Base Information/Correspondence - Installations in Guam Page: 57 of 742
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planning during the 1940s for the movement of the entire Naval Maga-
zine to the northern end of the island and who knew why it had not
been moved.
I again wrote a letter to the editor, telling of these plans.
My commanding officer's reaction was, "We'll never give it up. We'll
never give it up." Seven years later, the Navy finally admitted that
the plans for Cella Bay were a mistake.
Over the years, the need for repeated handling of ammunition at
advance bases has been alleviated through the perfection of ammuni-
tion and supply ships for the underway re-supply and refueling of
fighting ships near the point of conflict. During the entire eleven
years of the VietNam police action, only one shipload of ammunition,
which was reaching the maximum storage date, left Guam. Shortly
thereafter, another shipload of fresh ammunition was off-loaded in
Guam for storage.until some future date.
Mr. President, as the Navy has the responsibility of the stor-
age of ammunition in forward areas during peacetime, the Andersen
Ammunition Dump is practically empty of ammunition.
Meanwhile, the Navy is withholding agricultural lands and con-
sidering additional lands where the only practical access is across
the Naval Magazine--lands that total in excess of thirty thousand
acres. WHY?? When only a little over one thousand acres is phy-
sically utilized.
Mr. President, Guam has no winter. We have a rainy season and
a dry season. With the release of the Naval Magazine lands, those
naturally-irrigated lands could be put to beneficial use, The year-
around springs and rivers prevalent in that area could be developed
to impound water to be used on other parts of the island which are
desert-like during the dry season. An island-wide distribution sys-
tem could be planned to benefit from this water that would require
very little energy to pump into needed areas. Fenw Dam could be
raised forty or fifty feet; this would increase the impounded water
four or five times. Pelton wheels could be put. into the downhill
runs of the distribution system to generate electricity for addition-
al pumping. How far this generation of power could proceed is open;
maybe we could do away withoil- or coal-fired power plants?
The many buildings in the Magazine area could be utilized as
schools, warehouses, slaughter houses, ice plants, fumtgation plants,
areas for raising mushrooms and other economically beneficial pur-
poses.
I realize this is a lo~ngletter, but I feel it ts necessary to
show how and why this condition came about, One last observation:
- In the late 1950s and early 1960s, it became apparent that, for Guam
to progress economically, at least two things would have to occur.
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Base Information/Correspondence - Installations in Guam, text, Date Unknown; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc27609/m1/57/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.