CONSTRUCTION AT ARMY AIR CORPS POSTS

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS, Wednesday, January 23, 1929. The subcommittee was called to order at 10.15 o'clock, a. m.,

Hon. W. Frank James presiding.

Mr. JAMES. We will take up for consideration this morning H. R. 16503, to authorize appropriations, for construction at military posts, and for other purposes.

[H. R. 16503, Seventieth Congress, second session]

A BILL To authorize appropriations for construction at military posts, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $5,150,306, to be expended for the construction and installation at military posts of such technical buildings and utilities and appurtenances thereto as may be necessary, as follows:

Panama Canal Department, Albrook, Field: Concrete runways, $51,000. France Field: Gas and oil storage system, $10,000; paint, oil, and dope warehouse and appurtenances to hangar, $13,016; concrete runway from hangars. $52.000; six-inch gasoline pipe line from Coco Solo, $20,000; bombing range, $3,555.

Hawaiian Department, new site: Improvement to landing field, $623,000. Wheeler Field: Hangars and field shop, $79,000.

Bolling Field, District of Columbia: Hangars, $90,000; field shop, $60,000; central heating plants, $50,000; parachute and armament building, $15,000; photographic building, $36,000; radio building, $10,000; concrete runways and aprons, $53,700.

Bowman Field, Louisville, Kentucky: Hangar, $50,000; radio, photographic, and shops, $20,000; operations and administration building, $20,000; gas and oil storage system, $5,000; concrete runways, $13,000.

Dryden, Texas: Gasoline and oil storage system, $2,821; operations building, $5,000.

Duncan Field, San Antonio, Texas: Hangars and depot shop building, $220,000; oil reclamation house, $13,000.

Fairfield Air Depot, Fairfield, Ohio: Hangars, $120,000; headquarters building, $40,000; central heating plant, $20,000; paint, oil, and dope warehouses, $20,000. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Completion of hangar, field shop, headquarters building, $35,000; central heating plants, $20,000.

Langley Field, Virginia: Hangars, $524,590; field warehouse, $100,000; headquarters and operations building, $80,000; photo, radio, parachute, and armament buildings, $76,000; central heating plants, $100,000; gas and oil storage system, $10,000; paint, oil, and dope warehouse, $5,000; improvement of landing field, $85,000; concrete runways, $122,098.

Lordsburg, New Mexico: Operations building, $5,000; gas and oil storage system, $2,821.

March Field, Riverside, California: Hangars, field shops, field warehouse, $75,000; gasoline and oil storage system, $10,000; concrete runways, $104,000. Marshall Field, Fort Riley, Kansas: Completion of hangars, shops, and technical buildings, $55,000; central heating plant, $30,000.

Air Corps Tactical School, Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama: Hangars, $210,500; field shop, $19,000; field warehouse, $60,000; armament and para

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chute building, $5,000; concrete runways, $50,000; gas and oil storage system, $5,000.

Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York: Hangars, field shops, field warehouse, $141,000; armament and parachute buildings, $5,000; central heating plants, $75,000.

Randolph Field, Texas: Hangars, $220,000; field shops, $38,000; concrete runways, $232,500.

Rockwell Field, California: Hangars and field warehouse, $45,000; field shop, $100,000; construction of concrete runways, $50,000.

Selfridge Field, Michigan: Hangars and field shop, $122,000; central heating plants, $60,000; concrete runways, $51,000.

Shreveport, Louisiana (attack wing): Hangars, $200,000; field shop, $50,000; field warehouse, $45,000; headquarters and operations buildings, $85,000; radic, parachute, and armament buildings, $25,000; gas and oil storage system, $10,000; improvement to landing field, $85,000.

Tucson, Arizona: Operations building, $5,000; concrete floor in hangar, $1,705.

STATEMENTS OF HON. F. TRUBEE DAVISON, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF WAR; MAJ. GEN. J. E. FECHET, CHIEF OF AIR CORPS; BRIG. GEN. EWING E. BOOTH, GENERAL STAFF, MAJ. RUSH LINCOLN, AIR CORPS, AND MAJ. FRANK M. KENNEDY, AIR CORPS

Mr. JAMES. I will say for the record that I have talked the matter over with General Lord and the bill will be approved by the President. Now who is the first witness?

Mr. DAVISON. Mr. Chairman, I would like to have Major Kennedy discuss the details and answer in detail questions that you may have in regard to this bill. It, of course, provides authorization for the technical construction of the Air Corps for the fiscal year 1931. We are making some progress on the technical construction. Mr. JAMES. Have you any defense here?

Major. KENNEDY. I have a copy of the defense I furnished you. Mr. JAMES. Suppose you insert that in the hearing and let it follow at the end of these statements.

Mr. DAVISON. I can say, though, Mr. Chairman, that in the appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1930 there is still a considerable shortage of money under the amount that was authorized by Congress last year. That point was brought up before the House Appropriations Committee.

Mr. JAMES. What are they?

Mr. DAVISON. The total amount is about $3,000,000.

Mr. JAMES. What items are they?

Major KENNEDY. Your committee authorized $6,200,000 and odd and the Budget cut that to $3,200,000, about, leaving $3,000,000 of authorized funds not appropirated for 1930.

Mr. JAMES. Will you put an itemized statement in the record showing what they are, the places and what they cover.

Mr. DAVISON. Čertainly.

Mr. JAMES. And which of those that are cut out are ones that you really ought to have now.

Mr. DAVIDSON. We will submit that as a part of the record; I did not bring that up, because I did not know whether you wanted to go into that phase of it before the committee this morning. We will submit that, with a list of those for which funds were authorized and not appropriated for 1930.