Evening star., 1943-06-25
Ramspeck Charges
Politics in Selection
OF Army Plant Sites
Explonotion of Use
Of Coneested Areas
Asked of Gen. Adler
By WILL P. KENNEDY.

Accusations that political
consideration" influenced the To-
cation of certain Army air COM
mand centers were made today
by Chairman Ramspeck of the
House Civil Service Investigat-
ing Committee when Brig. Gen.
Elmer E. Adler, chief of opera
tions and training division, Air
Service Command, Patterson
Field, Fairfield. Ohio, was the
witness.
Gen. Adler replied that there was
a basic strategic plan of location
for such centers, considering the
adequate defense of all sections of
the country. and this plan of loca-
ton was flexible to provide for
changing conditions. He empha-
sized that the Air Forces did not
have much to do with pin pointing
particular locations.
Gen. Adler was the first witness
who has been actually engaged In
important fighting overseas in the
present war. He has held his pres
ent job since February, after serv-
ice in India, the Middle East and
Russia for IA months. He was sec
ond In command to Maj. Gen. Lewis
II. Brereton and was the command
ing general of the 9th and 10th Air
Forces.
Questions Industry Locations.
Chairman Ramspeck also ques-
toned the witness regarding the
setting up of great army posts, where
as many as $4,000 civilian employees
are congregated, near industrial GEN.
ters, causing serious housing and
transportation problems. He said
this caused serious absenteeism con-
ditions.
He said the Army had insisted on
putting such facilities in places al
ready overcrowded, and forced Con-
gress to appropriate millions of dol
lars to relieve the situation. Mr.
Ramspeck complained that the War
Department did not put an industrial
project where there was labor
supply but forced the labor to be
transported to the project.
He said that Dayton is an out
standing example, and asked Gen.
Adler to justify the location and
rapid expansion of the Air Forces
in that area.
The general answered by speci-
fying that all the larger units of
emplacement had been there long
before the war emergency. Dayton,
he said, had been designated as
Critical Defense Area No. l. be-
cause of the concentration and be-
cause 1t was highly industrialized,
but that through persistent efforts
this situation has been corrected
and that it is soon to be relieved of
that designation.
Mr.. Ramspeck said he had been
informed that the air activities
were moved from Washington to
Patterson Field. 8 miles from
Dayton, against the advice OF the
Civil Service Commission" He
called it an outstanding mistake. 3"
and said a similar mistake was made
at Macon, Ga.
Il cannot understand why the
Army insists on doing that sort of
thing" he complained.
The chairman, himself a Georgian.
insisted that he knew" political
considerations had entered into the
location at Macon, and asked for
specific details regarding the situa-
ton there. He also asked why the
Army is now building new depot at
Miami. Gen. Adler replied that mil
itary reasons prevented him from
answering that question in an open
hearing.
Chairman Ramspeck and billiard
LaSseter. the committees chief
investigator, and Representative
Rees, ranking minority member of
the committee, all asked questions
regarding table showing absentee
ism at various Army industrial and
service centers.
Figures on Absenteeism.
This table showed that in April,
this year, the records of 149,l39 ci-
villain employees at eight air fields
showed an average of 8.76 per cent
absenteeism, while that of Patterson
Field was recorded as the highest,
l1.56, of which 431 per cent was
absence without leave The absentee
ism at Oklahoma City was quoted in
comparison as only SGT per cent.
Gen. Adler and Col Gordon E.
Clark, chief of the Civilian Person.
mel Division, explained that the wide
variation was due to different classes
Of people, the sort of work to be
done, the timing" of such work and
the agencies performing it, and
more largely to strict department
mandate against granting leave,
which is now being modified.
A thorough study Of the entire
problem is being made, they said,
and much better record is prom
isaS