Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 September 1940 — Page 5

EXPERTS AGREE DEFENSE COSTS TO KEEP RISING

Money Is Spent for Machine Only Now—It Must Be Equipped to Run.

By CHARLES T. LUCEY

Times Special Writer

By C. T. HALLINAN United Press Staff Correspondent

LONDON, Sept. 19-Thousands of Londoners carrying bulging grips trudged out of deep subway stations today after spending a dime for uncomfortable, but comparatively safe [lodgings for the night. The nightly sojourn of Londoners in the subways is one phase of a heated controversy raging around demands that Sir John Anderson, Home Security Minister, provide better and more extensive air raid

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19.—Unless|

world conditions change, the 15-bil-| I spent part of one night in a | {subway station in the heart of the |

lion-dollar defense fund voted this|

year represents only the start of |greds of persons nestle down on cement platforms to sleep

years of heavy preparedness outlays, Army and Navy officials agreed to-| day The money being provided now is| to build the defense machine. Once | built, the costs of operating and] maintaining it will far exceed anything the country has known since the World War The Navy, for instance, with 358 combat vessels at present, has 148,000 enlisted men and nearly 11,000 regular officers on the payroll, in addition to about 9000 naval reserves and 3000 reserve officers

Personnel Costs to Rise

But when 330 ships now building have joined the battle line, at least 450,000 men will be needed, naval officers estimate. Thus personnel costs alone, aside from mechanical

upkeep and maintenance of the expanded fleet, would be almost trebled. War Department finance officers say it is not possible vet to estimate the annual operating cost of the new war machine, but here are factors cited by Army officials—aside from increased size — as presaging increased maintenance costs: 1. Pay increases for all enlisted grades were voted by Congress 8s part of the conscription law 2. Much of the backlog of World War supplies—uniforms, guns, ammunition and equipment of all kinds —is about exhausted or has become obsolete. 3. The mechanized army of the future will cost more to run than the simpler Army of the past

Equipment Is Higher

The $1,600,000,000 first-year cost of equipping and training 800,000 conscripts is greater than it will be in subsequent vears. But using the Army’s round figure of $1500 as the amount necessary to keep a soldier going for a year, the total still would be three-fourths of the firstyear cost, or about $1,200,000,000. Still another cost, which officials gay it is yet too early to estimate, is that entailed in the draft-law provision that all conscripts shall be given “the same pay, allowances, pensions, disability and death compensation” as regular army men with similar length of service. How much this will add to the outlay of the Veterans’ Administration is being studied by this agency. The 15 billions authorized and appropriated this year for defense is more than twice as much as the Army was given in the 15-year period 1925-40

Let Six Billion Contracts

The National Defense Commission has approved contracts totaling $6,100,000,000 since June 27, proximately 60 per cent of all the money appropriated for preparedness at the present session of Congress More than half of the orders cleared by the commission—$3,861,000,000—was for construction of 20 combat vessels to provide a powerful two-ocean Navy. Of the remainder, approximately $461,344 937 was for airplanes for the Army and Navy. In addition, “speedup” letters authorizing preparations for nearly $1,000,000,000 in plane orders have been sent to manufacturers. When the commission’s next progress report is made, it will say, among other things: Current production on the new Garand semi-automatic rifle is over 500 per day. Soon it is expected to reach a rate of 1000 daily.

Seek Synthetic Rubber Plants

Plans have been formulated for acquiring special railroad cars for troop transport. A program providing for an $80,000,000 expansion of synthetic rubber plants has been initiated. Plants are being readied for production of sufficient armor plate for tanks and ships Arrangements have been completed for purchase of 75 per cent of the vital strategic raw materials needed for the arms program.

RED CROSS OFFICERS DISCUSS PROGRAM

Times Special FRENCH LICK, Ind. Sept. 19.— American Red Cross officers of 31 southern Indiana counties are attending an all-day meeting here today to examine the Red Cross’ “preparedness for National Defense” program. Speakers include Lewis R. Sutin of Terre Haute and Everett Dix of Washington, D. C., assistant manager for the Red Cross eastern area. David H. Brown of Indianapolis, organization field representative, is in charge of the meeting.

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There was keen competition to gain the best positions in the deep subways and several persons displayed a technique built up during the last 10 days. A train pulled into the station.

