Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-03-14
Fl. Peck Urged
As Cantonnlent
For Trainees

William NJ. Ru.Icorn OF Glasgow.
former Valley county state senator
and state relief administrator. who was
in Gu, Bank and Browning Monday
and Tuesday in behalf OF Nontana's
quest OF deserved share Of considera-
ion IN the national defense program.
urged constituents TO Immediately
prevail upon their confessional dele
CATION through Letters ana kilograms
TO help strive for the goal.
OF special import nee TO northeast
Montana. particularly Va.4ey county.
IS the possibility OF Fo-. Peck being
used as cantonment for selective SER
vice trainess. Ruffcorn said.
Pointing out that at the very outset
Il had Accommodations for from 5000
% 10000 men in training. he compared
its assets with those elsewhere in the
country, stressing climati: conditions
so conspicuously partial in Montana in
The venture Of building up Of Done and
sinew Natures implements OF the ideal
soldier.
He cited that the town OF Fort Peck
and adjacent territory was already
under Army control and supervision.
since the $4,000. 900 dam completed
last year was War department pro-
ject.
In short time. he said. Fort Peck
could be expanded al a minimum cost
as to accommodate from 10000 to 10000
trainees. To visualize It more COM
pletely as a training camp he enumer-
ated the following advantages:
II was ideally situated for training
men for service in northern climates:
it had ample and excellent housing
facilities for commissioned and non
commissioned officers; it had thou
sands OF acres of terrain. government
owned ideally adapted for tank man.
euvers rifle, artillery and bombing
ranges; had large laundry. cold storage
and warehouse installations for 5000
10 10000 men; had hospitals schools,
stores. restaurants. laboratory. admin
istration and other buildings; had wa
ter supply and sewage system ample
for a camp Of $4,000 men, and which
recreation h.Sl and theater and athle-
tic fields; had unlimited supply of
natural gas. with elaborate distribu-
ton system for heating. cooking. bak-
ing, shop and industrial uses: had
extensive railroad yards and govern
n2ent-owned shortline rail connection
with the transcontinental Great Nor
thern Railroad
National Defense orders already had
been contracted in the amount of y
billion dollars, he said. with &c more
billion scheduled during the next lS
months.
Referring to latest statistics he said
that Montana gives one out of every
&c OF her population to the nations
army and navy. and so far had been
completely forgotten in reciprocal
projects. Missouri contributes one out
OF every l3l and had gotten s2s9.7l3.-
300 in defense orders: Pennsylvania.
one out OF lie and had gotten s9l0,-
272 goo in defense orders. and New
Jersey one out OF every l4S and had
gotten sl,307 500 600 IN defense orders.
He pointed out that already Mon
taua had given $50 men 70 the army
and navy in the present emergency,
while some $500 draftees awaited call
Thousands Of Montana skilled work
men-machinistS. carpenters electrici-
ans. lumbernen. the cream OF its
youth-had already been drawn to
other states by boom times and high
wages. he said Poetic justice no less
than business Judgment should be
Welded 10 by the National Defense Ad-
viSory Board he said