Evening star., 1947-11-05

Contemporaries
0nArmoryFunds
General Indicates
His PIun Eurmurks
Income for Upkeep
BY NewboId Noyes, Jr.

Brig. Gen. Albert L. Cox, COM
mander of the District National
Guard, is laying plans for strate-
gic retreat in the battle of the
Armory.
Under threat OF heavy legal
barrage from the District Building,
the general is maneuvering for a
"compromise" truce which would
solve the problem Of control Of
funds from non-military use of the
Guards huge Ar1nory building-and
keep the problem out of court.
In a bitter running engagement
with the Commissioners, Gen. Cox
and his forces have maintained that
these funds belong to them. The
city heads say the money belongs
to the District, which built and
maintained the Armory.
Gen. Cox would not say what the
financial provisions of his compro-
mise proposal will be. But he told a
reporter last night it will follow in
general the formula he proposed in
an Armory bill he had introduced
into Congress May %. 1916.
Provided Trust Account.
The bill, the general explained,
provided that money derived from
rental Of the Armory for nom
military use should go to the Dis
trict for deposit with the Treasury
in a special miscellaneous trust &C
count. Money in this account would
be applied toward maintenance and
equipment of the Armory, and any
excess would be turned back to the
Guard.
Gen. Cox indicated the question Of
the disposition of excess funds was
largely theoretical. He pointed out
it had been estimated that rentals
of the drill hall would bring in
about 100000 annually-less than
half the current appropriation for
maintenance and equipment OF the
building.
And this estimate, he added, was
based on the assumption the drill
hall would seat 10, 900 persons Since
then, it has been discovered that fire
safety regulations limit the seating
capacity of the hall to less than half
that figure.
Gen. CoX'S new proposal, which
drew approving comment from Com
missioner John Russell Young, is
based on a formula for joint control
of nonmilitary uses of the Armory
building by a special three-man
commission. The Guard, the Com
missioners and the Washington
Board of Trade all would be repre-
sented on this commission.
While the general tendency at the
District Building was to view the
new proposal as a concession-if not
a capitulation--by the Guard forces.
some officials took a more cautious
view. & $ I
They enyisaged the possibility Of
a delaying maneuver, by which the
Commissioners might be prevented
from taking legal action until a re-
convened Congress, settling the
Armory question in favor Of the
Guard, might remove the basis for
such legal action.
For Gen. Cox Is adhering to his
contention, expressed in a letter
to the Commissioners October "a,
that only by new legislation can the
guard be severed from control of
funds derived from rentals of the
armory.
Suggestion Pleases Young.
Mr.. Young said yesterday that
the suggestion about the three-man
commission seems to him to be
a good one. He said he thought
it could be put into effect simply
by tacking "a few words" onto the
Commissioners armory bill, pend
ing before Congress. This bill
spells out control of the buildings
nonmilitary uses and revenues by
the city heads.
Gen. Cox did not think the mat
ter was quite as simple as Gilat. He
said he thought the Commissioners
bill will have to be considerably
amended"-or perhaps that a new
bill should be substituted for It.
The general plans to present the
Commissioners some draft proposals
along this line within a few dayS.