Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
District National Guard

Another effort will be made at the
coming session of Congress to have that
body pass the pending bill in both
houses to assign to the National Guard
of the District of Columbia fol
armory purposes, the Pension Office
Building in Judiciary Square. This
decision has been reached by the off,
Gals of the local Guard, 1t was said at
brigade headquarters, after considering
all phases of the case.
Delegates from the local Guard who
will be selected to attend the coming
convention of the National Guard AS
ISOLATION of the United States will be
instructed, it was said, to enlist the
aid of the association in helping the
local organization to obtain suitable
armory. In keeping with the fact that
the war Department desires the local
Guard to be model for the country.
It was pointed out that while the States
are providing fine, specially built
armories for their State troops, the
nations Guard at the Capital City has
been compelled to struggle along for
many years in makeShift buildings
and finally have been placed in one
on the Government hotel plaza where
they cannot carry out all of the details
of their training.
Year after year effort has been made
to have Congress come to the relief of
the Guard, and various suggestions for
buildings have been made, but the
national legislative body has never seen
At to provide sufficient funds with which
either to construct a new building or
to provide for q long term lease, so
that the Guard officials could contract
with some private person or corporation
to put up a suitable building to be
occupied for long period of years by
the Guard.
Only a small and inadequate fund
has been provided each year for rental
purposes. The organization is scattered
in various parts of the city, which make
general supervision difficult, whereas
the officers point out that it would be
better If the whole organization could
be placed under one roof, so that the
training could be co-ordinated.
Last year an effort was made to have
provided five-year building program,
which included the erection of suit
able armory on Government ground,
but this was held up because Of the
economy move in the Federal Govern
ment. The scheme provided for the
erection of a building which would
cost, when finally completed, $500, 600,
with the stipulation that 100000 would
be provided each year, until the struc-
ture was completed. With this propo-
sition looked upon unfavorably the
Guard officials decided to concentrate
on the proposition of obtaining the
Pension Once Building. as soon as it is
vacated by the General Accounting
Office, new building for which now is
under course of construction in the
avenue triangle.
Efforts were made just before the
adjournment of the last session of Con-
gress to enlist the support of President
Coolidge in favor of this bill, and the
matter was taken up directly with the
Secretary of War. However, this move
did not receive favorable action in the
War Department, where it was said
that conditions were so crowded there
now that the Pension ONCE Building
would be needed to relieve the condi-
tions. So it would appear that the
Guard officials will have to make lone