CONSTRUCTION AT MILITARY POSTS JUNE 16, 1930.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. RANSLEY, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 12923] The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12807) to authorize appropriations for construction at military posts and for other purposes, introduced by Mr. Ransley, having considered the same, report thereon with the recommendation that it do pass with the following amendment: Page 5, line 4, change the colon to a period and strike out all thereafter down to and including line 18. This amendment was adopted because the committee desires that the authority to grant the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad a right of way at Bolling Field as carried in the proviso struck out be considered as a separate subject, and has therefore requested that it be submitted by the War Department in a separate bill. On May 29, 1930, Hon. F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War, acting for the Secretary of War, directed a letter to the acting chairman of your committee urging action on bills to authorize appropriations for Army housing and for Air Corps technical construction for the fiscal year 1932. Mr. Davison and General Summerall, as well as General Fechet, appeared before the committee to explain the serious condition, in so far as housing and technical construction is concerned, that the Army has found itself in because of temporary war-time construction and the delay in the permanent building program for which Congress has been annually authorizing appropriations for some years. The chairman of your committee, Mr. James, has taken a great personal interest in this construction program for some years, and had introduced bills early in this Congress to provide the necessary authorizations to permit the regular annual appropriations. The Acting Secretary of War pointed out to the committee that in order to obtain the necessary appropriations to carry out the 1932 increment of the program, it would be necessary to have this authorization bill adopted at this session. This being accomplished, estimates for 1932 will be included in the Budget and the estimates will then be submitted to the Appropriations Committee in December of this year. The hearings on this measure are on file with the Committee on Military Affairs. The items included in this measure are explained in the order in which they occur in the bill, and are as follows: This is a new site and there are no existing buildings available. Completion of field shops, field warehouse, headquarters, photo, and Bolling Field, Anacostia, D. C. parachute buildings_ Grading landing field and technical building area.. Completion of gas and oil storage_ Total... Ninety-one thousand dollars in required to supplement funds already authorized for the construction of the field shops, field warehouse, headquarters, photo, and parachute buildings. Recent bids received by the War Department for construction of similar buildings have proven that original estimates were too low and this additional authorization is necessary to complete these structures. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars will be necessary for the proper improvement of the new flying field at this station. The above funds will complete all technical requirements for this station. Brooks Field, San Antonio, Tex. For the conversion of airship hangar to provide hangar, warehouse, operations, photo, parachute, and armament facilities... Radio building.......... For the conversion of school of aviation medicine building to headquarters building and dispensary. $25,000 10, 000 Gas and oil storage.. 6, 000 5, 000 17, 000 Total... 63,000 Paved aprons_ The above construction, totaling $63,000, is required at this station to provide the necessary technical construction for the Second Division, Air Service, which will be located at this station in place of Dodd Field, Fort Sam Houston, Tex. No technical construction has been previously authorized for this station. The above funds will complete all technical requirements for this station. Two hundred and forty-two thousand dollars is required to build the additional hangars required for assembly and disassembly purposes in conjunction with the shop building and for the additional hangars on the operating line. One hundred and two thousand dollars is required for the necessary paved aprons and warming-up line. There are no paved aprons or warming-up line in existence at this station. Eight thousand dollars is required for the necessary gas and oil storage needed for the proper servicing of airplanes at this station. Twenty thousand dollars is required for a paint, oil, and dope warehouse for the segregated storage of these inflammable materials. The above funds will complete all technical requirements for this station. The above technical construction will complete all technical requirements for this field. No permanent technical buildings exist at this field at the present time. Fairfield Air Depot, Fairfield, Ohio Completion of hangars, headquarters and operations building.. Paved aprons-- Oil-reclamation building. Total..... $43, 000 51,000 15, 000 109, 000 Forty-three thousand dollars is required for the completion of hangar buildings and headquarters and operations building previously authorized. Recent bids received by the War Department for construction of similar buildings have proven that original estimates were too low and this additional authorization is necessary to complete these structures. Fifty-one thousand dollars is required for the necessary paved aprons and warming-up lines at this station. The above funds will complete all technical requirements for this station. Of the $322,000 included in the proposed bill, $156,000 is required or the construction of two additional hangars to complete the hangar requirements at this station. Of the remaining balance of $166,000, $62,000 is required for the lengthening of the two hangars previously constructed at this station, and $104,000 is required for the installation of fire-proof ceilings, heating, lighting, etc., in the hangars to be constructed from funds appropriated in the fiscal year 1931. Forty thousand dollars is required for a wing operations building at this station. There is no permanent building for this activity at this field: Nine thousand dollars is required for the completion of photographic and parachute buildings. Recent bids received by the War Department for construction of similar buildings have proven that original estimates were too low and this additional authorization is necessary to complete these structures. Eighty-one thousand nine hundred and two dollars is required to complete the necessary paved aprons and warming-up line at this station. Fifteen thousand dollars is required for the completion of grading landing field and technical-building area at this station. Three thousand dollars is required for a camera-obscura building to provide the necessary installation for the tactical training of the bombardment group located at this field. The above funds will complete all technical requirements for this station, with the exception of machine-gun butts. Nine thousand dollars is required for paved aprons and warmingup line at this field. No permanent aprons or warming-up line exist at this station. Three thousand nine hundred and fifty-nine dollars is required for the necessary grading of landing field and technical building area. Gas and oil storage.. Total.... March Field, Riverside, Calif. $5,000 5, 000 Five thousand dollars is required for the necessary enlargement of the gas and oil storage system previously authorized for this station. The above funds will complete all technical requirements for this station, with the exception of machine-gun butts. Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Ala. Completion of hangars, headquarters and operations building, field shops, photo, parachute, and school buildings.. Central heating plants... Paved aprons... Grading landing field and technical building area. Total... $201, 000 20, 000 18,000 50,000 319,000 Of the $201,000 for the completion of hangars, headquarters and operations building, field shops, etc., above, $84,000 is required for the installation of fireproof ceilings, heating, lighting, etc., in the hangars and field shops previously authorized at this station; $50,000 is required for the completion of the school building for which $100,000 has been previously authorized. Since the completion of plans for this building, estimates indicate that an additional amount of $50,000 will be necessary for the construction in this building of an auditorium for classroom purposes; the remaining balance of $67,000 is required for the completion of the headquarters and operations building, photo, and parachute buildings. Recent bids received by the War Department for construction of similar buildings have proven that original estimates were too low and this additional authorization is necessary to complete these structures. Fifty thousand dollars is required for central heating plants for this station. Eighteen thousand dollars is required to complete the necessary paved aprons and warming-up lines at this station. Fifty thousand dollars is required for the completion of the grading of the landing field and technical building area at this station. This will complete all technical requirements at this station with the exception of machine-gun butts and camera obscura building. Mitchel Field, Long Island, N. Y. Completion of hangars, field shop, field warehouse, headquarters and Total. $251, 504 53, 000 304, 504 Two hundred and fifty-one thousand five hundred and four dollars is required for the completion of the buildings listed above. Recent bids for this construction at this field have proven that original estimates were too low and this additional authorization is necessary to complete these structures. Fifty-three thousand dollars is required for paved aprons and warming-up line at this field. No permanent aprons or warming-up line exist at this station. This will complete all technical requirements at this station, with the exception of machine gun butts. Randolph Field, San Antonio, Tex. (first and second units) Ninety-one thousand dollars is required for the field warehouse, parachute, and school buildings at this station. Thirty thousand dollars additional will be required to complete these buildings. HR-71-2-VOL 4-66 |