ALBROOK FIELD, CANAL ZONE, PANAMA

The bill introduced on yesterday by Mr. James, authorizes new construction at this flying field, as follows: $75,000 for noncommissioned officers' quarters to accommodate 50 bachelor, noncommissioned officers; $30,000 for noncommissioned officers' service club; $40,000 for officers' mess; $25,000 for guard house; $25,000 for garage; $10,000 for quartermaster warehouse; $12,000 for theater; $20,000 for gymnasium; $12,000 for post exchange; $10,000 for fire station; and $15,000 for magazines.

Congress has previously authorized the following construction at this station: $30,000 for a dispensary; $560,000 for barracks to accommodate 634 enlisted men; $539,000 for quarters to accommodate 90 married noncommissioned officers; $778,000 for quarters to accommodate 71 officers.

No permanent quarters existed at this station prior to the inaguration of the housing program.

This is a new flying field, and the funds authorized by the last Congress will provide for the first permanent construction.

This completes all housing for officers, noncommissioned officers, enlisted men, nurses, and hospital patients at this station.

Mr. JAMES. General, what will be needed there to complete the entire program for Albrook Field?

General SUMMERALL. We have a great deal of grading to be done and some road building.

Mr. JAMES. Is there any construction outside of that?

General SUMMERALL. Only the construction of a quartermaster maintenance building and shop at an estimated cost of $10,000. Mr. JAMES. You may continue.

COROZAL-CORUNDU AREA, CANAL ZONE

General SUMMERALL. The bill introduced yesterday by Mr. James authorizes new construction at this station, as follows: $80,000 for 12 sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters; $319,500 for 23 sets of officers' quarters; $10,000 for material for an engineer map-reproduction plant to be erected by engineer troops.

Congress has previously authorized new construction at this station as follows: $357,400 for barracks to accommodate 500 men.

This is a new station and the funds authorized, as noted immediately above, provided for the first permanent construction.

Mr. JAMES. General, we gave you in the last bill some additional money for barracks in the Corundu area.

General SUMMERALL. This for the Corundu area. I speak of the whole area, and there is one item.

Mr. JAMES. In the last bill (H. R. 13825) there was $357,400 for barracks to accommodate 500 enlisted men at Corundu, Panama Canal. Is not this the same thing?

General BOOTH. The requirements there, above this, are for 3,343 enlisted men.

Mr. JAMES. I know; but it says here that the funds authorized above provided for the first permanent construction. That is not exactly correct, because in H. R. 13825 we provided for $357,400 for barracks to accommodate 500 enlisted men.

General BOOTH. That was the first construction.
Mr. JAMES. But this is not for the first construction?
General BOOTH. The $357,400 is.

Mr. MCSWAIN. It means the one immediately above?

General BOOTH. It means the one immediately above; yes, sir. Mr. JAMES. Then what you mean is that this is not under this bill. You mean the one immediately above?

General BOOTH. Yes.

General SUMMERALL. Exclusive of the construction in this bill and in the last bill (H. R. 13825), the following requirements will still be necessary: Accommodations for 156 officers, 99 noncommissioned officers, 2,843 enlisted men in barracks, and 300 hospital patients.

FORT DAVIS, CANAL ZONE

General SUMMERALL. The bill introduced on yesterday by Mr. James authorizes new construction at this station as follows: $95,500 for barracks to accommodate 119 men; $57,000 for seven sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters; $117,000 for seven sets of officers' quarters.

The above construction at Fort Davis will replace buildings of the canal construction period, which are in a delapidated condition and beyond economical repair. The permanent quarters at this station prior to the inauguration of the Army housing program accommodated 1,944 enlisted men, 55 officers, and 24 noncommissioned officers. To complete the housing program accommodations are still required for 19 officers, 8 noncommissioned officers, and 120 patients in hospital.

