Evening star., 1939-12-18
Congressional Unit
Differs With Army
On Defense Needs
Feels Protection Against
Possible Air Attack
Is Being Neglected

By the Associated Press.
Military recommendations of
congressional group based on
Is, 5,O00-mile tour OF Army posts, air.
plane plants and arsenals are STIR
ring up an argument over the best
methods of bolstering national de-
fenses.
Proposals advanced by Senator
Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma, as
spokesman for the Is Senators and
Representatives do not jibe in many
particulars with expressed ideas of
the Army general staff.
Among the suggestions which Sem
ator Thomas outlined are the fol-
lowing:
Expand the size of airports and
training areas for troops, speed up
the production of emi-automatic
rifles, modernize the field artillery
and give 'specal and immediate at
tention" to defense measures against
possible enemy air attack.
The group OF legislators, Senator
Thomas said, felt that "the de-
tense against air attack is being
neglected"
Some War Department officials,
however, are not enthusiastic about
increasing anti-aircraft defenses
before taking other measures which
they consider more urgent.
More Guns Than Crews.
The Army now has in service or
on order probably 400 mobile 3-inch
anti aircraft guns, considerably
more than there are trained troops
to man them.
One military argument is that
with existing odds against trans
oceanic air raids, it would be i'm
practicable to provide in advance
even large proportion of the guns
that might be needed. London alone
requires 900 for protection.
To provide enough guns to defend
New York and other large cities,
along with the men to operate them,
would require the bulk of prospec-
tive defense funds. Military men
argue that the guns would be obso-
lete before they could be used.
Modernizing field artillery stirred
a controversy at the last session of
Congress, when the House Appro-
priations Committee voted funds to
improve only four existing 75-milli-
meter field pieces of the World War
type, instead of "A as asked by the
War Department.
The committee reported that "the
75-millimeter gun is being sup
planted in foreign armies with the
105-millimeter weapon, which has a
greater range and fires a heavier
she'll
Get Extra Allowance.
Disputing the contention, the War
Department renewed the request
and got an extra allowance. Brig.
Gen. G. B. Tyner of the general
staff testified that the Army had
about $500 of the 75-milhmeter
guns which needed an outlay of only
$4,000 each to be made into one
OF the worlds best weapons of the
kind.
AS for the semi-automatic rifles,
War Department officials appear
confident that they are being turned
out at satisfactory rate.
The Springfield Arsenal is COM
pleting 200 rifles a day, more than
10000 are in service, and the War
Department this fall gave a COM
mercial firm a contract for an ad-
ditional $4,000 In reserve the Army
will have more than 1000 900
Springflelds, the present service
rifle, and World War Lee Enfields.
The War Department has sup
ported proposals to increase the size
of air fields to accommodate bigger
bombers and to add acreage to train
ing areas to permit mass maneuvers.
But Gen. Malin Craig. retiring last
summer as chief of staff, defended
the small posts which the congress
sional inspectors proposed to aban-
don, and said they were valuable
means of training junior officers for
| higher commands.