be lengthened to accommodate the heavy ladened C-124's and super Constellation type of MATS aircraft which will be coming into this base, sir. LAND Mr. DAVIS. Is this land directly related to the runway extension? General RODEN HAUSER. The land, Mr. Davis, to some extent is related to that. Some of it is for family housing on the base. Colonel Price can describe these areas to the committee and I will now ask him to do that, sir. Colonel PRICE. The fee land shown in this program is broken down as follows: 230 acres are for the actual extension of the runway; 460 acres for family housing and expansion of the industrial area; 325 acres for the expansion of the operational area; 48 acres for the Air Defense Command operational requirements; and 77 acres for the aircraft and warning activity at this base. That rounds out to about 1,130 acres. Mr. DAVIS. What kind of land is it? Colonel PRICE. At the present time this land is cutover pine, and one of the reasons that we feel this should go through now, Mr. Davis, is that it is largely unimproved. Our putting this heavy activity in there is attracting builders, as it always does. We feel that this is the time to get in and buy the land, before the price of it multiplies itself several times. General RODENHAUSER. Mr. Davis, I have walked over this actual. land we are asking for in here. On the extension of the runway to the north, if we do not acquire and get started on that project the amount of building taking place is beginning to encroach on that, and the first thing will be that we will be up against again buying people out to get them out of our flight path. It would appear with the amount of construction I personally saw getting started right off the base just almost right outside the fence-going up that highway that runs to the north of Charleston, that it is time the Government got busy and got hold of that. Otherwise we are going to have a very expensive future proposition there. The same is true with the family-housing area which is on the other side of the base but is now just unimproved land. There are just pine trees and very little of any type of thing other than that; underbrush and so forth. If we can acquire that at this time when there are no great improvements in the area it seems to me this is the time to do it. We are going to need it anyway in order to provide the family housing that we want to put into that base; no matter how we get the family housing, whether it is Wherry or appropriated. It seems that now is the best time to accomplish this. Mr. DAVIS. Are there some improved structures in that area now that you will have to buy up? General RODENHAUSER. Not that I recall. There may be some little shacks. Colonel PRICE. There are a few shacks on it, Mr. Davis, but it is not subdivided as yet and it is not improved with any recent construction. But that is what is going to happen. Mr. DAVIS. The average cost is over $600 for cutover pineland. Unless there is something on it it looks awfully high. Colonel PRICE. The value of the land at the present time is very strongly influenced by its potential for subdividing. That is what we are afraid of. I would guess a very few years ago this land would have been quite cheap. I would also guess in the next couple of years it is going to be much more expensive. We have caught it on the rise, before it has been subdivided and before it has been improved, but there is certainly an influence there in view of the fact that we have this payroll going in. It will be desirable property from the standpoint of the builder. General RODEN HAUSER. Off the record. (Discussion off the record.) ACQUISITION OF ADJACENT LAND Mr. MAHON. I would like to say on the record that while some people probably lie awake nights and worry about the land the Govern ment owns, I do not think it is unwise by any means to look ahead and acquire land adjacent to military bases which apparently will be required after a few years. This land will probably never be worth less. There is always a tendency for areas to build up around these bases. I feel very strongly if you do not have all the land you need you should get it quickly, because it is not going to be any cheaper. You ought to be sure of your requirements, of course, but if you decide you do not need it for any reason you probably always will be able to get a lot more for it than you give for it. General RODENHAUSER. Mr. Chairman, the thing that made the greatest impression on me with respect to the growth of communities was around 1948 at Houston, Tex., when I went down to Houston then and did not return again for a year on business. When I came back I could not find my way around that city. That is how great the expansion in Houston was. That has always remained in my mind as to how fast a community suddenly catches fire and grows. I realize they do things in Texas much bigger than we do in other parts of the country, Mr. Chairman. Mr. MAHON. Particularly in Houston, I would say. (Discussion off the record.) DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DEL. Mr. MAHON. Let us proceed to Dover Air Force Base. General RODENHAUSER. The next item is the Dover Air Force Base. Mr. Chairman, with your permission I should like to say that my deputy has been present here with me for 2 days. He is out of the room right now, but he is again present this morning. I should like to have him take over here for a little while this morning so that you can get familiar with him and he can get familiar with you. I am going to be transferred from here this summer, and he undoubtedly will be carrying a lot of this load in the future. I thought it well that we introduce him to you and we introduce you to him, sir. I will turn this over to him shortly. Mr. MAHON. All right. General RODENHAUSER. The Dover Air Force Base is at Dover, Del. This is an important MATS base, a port of aerial embarkation. Like Charleston, it has about the same activity, except that it also has an additional fighter-interceptor squadron. It is a very large operation and involves some $7 million requested in this program for operational facilities, such as a wash rack with which to wash these heavy aircraft that are constantly flying over the ocean, where they are subject to salt spray and other contamination of their surfaces. They should be periodically washed to make them safe aircraft. We have a liquid fuel pipeline for the purpose of bringing avgas into the base and accommodating the aircraft in an economical manner. There is lighting for the taxiway, for safe operations. There is an organizational hangar for the fighter-interceptor unit there, as distinct from the purely transport operation. There is an organizational maintenance shop for the base. On family housing we are asking 352 units of our new authorization this year for this base. That is the principal amount, I might say, Mr. Chairman, of this $7 million we are