Show e a w AN R BE EAI WM 1 MI W Washington D D. D C. C TERRITORIAL BASES The island bases of the United States are now considered our best safeguard against invasion But army and navy get a scorching rebuke in a report prepared prepared pre pre- pared by the house appropriations subcommittee that inspected territorial terri terri- territorial bases Written by Rep James G. G ham of Nevada chairman of the group the report recommends the I immediate creation of an independent independent independent inde I pendent air force This would be intended to correct two chief abuses i 1 The location of army and navy I bases almost side by side in flat unprotected country thus inviting destruction by enemy bombs 2 Failure to build hangars repair shops and other facilities under under- ground Regarding the first criticism the report states This policy of concentrating highly essential essential essential essen essen- military or industrial structures structures tures in very limited areas cannot be too strongly condemned and may constitute an error of gravest consequences This is as true in our territorial as well as our continental defenses The lesson of the destruction of ot the Polish air force by the Germans at the beginning of the war seems to have gone entirely unheeded by bythe bythe I the aeronautic bureau chiefs responsible responsible responsible re re- re- re In a flat fiat country protected protected protected pro pro- air facilities may be impractical impractical but where there are adjacent hills it seems inexcusable to deliberately deliberately deliberately build bases invitingly located for bombing attacks and so i j close together that an enemy plane plane can hit one if it misses the other I Everywhere the story is the same from Hawaii to Puerto Rico I from Alaska to the Virgin Islands Jamaica and Trinidad Also no adequate plans have been formulated ed for water reserves except to contract contract con con- tract for drilling a few wells with gave uncertainties as to quality and quantity conclusions are that thata a tragedy of the first magnitude may develop unless immediate steps are taken to rectify conditions at the territorial bases His solution solution solution tion is the centralization of all aU military military military mili mili- tary air forces under a single head with cabinet rank ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR AIR AIROne AIROne AIROne One of the significant differences between the war and navy departments departments departments depart depart- ments is the hostility of navy brass brass- hats to civilian scrutiny and control of their operations Deciding that the vastly expanded army air corps needed a central directing directing directing di di- head Stimson and Patterson Patter Patter- son selected Robert Lovett New NewYork NewYork NewYork York banker and World war ace I for the job and had the President appoint him There was no interference interference interference inter inter- I. I ference from the generals and air corps chiefs are working harmoniously harmoniously and effectively with their new civilian boss Navy on on the other hand are fighting tooth and nail to block a similar civilian intrusion into their gold-braided gold realm Through powered high-powered lobbying operations operations op op- op in the house the admirals wormed into the navy appropriation bill a provision that would make it impossible to name an assistant secretary for air The prohibitive clause is a very slick piece of axing On its face it has no connection with the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed civilian appointee It merely bars the expenditure of navy funds for any additional positions at a rate of compensation in excess of a year The pay for an assistant secretary is a year TOUGH DRAFT BOARDS The problem of industrial manpower manpower manpower man man- power has become so acute that defense defense defense de de- de- de chiefs have complained to Selective selective selective se se- service officials that some local boards are too tough about granting deferment to skilled work work- men Ohio draft boards for example are ordering the induction of crafts- crafts I men imen badly needed for the crucial I machine tool program Similar complaints have been made against I Michigan draft authorities for taking taking taking tak tak- ing specially skilled men needed by bythe bythe I the Packard plant now producing Royce Rolls-Royce airplane engines for forthe forthe forthe the British From Virginia have come reports that the draft is hampering the vast naval and shipbuilding program at Newport News The problem of labor supply is also hitting agriculture Agricultural Agricultural Agricultural tural officials fear that so much labor is being drained off farms that some of them want to bar any more defense plants in midwestern dairy and pork sections ROUND MERRY-GO-ROUND Tall moving fast-moving Rep Lyndon Johnson is going to let no grass grow under his feet in his campaign for the seat of the late Sen Morris Sheppard of Texas The young New Dealer who has the public blessing of the President plans speeches an average of three a day George Brooks executive assistant assistant assist assist- ant tent in the labor division is isable isable isable able to keep two secretaries busy taking dictation and at the same time carry on a telephone conversation conversation conversation conver conver- |