Evening star., 1927-10-19
PRESIDENT CLOSES
SUMMERALL. ISSUE
Housing incident Ended as
Executive Hears Amy
Chiefs Version.

On the heels of the statement that
Mai. Gen. Charles 7. SNmmerall, chief
Of staff of he Army. had repudiated
his reporte,: attack on the admins
tration for housing. conditions in the
service, came the. information today
that President Coolidge now consid-
ers the incident closed. alter a per-
Sonal interview with its reputed au-
thor.
Gen. SumrNerall. visited the White
House NesteG'iay afternoon anu gave
the PresideETt a Fl rst-h hand account of
the situation. The White House is
authority Eor The announcement that
Gen. SuUlnerall denied that part OF
his repHted address in which he was
repreS e'nted as tiaying the admins
trati'<l. The chief of starf himself,
however, declined 10 discuss his White
House visit as he left, General Army
Matters. it is understood, were dis,
FUSED after the President had given
Fthe general an opportunity To give
his version of the housing incident.
Unprecedented Circumstances.
An almost unprecedented comhlna-
tion of circumstances led the PreSl-
dent To send his order to Gen. sum
neral to return to Washington direct
10 him in San Diego, Cal, instead of
through War Department channels, IN
the customary way, according to GER
tain military authorities. 1t appears
that when the President decided to
recall Gen. Summerall. the affairs of
the War Department were in charge
of Brig. Gen. Rriant H. Wells, deputy
chief of staff, in his temporary capac-
ity as Acting Secretary OF War. That
was due TO the fact that Secretary
Davis and Assistant Secretaries Mac
\ider and Dawson were out Of the
city at the time and Gen. Wells was
the highest ranking officer on duty
at the department Gen, Wells not
onlyis Of lower rank than Gen. Sum
lnefall but also is his closest assistant
al, the War Department. According
10 those responsible for the new theo-
hory. it would have been extremely
embarrassing for Gen. Wells TO give
orders to his superior officer az well
as humiliating for Gen. Summerall
TO be ordered by a subordinate 10
change his plans. Consequently it
was purely out of considerati ton for
the feelings of both officers that the
President issued the order direct from
the White House instead of through
War Department channels.
Discussing the Army housing Situa-
tion yesterday afternoon. Secretary
Davis of the War Department said he
could not. with propriety, say anything
about the Presidents action i'm direct
ing Gen. Summerall to return to
Washington. He admitted that hous.
ing conditions in the Army are had.
but explained that Congress had indi-
Gated it's interest in the matter by au-
thcriZing $22 ,000. 900 for construction
work, nearly SS 900 900 of which has
been appropriated. That sum resulted
FROM the sale of War Department sur.
fplus land and buildings OF the
amount appropriated, he said, all is
under contract and is being spent for
new hospitals. enlisted mems barracks
ana the necessary provisions of the
first increment of the five-year pro-
gram for the Air Corps.
The Secretary added that the present
administration was the first ever to
take up the housing question as a
whole, with a view to providing
project including all military posts. |
The various features of the existing |
project have been worked out i'm a |
harmonious way, he said, and here. |
after no construction work contrary |
TO the projected work will be permit |
ted except by express authority of |
the Secretary OF War.
James Favors Project.
I'm the interest of Army housing"
said Secretary Davis. Representative
James of Michigan has just completed
q thorough tour and inspection of
Army posts and is quite friendly to
the War Department plans. In fact,
the attitude OF Congress and the ad-
ministration on Army housing has
been fine. While the $22, ,00O. 900 au-
thorized will not take care of the sit.
uation in its entirety. nevertheless it
IS a good start for the first two or
three years. The War Department
has endeavored to rearrange units by
transferring them from one post to
another, in order better to utilize ex-
listing permanent quarters. BY such
means and by occupying newly built
barracks, fewer than $4,000 soldiers
are now in cantonments. as against
10000 of year ago. Although the
fire hazard is great in these temporary
buildings, so far there has been no
Joss of life due To fire The loss in
voived in the destruction of these
buildings has been small, because of
the temporary nature of construction.
However. large quantities of stores
have been destroyed. The $4,000. 900.
the total appropriations over a period
Of fhree years. to cover the repair of
barracks, is, of course, largely used
In the repair Of wartime construction.
When permanent barracks are com
pieted repair funds should show an
eppreciable decrease"
In response 10 questions. Secretarv
Davis said that the housing project
was originally brought up in Congress
in 1924, at which time about 500. .0OO.-
600 was estimated as the approximate
total cost. Some items were later
elimins ted. but since that time the
passage of the five-year Air Corps bill
has necessItated such additions that
the round total probably remains
about 800 900. 900.
While the War Department said
the Secretary. hopes To see the hous-
ing project progress little more rap
idly il feels that Congress realizes the
need for housing and is anxious 10
remedy the acuteness Of the situa
ton"