Except for $557,800 appropriated for the construction of the Atlantic general depot in the Fort Davis area in 1925, $201,900 for improving ammunition storage conditions recently authorized and Air Corps construction now authorized, no funds of any importance for housing in the Panama Canal Department have been available since $2,400,000 was spent for the concrete construction at Forts Davis and Clayton in 1920-1922.

Mr. JAMES. Fort Davis is the old place built in the French days? General SUMMERALL. No, sir; Fort Davis was built about 1919.

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAIIAN DEPARTMENT

The bill introduced yesterday by Mr. James authorizes new construction at this station, as follows: Seventy-five thousand dollars for 22 sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters, and $225,000 for 17 sets of officers' quarters.

Congress has previously authorized new construction at this station, as follows:

Eight hundred and thirty thousand dollars for barracks to accommodate 1,150 men; $172,000 for 40 sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters; $300,000 for 22 sets of officers' quarters; $65,000 for quarters to accommodate 28 nurses, and $900,000 for a hospital to accommodate 418 patients.

The permanent quarters at this station prior to the inauguration of the housing program by the last Congress accommodated 7,000 enlisted men, 38 noncommissioned officers, and 371 officers.

This completes the hospital and nurses' quarters requirements for this station. Additional housing is still required for 106 officers, 118 noncommissioned officers, and 850 men.

Mr. JAMES. How many sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters are there at Schofield Barracks and how many sets of officers' quarters to complete?

General SUMMERALL. One hundred and eighteen sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters and 106 sets of officers' quarters are still needed.

Mr. JAMES. Do you know whether they have started construction out there on the houses and barracks, and if so, how long ago that construction was started, and how far along they have gotten? General BOOTH. Funds are not available until the 1st of July. Mr. JAMES. None of the money?

General BоOTH. No, sir.

WHEELER FIELD, HAWAIIAN DEPARTMENT

General SUMMERALL. The bill introduced yesterday by Mr. James authorized new construction at this flying field as follows: $15,000 for fire station; $25,000 for guardhouse; $10,000 for quartermaster utilities, warehouse, and shops; $30,000 for garage; and $70,000 for gymnasium, post exchange, and theater.

Congress has previously authorized the following construction at this station:

Five hundred and four thousand dollars for barracks to accommodate 568 enlisted men; $411,600 for 66 sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters; $816,000 for 66 sets of officers' quarters, and $40,000 for a dispensary.

All construction at this station prior to the present program has been of a temporary nature and must be replaced by permanent construction.

This completes all housing requirements for noncommissioned officers and enlisted men, and 63 out of the 70 sets of officers' quarters required, leaving a balance of 7 sets still required.

Mr. JAMES. What is the next item?

FORT WILLIAM M'KINLEY, PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT

General SUMMERALL. The bill introduced yesterday by Mr. James authorizes new construction at this station as follows: $10,800 for two officers' quarters, and $5,340 for a storehouse.

This is the first authorization for permanent construction at this station.

CAMP STOTSENBURG, PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT

The bill introduced yesterday by Mr. James authorizes new construction at this station as follows: $426,760 for barracks to accommodate 426 men, and $55,000 for nine sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters.

Other than some Air Corps construction, no permanent new housing has been constructed in the Philippines since the completion of concrete buildings at Fort Mills in 1916. Camp Stotsenburg was

constructed of wood in 1904, and Fort William McKinley between 1904 and 1914. Practically all wooden buildings throughout the department have so deteriorated that the money and labor now required for their upkeep is uneconomical, and with the repair money available it is impossible to keep up with the deterioration. This is the first time we have introduced the Philippine Islands, and this is a part of the permanent program we have now developed for replacing those buildings and providing housing for those troops. Mr. JAMES. Have you any report on conditions in the Philippines as to the housing there? Have you had any report from the commanding officer there regarding conditions in the Philippines?

General SUMMERALL. Yes, sir; we have a report and a program. Mr. JAMES. I wish you would put in the record a part of that report, not all of it, so we can get an idea as to what the conditions are out there.

