Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-02-03
MODERN CITY RULED
BY ARMY OFFICERS
Specialists Head Depart
ments of Government.

I1diIilltOil iclO, Ndih. ASiiiiiio
tered by military personnel under a
system of peace-time martial
law" this modern, compact city,
possessing all the outward char
acteristics of prosperous, we'll
governed community, has no mayor,
aldermen or civilian officials.
Located twenty miles from San
Francisco, along the shore of San
Francisco bay, the city is base for
the general headquarters division,
United States army air corps.
Although slightly differing from
a normal small municipality in that
huge gray army bombing planes
roar overhead in groups of skies
and twelves and occasionally drop
a few tons of high explosive bombs
near by in practice, the purely civil
needs of the city are carried out by
a highly efficient staff of officers,
each one performing different civ
ic function.
Colonel Ranks as Mayor"
The mayor" of Hamilton Field is
Col. Davenport Johnson, command
ing officer of the army air corps
stationed here. In his hands rests
the responsibility for every enter
prise undertaken at the air base.
Advisory board to the mayor" is
the "city council" composed of a
group of officers, each a specialist,
who advises the colonel on problems
of city government.
The council staff itself, although
actually number of subcommittee
of one, are known officially only by
the names of 81, So, SD and S-4.
1t is headed by Lieut.. Col. Clinton
w. Russell, air corps, who co-or-
dinates the activities of the staff and
who acts as mayor" when the
commanding officer is absent.
Councilman" ST. is the personnel
manager. He obtains, Classics and
assigns men to the many specific
departments at the field. This Of
ficer, Maj. Edward D. Jones, air
corps, is also responsible for the
contentment and welfare of the SOL
dierS stationed on the field.
So, or the intelligence officer,
heads laboratory of investigators
whose business it is to obtain in
formation about the enemy-their
numbers, equipment, plans and To-
cation. In times of peace this de-
partment has charge of the fields
publicity.
The satisfactory completion of
training schedules for fiiers and the
performance of aerial missions are
supervised by Maj. Clarence P. Tai
bot, air corps, who is SD, or the
plans and training officer.
Major Is Fire Chief.''
Like every other town, Hamilton
Field has its fire and police depart
ments, weather bureau, park bureau
and communications system.
The ''fire chief" Maj. Walter B.
Hough, air corps, heads the up-to-
date fire department.
Weather here is even more impor-
tant than in civil community be-
cause military aviation requires the
utmost precision in weather fore
casting many hours ahead of sched-
uled flights. 1t was pointed out that
the lives of scores of men aboard
the huge streamlined bombers sta
toned here depended to a degree on
the accuracy of these forecasts. The
weather bureau officer is Lieut. The
odore M. Bolen, air corps.
All athletic activities come under
the supervision of the education and
playground officer. He controls the
administration of tennis courts,
baseball diamonds, badminton and
squash courts, handball courts, chill
dren's Fairgrounds and swimming
pools.
A complete telegraph and teletype
communication system, in addition
to a telephone exchange, is in 49,
hour operation. Three powerful ra-
dio transmitting stations complete
tho eYtaDSiva deparfYoeDf