Evening star., 1940-12-13
Delay Of Camps
Defers Guard
Mobi|izations
Revised Dates Not
'Guoronteed';; May
Affect Selectees
By NELSON Nj. SHEPARD.

units today to determine how far
delays in providing adequate hous-
ing facilities at Is concentration
centers might jeopardize original
plans to induct 100000 more selec-
tive service men during January.
Secretary Stimson brought the
situation to a head late yesterday
by disclosing the need of revising
mobilization dates for 96 900 Guards
men because the construction OF
camps was between one week to two
and half months behind schedules
AS early as last october, Mr.. Slim
son had arranged tentatively for the
mobilization of more than 10000
Guardsmen between January 3 and
19 The sixth and final group of
Guard units, comprising 1000 men
was scheduled for induction about
February 3.
Now, it was disclosed. 1t is neces-
sary to delay many of the moblllza-
ton dates to April l. The building
program at Fore George G. Meade,
Md, where the 10th National Guard
Division was expected to begin
training in early January, has been
delayed two weeks. For that reason
the 29th Division is not expected to
mobilize until February 3 and Mr..
Stimson warns that there is no
guarantee" that the revised pro-
gram will be carried out as sched-
uled
Housing Chief in Hospital.
Brig. Gen. Charles D. Hartman,
chief of the construction division
of the Quartermaster Corps, was
suffering from the strain of over
work in connection with cantonment
construction and had entered Wal
ter Reed Hospital for an indefinite
stay. He was relieved of his duty
yesterday and Col Brehon B. Som
mervell, Army Engineers, was as
signed to his place.
Col. Sommervell until recently was
w. P. A. chief for New York He
was recalled to Washington about
10 days ago for temporary duty in
the inspector generals Office. Be-
cause of his wide experience in the
construction field it was decided to
put him in charge of the canton
ment program when Gen. Hartman
The 26Oth Anti-aircraft Regiment
of the District of Columbia, sepa-
rate unit, was expected to start
training at Fort Bliss, Tex, Janu-
ary s, as forecast earlier in The
Star. That is the only exception
for any of the Guard units in the
entire Third Corps Area, which in
cludes the District, Maryland, Vir-
ginia and Pennsylvania.
Labor Trouble at Fort Meade
The tWo-Week delay at Fort
Meade, it was explained, is due to
the recent strike of carpenters and
a shortage of labor.
A colored National Guard regi-
ment, the 373d, will not be inducted
into service until March 10 because
Of serious construction delays at
Fort Dix, N j., where it will train
This unit includes a company of
District of Columbia troops, a COM
pany from Baltimore and additional
troops from Massachusetts, Ohio
and New Jersey.
Secretary Stimson could not say
from his own knowledge whether the
induction schedules for Selective
service men would have to be re-
vised as consequence of delays in
calling out National Guard units.
The War Department is planning
to expand the Army to 1,400,0 900 men
by June 80, 1941. OF this number,
100000 are to be taken from selec-
tive service lists. About one half of
the selectees will be used to bring
Regular Army and National Guard
units to full strength
AS of November 81, by which some
10000 selectees had been inducted
into service, the strength of the
field forces was given as 494 ,644
officers and men. They included
387,81l in the Regular Army and
106,833 in National Guard units
called into service.
Officials said that since the Ma
tional Guard is to be brought to
strength of around 100000 men by
June 30, 1941, largely through the
reception of selective service re-
cruits, it stands to reason the delay
In mobilizing Guard units will af-
feet the selective service program.
Army Plans In Doubt.
Nor could Secretary Stimson ven-
ture any assertion with respect to
the housing program for the Regu-
lar Army. 1t was brought out at his
press conference, however, that some
>f y,
Regulars is slightly behind schedule
The Regulars have to take what's
coming to them" Mr.. Stimson
smiled. It's the National Guard
that make themselves felt through
their friends in Congress"
Mr. Stimson explained that the
housing program, involving 40
camps, represented "a very credit
able performance" despite COM
plants about delays. Many of the
projects, he said, involved the con-
struction of cantonment camps as
large as cities of 10000 to 10000 pop
ulation. Delays are bound to hap
pen in such a gigantic task, he
pointed out, and added emphatically
that the new induction dates now
scheduled would be revised If un-
foreseen difficulties again arose.
Contrary to many rumorS, Mr..
Stimson pointed out that labor diff
hculties had accounted for no more
than l per cent of the delay in con-
struction. That was the estimate
made by Isidor Lubin, labor statistic
commissioner now on duty with the
National Defense Commission.
In the Sd Corps Area, the re-
vised dates were announced as
follows: The 28th Pennsylvania Divi-
sion and 104th Pennsylvania Cavalry
February II, at Indiantown Gap,
Pa; 29th Division, Virginia, Mary
land and District of Columbia. the
191st Tank Battalion New York,
Massachusetts,, Virginia and Con-
necticut and the lO5th Pennsyl-
vania Anti-tank Battalion. Febru-
ary 8, at Fort Meade Md; the 1O3d