General SUMMERALL. Yes, sir; following is a brief statement in reference to program in the Philippine Islands:

Between 1901 and 1910, semipermanent frame construction was provided for the Philippine garrison. This included barracks, quarters, warehouses, etc. All wooden construction in the Philippines is subject to rather rapid deterioration, due primarily to ravages of the white ant and, incidentally, to dry rot. The condition of some buildings now is such as to make further repairs most uneconomical, and other buildings are progressively reaching this same condition.

The commanding general Philippine Department has made a very thorough and comprehensive study of the whole project, covering a period of nearly two years. A provisional report has reached the War Department, including a comprehensive plan for meeting the housing situation in this department. The plan contemplates the maintenance and upkeep of all temporary buildings so long as it is economically possible to do so, then to replace the buildings by new construction. The plan covers upkeep and construction over a period of 10 years, which is about the maximum length of time that any of the present construction will remain useful. The estimated cost is approximately $3,000,000 for upkeep and $9,000,000 for construction, or about $1,200,000 each year. The major items of new construction required and the estimated cost of each in round numbers are as follows:

The program outlined above does not include the construction of quarters for military personnel now on rental allowance status in the city of Manila. This personnel will continue on allowance status, which is the policy followed in most of the large cities in the United States.

Mr. JAMES. How long is it since you have been out there yourself? General SUMMERALL. Not for 26 years.

Mr. JAMES. Then all of this has happened since your time?

General SUMMERALL. Yes, sir.

Mr. JAMES. What is the next item?

FORT ETHAN ALLEN, VT.

General SUMMERALL. The bill introduced by Mr. James on yesterday authorizes new construction at this station as follows: $15,000 for two sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters.

This is the first authorization for permanent construction at this station under the housing program.

The permanent quarters at this station accommodates 1,542 men, 16 noncommissioned officers, and 53 officers. This completes the program at this station except that quarters for five noncommissioned officers are still required.

FORT BENNING, GA.

The bill introduced yesterday by Mr. James authorizes new construction at this station as follows: $100,000 for 17 sets of noncommissioned officers, quarters, and $600,000 for 43 sets of officers' quarters.

Congress has previously authorized new construction at this station as follows:

$1,490,000 for barracks to accommodate 2,360 enlisted men; $656,000 for 102 sets of noncommissioned officers' quarters; $484,000 for 38 sets of officers' quarters; $315,000 to complete the hospital for 234 patients; $65,000 for quarters to accommodate 28 nurses, complete; and $60,000 for a dispensary, complete.

The permanent quarters at this station prior to the inauguration of the Army-housing program by the last Congress accommodated 10 noncommissioned officers, 71 officers, and 102 patients in the hospital. To complete the housing at this station, additional accommodations for the following personnel are still required: 430 officers, 22 noncommissioned officers, and 2,558 men.

Mr. JAMES. You have some bad roads down there?

General SUMMERALL. We have some very bad roads; yes, sir. Mr. JAMES. How much money do you get each year for Fort Benning?

General SUMMERALL. What we have procured for construction is as just stated. We have had no appropriations for roads specifically, and the whole road system there needs consideration.

Mr. JAMES. Do you not get a certain amount for roads each year? General SUMMERALL. We have in our maintenance funds a certain amount allotted to each station, but that would not be enough to undertake a new road-construction program. It is merely for repairs, and to keep in usable condition the roads that are built now, that are now in existence.

Mr. JAMES. One of these days you are going to ask for money for roads, otherwise you are going to have some good barracks and good officers' quarters there, and it is going to be pretty hard to get around.

General SUMMERALL. Yes, the need for roads is very urgent.
Mr. JAMES. How much would it take?

General SUMMERALL. We need a minimum of $90,000, using local post labor, and if some of it is done by contract, which we would like to do, it would require about $150,000 for the most necessary roads on the post among the buildings.

Mr. JAMES. Which is the more necessary at this time, the money we are giving you for barracks, or to use part of the money for roads?

General SUMMERALL. The money here provided is for officers and noncommissioned officers' quarters. We feel that a part of the money for these officers' quarters might well go for roads.