requesting. It amounts to roughly $4,750,000. There are two items here which I should like to have Colonel Price explain to the committee. Mr. MAHON. Am I correct in assuming those are 5 acres and 9 acres? General RODENHAUSER. Yes, sir. Colonel PRICE. That is right, sir. Those items both have to do with the pipeline referred to above. The first is a right-of-way easement of 9 acres over this 511⁄2 miles, and the second item is a 5-acre tract for the terminus and pumping equipment at dockside. PERSONNEL Mr. MAHON. How many people are at this base? General RODENHAUSER. There will be a total of roughly 8,000 military at this establishment, Mr. Chairman. Of course, as you know, the transient load here will be quite sizable because of personnel coming in and going out through this port of aerial embarkation. Mr. MAHON. Why do you need so many people at a port like this? General RODENHAUSER. There are a large number of transport squadrons, and, as pointed out, there are some tactical units at this base as well, plus the operation of the port of aerial embarkation. The passengers and freight coming in and going out are quite a large volume for an operation of this type. Mr. MAHON. All right. SERVICES OF COL. J. N. EWBANK General RODENHAUSER. Colonel Ewbank has returned to the room, Mr. Chairman. I should like to introduce him to the committee and turn the testimony over to him at this point. Mr. DAVIS. Colonel Ewbank, how long have you been here in Washington working with General Rodenhauser? Colonel EWBANK. For the past 2 years, Mr. Davis, as General Rodenhauser's deputy. Mr. DAVIS. Have you had experience as an air installations officer at bases! Colonel EWBANK. I have had experience as commander of air bases. I have had installations officers working for me. I feel I am well qualified as an installations officer. Mr. DAVIS. What was your last assignment? Colonel EWBANK. My last assignment was at the National War College as a student from which I graduated just prior to reporting to the Pentagon. Prior to that I was commanding officer at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam and also during the Korean war I was chief of staff of the 19th Bombardment Wing. Mr. DAVIS. Are you a graduate of the Academy at West Point? Mr. DAVIS. Thank you, Colonel. Colonel, as to the Dover Air Force Base there have been two problems over the years. One of them is the land problem, because Delaware is a pretty small State and they have very little good farmland, and this was taking some of it. The other problem I suppose was tied to the land problem but it was a difficulty in getting going on the construction program. The comparatively small, unobligated balance shown as of June 30 would indicate you have cleared up the obligation program, so that you are pretty well along there now. Do you still have any remaining land problems in the Dover area? Colonel EWBANK. Colonel Price. Colonel PRICE. We have no outstanding problem except one of adjusting the area for the family housing. That is not a complicated problem. It is well on the way to solution. The problems which you refer to in past years have since been resolved. Mr. McCLOUD. I notice, Colonel Price, we have 2 items of land in the 1955 program, one for 290 acres and one for 129. They are scheduled to be consummated in October. That is all cleared up. Colonel PRICE. I think you will find an obligation coming through sometime this month on those. As I say, they have been subject to some local adjustment. I believe they are resolved. Mr. MCCLOUD. That is part of our unobligated balance. HOSPITAL Mr. DAVIS. We had a hospital problem up there, also. MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N. J. Colonel EWBANK. McGuire Air Force Base, Mr. Chairman, is located at Burlington, N. J. This is a permanent installation, one of the largest of the MATS east coast complex. You will note their mission includes 10 air transport squadrons, and they also have 2 fighter-interceptor squadrons. It is a large port of aerial embarkation. We are asking $5,672,000. This sum is largely for family housing, about $3.8 million. There is another large item of pavement, apron, access, shelter; and a base operations building at McGuire. They are presently occupying an old T/O type structure. They also have a bulk-storage shed, and NCO club, an officers' club, a gymnasium, and also a swimming pool, airmen, outdoor. Mr. DAVIS. There is a gymnasium there now? Colonel EWBANK. Yes, sir. Mr. DAVIS. This is an addition to that, or is this a completely new structure? Mr. GIBBENS. This is a completely new one. If I am not mistaken the existing gymnasium was there only until Hurricane Hazel got there. Mr. DAVIS. You mean there is no existing gymnasium there now? Mr. GIBBENS. I am pretty sure that was the one that was demolished by Hurricane Hazel. Mr. DAVIS. If I read these justifications correctly, there is no officers' club there at the present time; is that correct? Mr. GIBBENS. That is correct. Colonel EWBANK. That is right. They are using a makeshift affair. Mr. DAVIS. Is there a swimming pool there of any kind? Apparently not. Major LANGFORD. No existing swimming pools on the base at the present time, sir. Mr. DAVIS. Why is that officers' club referred to as an addition, if there is none there? Mr. GIBBENS. This 5,000 square foot structure we are asking for here will be an addition to about a 12,000 square foot dining hall that has been used as much as possible for that type of use as an officers' club. It also is an operating mess. PALM BEACH AIR FORCE BASE, FLA. sir, is Palm Beach, located just Colonel EWBANK. The next base, outside of West Palm Beach, Fla. This is a MATS installation. It is primarily a training installation. elements there; mapping, charting squadron training units. They also have some supporting service, and two air transport Here we are asking for $818,000. The largest item is a dormitory for airmen. There are 2 dormitories, each of which would amount to a 200-man dormitory. There is a swimming pool facility for $106,000. The fire station, 3-stall, is shown; and a shop, field maintenance, general purpose. The fire station and the field maintenance shop, general purpose, are both additions. Mr. DAVIS. What do you have there now in the way of a fire station? Colonel EWBANK. We have a fire station on the line that is a crash structure. It is a permanent fire station, actually, and it is right down on the line. It has 4 stalls. It is not large enough to take care of the requirement that we have at West Palm. West Palm is primarily a training station with a large number of landings and takeoffs. The crash fire requirement is rather great. Mr. DAVIS. This would be added right to the existing building? Colonel EWBANK. Yes, sir; that is right. It would be added right s to it. Mr. DAVIS. Give me the same information on this field maintenance shop. That is referred to as an addition. |