Passengers got out carrying heavy

23 W. Ohio St.

Thousands of Londoners Sleep in Subways, Getting Bomb-Safe but Hard Beds fora Dime

traveling bags and grips as if they were starting on a long journey. Most of them had paid 10 cents to make the journey from other parts of London which are most often bombed. The grips contained pillows and blankets, The first groups of subway ‘‘overnighters” began arriving at 9:30 p. m. They placed their grips at the spots they had selected or “staked out” for beds. Veterans who had been taking shelter in subways since the raids began crossed to another platform and placed their grips under a blueshaded electric light. I crossed over with them, but I could not understand why they abandoned the platform on which they arrived. One of the “veterans” explained: “A stream of hot air blows] through this platform all night. On the other platform, the cold air circulates until you almost freeze

despite your blankets.”

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Asked why he chose a spot under the blue-shaded light, he said: “That's another trick you learn. There are alternate blue-shaded and full glare lights. They stay on all night. It's difficult to sleep under the full glare lights.”

Automatic chocolate machines in the subway did a roaring business and most of them were empty soon after the “refugees” arrived. That's another subway “trick.” Veterans immediately raid the machines to lay in a store of chocolate for the night. Some who arrived late found all the machines empty and caught the next train to another station. Thirst seemed to be the biggest trouble of the subway dwellers, al-

{though about once an hour a sub-

way employee carried a big water can through the crowd and doled out drinks, Mattresses are too bulky and are not permitted in the subways, so that all beds are hard.

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MEXICO ARMY LAW 7 Stra MA OPERATE SOON

A AAI NES

ggled to Get Out; My oC Chute Opened of 300 Feet’

--The Mexican Government hopes | LONDON, Sept. 19 (U, P.)~Here|and made a head-on attack on an- ’ : | y v o that Mexico's new Military Service | 18 how it feels to be in the iddie other Dornter, firing a burst straight up their landlubber role for the Law will be in full operation by of a terrific air battle as told by a at his cockpit after which he saw

merry life of a sailor er i . Jan. 1, 1941. Sergeant Pilot of the Royal Alr the German bail. They are among 200 COC mem-

It was emphasized that this could (Force who shot down a German “As I made a final attack, my | ers selected for training in the not be regarded as a “mobilization” | Plane that fell near London's Vie- right wing struck something,” he merchant marine by the U. 8. Mati [in any sense, since the men called | toria Station and who was forced continued. “I went into a terrific wr Commission. State Welfare 'up under the mew measure must|to bail out of his own craft: |spin. 1 swung back the hood and... pinning be trained before they could be| We Were at 17,000 feet when we struggled to get out. I must have Administrator Thurman hh mobilized. Sw rg > pip uli been doing well over 400 miles ajo announced WY i owar ondon,” he said. e/ hour when I finally got out of the| The four are Robert E. SheckelEstimates as ‘to the number of enemy was converging from the cockpit. People en the ground later|ford, Newburgh; Rex. E. Tabler, men to be calied up in the first southeast. I was in the last section|told me my parachute opened at!/Kouts; Thomas M. Billingsley, Ja{group for intensive training differ | of ny squadron and the squadron | only 300 feet I spun across a sonville, and Fred H. Peck, Terre [but it was believed they might | led us into the attack. {house and dropped my seat down a|Haute number 12,000 or possibly more. “My Dornier took all I had to gutter, slid down the roof and fell Enrollment was on a voluntary Although the new law has been give him. Bits of him were blown into the garden on my back. [basis and was open only to CCC ? : {off and I broke away, intending to; “Just before I touched the roof enrollees between 18 and 23 who (passed and signed, it was under- | turn around and attack him again. I saw a German machine—No doubt have had at least a year's CCC |stood that President Lazaro Oarde- | Black oil covered my wind screen. the one I had attacked--spiraling service. Nine hundred enrollees nas, Secretary of National Defense | I did attack again, but I think it down in a most leisurely fashion. |previously accepted by the MariGen, Jesus Augustine Oastro and | must have been a different machine. “Two girls eame out and saw I time Commission have been trainseveral others still must hold a|Anyway as soon as I fired a big was an R. A. F. man [ing at land stations and aboard the “I was so glad to see them that I| commission training vessel, the h” | American Seaman.

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4 HOUSIERS IN COC TOTAKE SEA COURSE

Four Indiana Civilian Conserva[tion Corps enrollees soon will give

final conference to decide when the | flame shot up.” The pilot said he turned around kissed them bot

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