Evening star., 1929-01-03
S435,428,415 ARMY
BILL IS REPORTED
Soldier Pay, Flood and Avia-
tion Items Increased in
House Fund Measure.
BY the Associated Press.

6y Ene ASbOCldteu FIehS'
Carrying large increases for mood
control, Army pay, aviation expansion
and new construction at military posts,
the Army appropriation bill was report
ed today to the House.
Calling for the expenditure OF $685.
42s,415 by the War Department during
the next fiscal year, the measure was
the fifth of the nine regular annual
supply bills to come before the House
this session, four having been passed
before the holidays.
The total, providing s32s,3sS,sl5 for
national defense and $l07, 7,o89,60o Tor
non military purposes, represents an
increase of s35,1l1,774 over the current
fiscal year appropriation and an in
crease of $256,6os over budget esu-
mates.
SI33,55O,36S for Army Pay.
The largest military item in the blll
is S133,550,368 for pay OF the Army.
This is an increase Of $3,2l5,SSo over
this years pay fund and Is recommend.
ed to take care of 200 additional second
lieutenants, for the Air Corps, ADVANCE
ment of officers to higher pay perioos'
longevity increases and retired list ex-
nansion' The measure contemplates no
change in the enlisted strength OF the
Army. now 1880, but would raise the
officer strength from II, 1888 to approx
irnately 10000.
In the on-military provisions, $5o,.
fln1 600 is included for maintenance ana
Improvement of more than 500 rivers
and harbors works, while $50 ,000, 600,
an increase of $4,000. 900, Is provided
for Mississippi food control. An addi-
tional S800,000, previously authorized
as an emergency fund, Is appropriated
for repair or maintenance OF nooo con-
troll works on the MissiSsippfs triou-
taries, and 100000 Is provided Tor
flood control on the Sacramento Raver
to California. A new item of $4,370,-
600 is included to be returned to Cali
fornia as a result of a recommenda-
tion by the California Debris Commits
sion that the Federal Government share
one-third instead of one-sixth of the
expe16e of the Sacramento project.
FoZoperation of dam No. Q at Muscle
SHOALS $27o,000 is provided.
The projects to be covered by the
S50.OO0 900 rivers and harbors item are
the same as those submitted to Con-
gress by the chief of Army engineers
and made public December 3 last.
other Items in Measure.
Other big items in the measure in
clude $24,374,552 for Army subsistence,
$14,441 $50 for construction at military
posts, $3,408,002 for seacost defenses,
S33.578,683 for the Air Corps, $50. 3d.
opl
for the Organized Reserves, $5,418,975
for civilian military training camps,
$10,0ll, 900 for the Panama Canal, s8,-
091 800 for the National Home for Dis
abled Volunteer Soldiers and $356,278
for national military parks.
The Air Corps appropriation, an In
crease of $3.50, ,121 over current funds,
would enable the Army to purchase 297
planes next year for the regular branch,
Organized Reserves and National Guard.
% of which would go to the latter and
be paid for out of guard funds. This
would bring the five-year construction
program up to within LOG planes of the
total planned.
For seacoast defenses. provision is
made toward the installation of l6-inch
guns and for completing construction of
emplacements for q number of 240-
nlillimeter howitzers in Oahu. Hawaii;
for continuing construction of emplace-
ments for 16-inch guns at Bruja Point
Canal Zone. as well as for certain minor
armament In the Canal Zone, including
anti-aircraft batteries.
Guard Increase Provided.
The National Guard item provides for
increasing the authorized strength by
1000 to 10000, total of $4,000 for
construction at guard camps, and SILL
SAL 1853 for drill pay. For the Reserve
Officers Training Corps, the appropria-
ton is based upon an average enroll
ment of 127,141 next year, an increase
of 1000 junior students. Approximately
$4,000 boys attended civilian military
training camps this fiscal year and The
figure for this branch is based upon
training a similar number next year.
OF the Panama Canal appropriation,
$1,000,000 would go toward continuation
of the Alhajuela Dam project.
The measure provides only 1926, ,l34
for augmentation of ammunition, as
against $685. 1852 this year. In this con-
nection, the appropriations committee
called attention to an exhaustive study
it had made year ago into war re-
serves of ammunition and requested the
House to give careful consideration to
the advisability of creating definite
reserve looking to the wiping out of an
nual losses through deterioration.
To initiate a program to provide the
Army with reasonable number of
tanks the bill carried an item for pur-
chase of between six and eight light
tanks of newly developed and quite
superior type"
Fund for Light System.
The bill provides S5,233 for installa-
ton of night flying lighting system at
Pope Field. N. c. 1t also provides for
the following:
Fort Benning, Ga.-Non- commission
ed Offices quarters, $4,000; officers
quarters, $4,000.
Fort Bragg. N. C.-Barracks $780,
000;s commissioned officers quar-
ters,s 100000 and officers quarters,
S2l2,oO0.
Fort Humphreys, Va.-Non-commis-
stoned officers quarters, $4,000.
Langley Field, Va-Non-commission-
ed officers quarters. 100000.
Camp McClellen, Ala.-Non-co commits
stoned officers quarters, $4,000; officers
quarters, $225,000.
Fort Mcpherson. Ga.-Addition Of IS
beds to hospital, S150,00o.
Fort Monroe, Va.-Officers' quarters,
$268,0o0.
Camp Leonard Wood, Md.--Non-co
missioned officers quarters, $3.50 900;
officers quarters, $25O,ooo, and hospital,
$l50,000.
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