Evening star., 1945-02-12
5MiIIion Voted
For Projects at
Soldiers Home;
Postwor Program
Wins Approval of
House Committee

"A postwar construction and inn
provement program for Soldiers
Home, costing S5,194,00O, would be
drafted under the terms of the 1946
War Department civil functions ap-
preparation bill reported to the
House today. The bill includes
$4,000 for preparing plans and
specifications so the program can
be started Immediately after the war.
The supply bill, approved by the
House Appropriations Committee.
provides for an outlay of 500, 1865 $40,
all but $l1 100000 of which was allo-
Gated to the Army Engineer Corps
Tor maintenance and improvement
OF the War-curtailed rivers and har-
bors and fiood-control program.
The bills total was SO 309 900 below
appropriations for the same pur-
pose this year and S97,3O under
budget estimates. An appropriation
of $1,2l3,600 for operation of the
Soldiers Home for the coming fiscal
year was included.
Little for New Projects.
Only $3,970,000 was allocated for
new rivers and harbors work, ths
committee asserting such projects
must be held to minimum because
OF manpower and material Short
ages.
Slightly more than $1,000, 900 was
set aside for new food control con.
struction, in addition to 10000. 900
Tor flood control operations on the
Mississippi River and its tributaries.
The new Mississippi funds boost to
approximately s547 100000 the
amount appropriated for that prof.
ect, for which Congress has author
lied an expenditure of 1852 ,982, 900.
The committee recommended
s2,050,000 for continuation of flood
control work on the Sacramento
River in California and approved an
allotment of s8,1o8,80O for the
Panama Canal. Of that amount
S4,l37 900 was earmarked for main
tenance and operation, S1,784 200 for
sanitation work, 81, ,377 900 for civil
government activities and $4,000
Tor construction and new facilities.
The list of projects for the SOL
dler's home includes new 250-man
barracks costing S1.0O0,00O: a 100
man barracks costing s400 900, and
a 50-man barracks, 5000 900, a new
poultry house, 100000, and an addi-
ton to La Garde Building, $500 900.
Stanley Hall Aid Conditioning.
The survey of needs for the home,
already completed, also provides for
air conditioning Stanley Hall at a
cost of s5000O.
The largest item in the proposed
program is for repairing and re-
modelling lit existing buildings, a
total of 1887 ,000 Improvements
to the water. sewer and heating sys-
TENS would cost about s545 900,
while additional fencing, extension
| of parking facilities and roads
would require about $50, 600, accord
ing to the report.
The home is operated by a trust
fund built up from deductions of 10
cents month from the pay of en-
listed men in the Army and
amounting to sl2,253,575 as of June
80, 1914.
Col. D. C. Cordiner, acting gov.
ernor of the home, told the commit
tee: No major improvements or
major construction work have taken
place at the home for a number of
years. During this war, even gen.
eral repairs have been limited to
minimum requirements, due pri-
marily to difficulty in obtaining
labor and materials.
Careful Survey Made.
However, with a view to being in
readiness to start work on a COM
prehensive building program i'm
mediately on the conclusion of the
war, and thus affording employment
to discharged soldiers on demobili-
zation, careful survey of require
ments was undertaken
The report of Col Cordiner
brought out that of the 1,l93 resi-
dents of the home at the end of
the past fiscal year, only one was
a veteran of the Civil War and "a
were veterans of this war. There
were 356 men from the World War,
The Oldest member was 81 and the
youngest 80.
The bill also contains $4,000 for
maintenance and operation of the
water service for the Pentagon and
other Government structures in
nearby Virginia.
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