman bill as
binding, provided Congress authorized
a building of suitable size.
Want Practical Building.
I'VE are not so anxious to have
a monumental building" Gen.
stephan said. ''as we are to have a
! practical one"
Since the District Guard is more
| essentially q Federal unit than the
| National Guard of any State, Repre-
sentative Zihlman told the committee
| he believed Congress should appropri-
ate its share of the expense. In view
of the fact that many of the States
are building up-to-date armores in
small towns and cities, Mr.. Zihlman
said he believed the Federal Govern
ment should authorize an armory in
the District conforming to other Gov
ernment buildings here
II do not think the $2,000,000 au
thoriZed in this bill is a large outlay
for suitable armory in the National
I T. ;A.,I 81 ik,
| to be erected Congress should take
into consideration the character of the
surrounding buildings. 1t would be bet
| ter to wait two years, perhaps, rather
| than TO erect a small building now
that would be inadequate"
No Thought to Site.
! Mr.. Zihlman in response to queries
| from the committee, said he had given
no thought to a site for the proposed
armory other than that it should be
/ located at some convenient place.
Gen. Stephan said the Guard was
| willing to go into any building of
| suitable size" and complained that
| the original building plans, which met
| with the approval of the Fine Arts
| Commission, had called for an ex-
penditure of $1250. 900. II would be
| impossible to erect such a building
now dL IndI price, lie odlQ.
! Gen. Stephan expressed the opinion
| that $4,000 annually, the amount
now allowed the District Guard for
rental, would be sufficient TO main
tain such an armory as is proposed
! in the bill
| 'It is self-evident that the National
| Guard of the District must have an
| armory adequate to it's needs If 1t
is to perform its part in the National
| defense plan and be on an equality
| with the States" said Gen Stephan.
I'VE feel that this bill should be acted
upon at this session of Congress and
| that hope for future home may be
| given to the young men of the city
who are preparing themselves for
military service in time of need
Forced Out of Quarters.
| Outlining the situation that now
confronts the local Guard, Gen. Ste
| phan said the Guard has occupied
rented quarters since it's organiZa-
| ton in 1899. On July | last, he
said, the Guard was forced out of
472 l. street and is now occupying
dormitories at North Capitol and B
| streets, rented rooms on u street, a
small armory on the water front and
, separate garages and space in the
| Terminal warehouse.
"The dormitores in which are
| housed a regiment of Engineers and
several other units have no drill
space, no assembly or instruction
rooms said Gen. Stephan. "They
| are in no way suited for National
Guard training and were obtained
after all efforts to find better quar-
ters had failed
Now the dormitories are to be
torn down, Gen. Stephan explained,
and the Public Buildings Commits
sion is unable to locate the Guard
owned armory, housing a battalion
of the 260th Coast Artillery is to be
torn down in connection with the
improvement of the water front un-
der plans of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission" he
said. The Public Buildings Commits
sion has informed District militia
headquarters that the Pension Build
ing, sought as an armory, would not
be available for 10 years.
Rental Plan Unpopular.
Consultation with large builders of
the city, Gen. Stephan told the
committee. developed the fact that no
one of these would erect a structure
| suitable for National Guard work for
less than 10 per cent return on the
| gross outlay and a lease of at least 10
| years This would mean a. rental of
from $50 900 to SAC, 900 a year, he said,
and a condition as to lease that is only
possible by act of Congress. A circu-
lar sent to 500 real estate dealers seek
ing a suitable armory building brought
no reply, he said.
Representative Busby of Mississippi
suggested that perhaps one reason
why a large armory was sought was
to enable the Guard to entertain So
cially. Col. Brett and Mr.. Zihlman
both emphasized that this was an inn
portant point and should be given
consideration in any plans for a build
ing. Mr.. Zihlman said it was a
good thing for the Guard to give such
entertainment, since they encouraged
interest and participation i'll the
Guard.
Back of the armory proposal, Gen.
Stephan said, is public opinion ex-
pressed favorably by the National
Guard Association, the American
Legion, Spanish War Veterans, Dis
abled American Veterans, Chamber OF
Commerce, Board of Trade, and every
citizens association.
|
In Sweden are 100000 automobiles
| and Trucks nearly seven times as