Evening star., 1935-12-22
MOTHER ray of hope that Il


a trict of Columbia might re-
4 \ alize its dream Of more than
a quarter of a century and obtain a
new armory appeared during the
week. 1t came in the form Of tele-
gram from the Armory Committee Of
the National Guard Association of the
United States, which informed the
local militia officials that it had filed
with Works Progress Administration
a plan for the immediate construction
of all needed armories throughout the
country.
The information came in tele-
gram from Maj. Gen. Roy D. Kheen
of the National Guard of Illinois and
chairman of the Armory Committee
of the national association. While
the message, it was said, did not give
any details of the plan, it was indi-
Gated that a concerted drive would
be made before the administration to
push the plan through, and also that
united appeal would be made to
Congress to get behind the gigantic
project.
Included in the program is the pro-
posed 81, 500 900 arHory building here
which local officials have been try
ing to push through various Federal
agencies for several years, but with
out success. The matter had practi-
cally been allowed to rest, pending
the conyening of Congress. when il
was proposed to make further efforts
to obtain the money there. How
ever, the fact that the National Of
ficers' Association is starting its cam
paign, the local militiamen are hope
ful that their project will be swept
to final approval with the united
backing of the State officials and the
members of Congress whose support
they can obtain.
While hundreds Of thousands of
dollars have been spent during the
past several years as part of the
work-relief projects to provide armo-
ries in many of the States, the District
outfit has been ignored entirely in its
efforts to improve the training facili-
ties of the local citizen soldiers.
The recent convention of the ma
tional association, upon resolution in
trcduced by Maj. Walter W. Burns,
commanding the 260th Coast Artillery
here and delegate from the local or
ganization to the convention, went
officially on record as urging Congress
to make immediate provision for the
construction of model armory facili-
ties for the District of Columbia troops.
The same resolution also provided for
the naming Of a committee to push
the project on behalf Of the District
militiamen, who have no congress
sional representations whom they can
call on to push through their meas
ure. 1t was believed that if the force
of the national association could be
thrown Fundamentally behind such a
project that the result would come
much more quickly than if the men
worked alone. However, so far as
could be learned at the local head
quarters, nothing definite has as yet
been done to push the local project.
1t is believed, however. that the COM
nlittee decided to tie it up with the
national project and have it pushed
through.
The national officers, it is believed
from reading Of the message sent
here, are mobilizing their forces for a
drive on Congress to bring about better
housing for the purpose of providing
better training for the members of the
National Guard throughout the ceun-
try, and particularly for those units
which are situated in the same posi-
ton as the District of Columbia outfit.
Until the Federal Government began,
as a relief measure, allocating Federal
funds to the States for the conStruc-
ton of arrnories, all of the construc-
ton of these State units was paid for
out of State funds.
The National Guard units are now a
part of the first line of defense and
the first to be called out in the event
of a war emergency, and it was pointed
out that they should have at least as
good facilities as the Regular troops
Many of the units are hampered, as
is the local National Guard, by the
lack of facilities for mass training.
During the armoTy drill period Of the
local troops, the officers and men have
to confne their instruction almost en-
tirely to the theories in the class room.
There is no adequate drill hall for the
purpose of assembling the troops for
mass movements.
The main unit of the local guard,
the 121st Engineers, and the 2eth Ma
tional Guard Division Headquarters
troops are located in a building at
Sixth street and Pennsylvania avenue
which was used as hoteI. The rooms
are small and serviceable only as class
and company rooms and for store
rooms for equipment. However, a
large part of the equipment is so 10
Gated that it is constantly subject TO
fire and water damage, During very
heavy rains those in charge OF the
building are required to throw heavy
tarpaulins over the equipment to pro-
tect it from the leaks il the roof OF
the building, which, being very old,
is hard to keep in repair.
Although the local guardSmen will
give every support at their command
to the National Association program
for armcries for all of the States, 1t
is believed that when Congress con-
venes they also will make an appeal
for their own project. pointing out
that they are very seriously handi-
capped in their efforts to keep them
selves prepared for immediate field
service with the facilities at hand.
Of course, if the local militiamen
should be fortunate enough to receive
funds from the Works Progress unit
for the construction Of an armory,
they still would have to go to Con-
gress for a site. The National Parks
Service has ruled that it does not have
authority to assign a site for build
ing an armory here. A site that was
proposed in Anacostia Park on the
Eastern Branch, at the eastern termi-
nus of East Capitol street, has been
rejected by the National Capital Parks
and Planning Commission which de-
cided that the area selected was need