Evening star., 1934-02-18
" yHILE the militia in the Ma
A | tional Capital has been
lN struggling for months to

n tional Capital mas been
wv struggling for months to
v convince the Public Works
Administration of the i'm
portance Of constructing an armory
here 10 suitably provide for the hcus-
ing and training of the local troops.
preparing to spend 100000 for
armories for its units throughout the
State, according to local guard of1-
cials.. The latter are hopeful that
some plans may be made to provide
the local troops with an armory
which would serve as a model to the
State organizations throughout the
! country, as the local citizen soldiers
composed the only Federalized militia.
The Pennsylvania construction was
authorized by an act of the last Leg
islature and provided that whatever
portion of the fund was obtained
from the Federal Government was to
be paid at not less than one-thirtieth
of the principal, with interest. each
year.
The plans include an administra-
ton building and drill hall at Har-
risburg. The State Army Board has
completed plans and specifications for
armories at Mansfield and Wellsboro
to cost $45,000 each and for stables
for the 1O3d Cavalry at Philadelphia
to cost $4,000. Plans are also said
to be practically complete for an
armory at New Castle to cost S55,000.
1t has been estimated that armories
and other buildings to be erected will
cost approximately S3,0OO,00o. With
the completion of the present build
ing program, it was said the Pennsyl-
vania National Guard will be in ex-
cellent shape from the standpoint of
housing.
The building program includes COM
plete Cavalry post at Boalsburg; COM
plete medical unit armory at Canons-
burg; replacement of present frame
drill hall at Coraopolis; complete ar
tillery post at Ellwood City; complete
armory for motor repair section at
Gettysburg; complete armory for
wagon company at Hamburg; erection
of administration building, abutting
drill hall at Lancaster; complete Cav
airy posts at Lewisburg and Lewis
town; complete medical unit armory
at Iigonier; drill hall adjoining pres
ent administration building at Lock
Haven; complete armory for tank
company at Norristown; armory for
collecting battalion, Medical Regi-
ment, at Philadelphia; drill hall for
176th Field Artillery at Pittsburgh;
complete Cavalry stables at Sunbury;
complete artillery post at Tunkhan-
mock; complete Cavalry post at
Waynesboro; administration building
adjoining present drill hall at Wilkes
Barre
Local guard officials point out that
while the States are going ahead with
their building programs, in order to
improve the housing and training
facilities of their militia units, the
Federal militia is unable to either
get public works money or congress
sional appropriations to even start
improvement on the armory situation
here, and which have been most un-
satisfactory for many years.
No result was obtained from the
application for ar allotment of ST.
100000 of public works money with
which to construct an armory on the
Anacostia River here, and so far as
could be learned the National Guard
Association Committee which was
given specific instructions to work for
an armory has not yet done any,
thing to aid the local militiamen. 1t
was explained, however, that the COM
mittee has been quite busy Of late
looking into appropriations for the
militia at large, and particularly in
getting funds with which to pay the
enlisted men for sufficient number Of
drills to keep them in training.
The local militiamen for many years
have been compelled to take their
training in rented buildings, most of
which have been unsuitable for such
work. At the present time the largest
unit is housed in the old National
Hotel Building at Sixth street and
Pennsylvania avenue, but this does not
have drill hall, with the result that
during the Winter months the inStruc-
ton is confined almost entirely to that
in class rooms. Only in good weather
during the Fall and Spring can they
have large units drill on the public
park nearby. The building is on the
site of the proposed municipal center,
and when work is started there the
militianen expect to get their moving
orders. Another Unit is located in a
building on the Washington Channel
water front, which was originally con-
Structed for use as an armory for the
naval militia when that organization
was a unit in the National Guard.
The colored contingent Is housed in
rented building in the vicinity of
Twelfth and U streets.
For many years Regular Army in
Spectors who have put the local troops
through their annual tests and have
examined their facilities have recon-
mended that something be done about
an armory, pointing out that the
Federal Government should set an
example for the States by providing a
model building here, but even these
recommendations have not borne fruit.
For long time the militiamen had
their eyes on the Pension Office Build
ing In Judiciary Square, as this has a
fine drill hall on the first floor, but
plans already are going forward to re-
model this building for other govern
mental purposes.
Pvt. (f1rst class) Jesse A. Warvin
has been ordered promoted to SER
geant in the Medical Department De-
tachment. 121st Engineers, upon the |
Of the unit COM