Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-29
Fund Transfer Urged
To Broaden {. &C.
Training Program
Hearing Held on Plan
To Set Up rs New
Motor Centers
BY J. A. FOX.

Moving to broaden the scope of
the mechanical training program
of the Civilian Conservation Corps
to aid in meeting national defense
needs, a House Appropriation Sub
committee headed by Chairman
Taylor today held a hearing on
proposal to permit use of S630,000
now allocated for other c. G. C.
activities to establish rs new train
ing centers.
With the projected expansion,
which was advocated by Paul v.
McNutt, Federal Security Admin
.istrator, and James j. McEntee,
&C. c. C. director, it is estimated that
5000 skilled automotive mechanics
<could be turned out annually from
10 training centers.
= A congressional group including
Chairman Scrugham of the House
Democratic Steering Committee
sand officials of the National Defense
Commission, the C. c. C. and the
National Youth Administration have
sbeen discussing proposal for even
further expansion of the skilled
: occupation training program of the
&C. C. c. and N. Y. A.
Recommended by Roosevelt.
The shift in the c. C. C. funds,
recommended to the Appropriations
= Committee by President Roosevelt
: a week ago, was made necessary
: because that appropriation was ear
: marked for specific purposes this
: year, The proposal would allot
; $4,000 for buildings and $4,000
: for instructors. Training center
$ buildings now are in operation or
: under construction at A of the
: central repair shops the c. C. c.
= has established to care for its own
: equipment throughout the country,
. and work will be started on the
e other rs as soon as the money is
= made available. One of the central
. repair shops only recently was es-
: tablished at Beltsville to serve SO
-. c. c. c. camps in Maryland and
. nearby States.
: At present civilian mechanics and
+, shop superintendent supervise the
mechanical program which was IN
, stituted for the dual purpose of pro-
, vlding adequate major repair and
: overhaul service for c. G. c. auto
, motive equipment and facilities for
, training the enrolleeS. Under the
, new plan the instruction force will
:, be supplemented by the assignment
Of men whose sole duty it will be to
direct the education of the en-
rollees along mechanical lines.
Would Expand Activities.
Among the jobs which they learn
are specialized motor work, ignition,
battery and electric work; carbure-
ton; body and fender work; chassis
and rear axle construction and as
sembly; painting, and electric and
acetylene welding, with all the va
rious types of automotive equipment
used by the corps serving as the
laboratory. In addition thousands
of the men are trained as drivers
and as operators of road machinery,
while many also learn minor repair
work.
j The plan under study for further
! expanding the activities of the corps
would include the addition of train
ing for tank and airplane mechanics
. and cooks: radio, work, photography
. and mapping, hospital service and
first aid. Strictly military training,
: however, would be barred
Most Below Draft Limit.
. Under such a program, it has been
suggested that the c. c. c. enroll
ment would be raised by about so
) per cent from the present figure of
100000, and there would be cor
responding increase in the camps,
J which now number 1900 An ap-
; preparation of s20O00OOOO each for
the G. c. c. and N. Y. A. for the
new work has been discussed, but
( no decision has been reached. In
addition to the appropriation legis-
! lation, it is believed also that it
smay be necessary to provide for
voluntary enlistment, rather than
Continuing enrolment on the basis
Eof relief need
8 While the age limit of the C. C. C.
is 1928, officials said today that only
az per cent of those in the camps
are over 81 and consequently poten-
stial subjects for the draft 1t is
pointed out that the training pro-
gram not only would equip the en-
rollees to render more valuable serv-
ice when eventually they are called
into the armed forces, but also
would create a new reservoir of