Show GUARD WANTS NEW ARMORY Present Building the Purpose 1 NOTHING BUT AN ANOLD OLD SHACK 6 AFFORDS NO PROTECTION TO GUNS AND AMT EQUIPMENT The members and officers offic rs of ot the na national national national guard in this city want a new armory one that will be a credit to the states state s military organization orga and will give adequate ad te shelter and protection to the t le equipment ment of the guard g ard The present armory according to the officers officers cers cera and men is entirely unsuited for forthe forthe forthe the purposes for which it Is being used and is getting in such a shape that in interest interest terest teres Is being lost by many of the members in the guard work It is asserted that the building is nothing more than a shack that does not protect the equipment from the ravages of the weather and offers al almost almOst almost most no protection against loss of ac a through theft The insurance Insurance insurance ance companies refuse to carry insurance Insurance insurance ance on the valuable contents of the building and as this is government property and the officers are held re responsible responsIble responsible for it a determined protest is being made against further occupancy occupancy occupancy pancy of the place Want Suitable Headquarters The spirit of discontent with the old quarters is general throughout the guard and the members of the latter feel te that the state owes it to itself to furnish a a suitable house for the prop property property property erty of its citizen soldiers The matter has been a topic of constant conversa conversation conversation conversation tion and every guardsman is anxious to see the legislature take some action on the suggestions made in his message to that body by Governor Wells MaJ Ma have gotten into such a state that th t the officers say Unless the state can can give Its guard guar a decent house to store its property prop in the guard had bad better be abolished for interest will be lost lostin lostin lostIn in It and it will dwindle away Colonel Sam s ni Park In discussing the matter yesterday said that the trouble caused the guard by the bad condition condItio of ot the present armory armor was so great that th t protests were being made from front every quarter We have hae in that building said he hemore h hemore more than worth of property belonging to the government and the building affords scarcely any protection for tor it Such a state of affairs is very discouraging to a a military organization tion Captains Are Responsible For instance each captain is under bonds and Is held responsible for the equipment of his men There are in innumerable innumerable innumerable numerable things that he be must look loo after and if anything is lost he must stand good for It The building is in such uch a shape that locks on the doors doo s offer no protection to 10 the stores inside and we are troubled constantly by hair harv haVing ing stuff stolen Then too the building is so rickety that hat the guns and other paraphernalia are not protected from the vicissitudes of or the tile weather It Is impossible tp t keep dampness out of or the barracks and as a inconsequence Consequence the guns rust every time they are put in the racks Then when the inspector general comes around to make an inspection he be finds the guns In this condition m and goes oes after the officers and guardsmen for not keeping them in the proper con condition condItion condition The men do the best they can canI I and nd to have the inspector after them th all ll the time about things over which they have no control discourages them and causes a a flagging of interest Officers Are Discouraged Dis I tell you there are not a a few officers officers officers cers who would just as soon not be in iii inthe Inthe the guard but they feel that they owe oe it to the state to stay there and try to keep up the guard With such condi condl conditions to battle against though you cannot annot expect to have young nn flock flocking flocking ing to the guard for enlistment and it itis itis itis is hard work to keep things going at atthe atthe atthe the pace they should Then besides all this the building is considered so unsafe that the insurance insurance insurance ance companies will not carry insurance insurance insurance ance on the contents and all aU that tha amount mount of government property is there without any protection fire or other destruction The partitions are re so thin and unstable that when any I Indoor games are played or in drill drilling drilling ing any anyone one knocks against them it loosens a lot of plaster that falls off the wall wan and leaves the place in a a very veri bad shape No pictures or anything of that kind can be hung to beautify the appearance of the quarters for the unstable walls w Ils will not support them themAs As a result we have a barren place unattractive and inadequate for tile the th needs of the guard Duty of the State Of course the place Is much mu better bett t than the old one we had and It is i worth the rent that is being paid for It rt but yet it is hr not such a place as the guard of Utah should occupy y The gov government government government Is doing everything it can to furnish f us with the best equipment free of cost and the guardsmen think it is isas Isas isas as little as the state can do to furnish a suitable place for the storing and protection of this equipment With suitable and commodious quarters interest I think would re revive revive vive Ive in the guard and it could be mao made what It should be Money spent in this way would be a good investment too for should there be any an trouble here it would cost the state many times as much as a good armory would to put putdown putdown putdown down that trouble if they had to do it without the aid of the guard or by the aid of a guard that was inexperienced in in military work because of meager facilities for getting the training |