Evening star., 1950-09-24
VIII Seek Boards
Approval for Move
Booked by Abendroth
By Miriom Ottenberq

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Plans to use the National Guard
Armory for the Districts civil de-
fense headquarters will be rec
commended to the Commissioners
and the Armory Board. Engineer
Commissioner Gordon r. Young
disclosed yesterday.
This move already has the ap-
proval of Brig. Gen. William H.
Abendroth, District Guard COM
mander. but must be cleared with
the Armory Board, Gen. Young
explained.
/ It would save the District the
$25. 900 the Commissioners had
planned to spend on renovating
the former nurses dormitory at
the tuberculosis Hospital, Four
teenth and Upshur streets NV.
for use as civil defense headquar-
ters.
To Take Several Months.
If approved, the move to the
armory would not be made fol
several months because. it would
await installation of the specia,
communications euipment needed
to make a command post Of civil
defense headquarters.
Gen. Young disclosed the
armory plan in outlining his pro-
posals for using the 500, 900 ap-
proved by Congress for civil de-
fense spending here. The budget
item is part of the SIT billion
emergency money bill now await
ing the Presidents signature.
The $1,000 budget is S190, 900
less than the Commissioners had
sought for civil defense. AS a re-
suit. Gen. Young said, he will
recommend to the Commissioners
that the cost of communications
equipment be cut to half what had
been proposed, personnel costs re-
duced to about one third of the
original estimate, other items cut
in half and some items eliminated
entirely.
Budget Proposal.
Gen. Young said he would pro-
pose this budget to the Com
missioners:
1. Between $4,000 and $s5, 900
for, radio and telephone equip
ment to maintain immediate and
simultaneous connections with
the larger number Of agencies
which would have to work together
In event of enemy attack. The
original estimate for communica-
tions was $4,000.
2. approximately $1,000 for
warning equipment. Two or three
noisemakers would be set up at
key spots to test them out and use
them for practice. The Com
missioners had sought $4,000 for
the warning setup.
8. Between $4,000 and s25 900
for personnel in contrast with the
$4,000 originally proposed. This
would include at least one radio
technician and four or five ad-
ministrative employees. The pro-
posed $10.000-a-year civil defense
director would not be appointed
for awhile.
No District Manual Planned.
4. Approximately SIS, 900 for pub
lie education, the same figure as
in the original estimate. Since the
National Security Resources Board
plans to get out a series of
manuals advising the public what
to do in case of attack, Gen. Young
said he saw no point in the Dis
trict getting out manual. Nor
folk, Va. has its own handbook
on what to do if Norfolk were
bombed.
S. Tentatively $4,000 for surveys
of structures to determine how
existing buildings could be rein
forced as cheaply as possible for
shelter in event of attack. Gen.
Young said he hopes to get lot
of volunteer help for this survey.
He expressed the opinion that I'VE
are never going to build REIN
forced concrete dugouts for 800,-
900 people"
6. Approximately $4,000 for
contingencies. This would include
training of key personnel, tabu-
lating experts and equipment
available in 100 different fields
for emergencies, possibly micro
filming some records and buying
some equipment for training in
detecting Pathological contamina-
tion.
Gen. Young's proposed spending
would eliminate not only the Up
shur street renovation job but
also the observation tower re-
quested by the Defense Depart
ment on which the District had
planned to spend $4,000.
Budget Decision Due.
The Engineer Commissioner
said no attempt has yet been
made to set up a 1852 civil de-
fense budget. Within a month,
the Commissioners will decide
whether to seek a separate budget
for civil defense or include it in
department estimates as the police
have done with their budget.
Gen. Young said his proposed
budget for the 100000 puts the
emphasis on communications. The
radio equipment, he said, will in
clude at least two transmitters,
one of which would operate OIL
several frequencies. This would
enable the command post to tune
in on the special police and fire
department frequencies.
The multi-telephone setup, Gen.
Young explained. would connect