The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-04-11
MANY WORKERS
SHIFTED TO BUSY
DEFENSE TOWNS
POURING INTO
TOWNS WHERE CANTON
MENTS AND BARRACKS
WORK NOW IN PROGRESS
BY JACK STINNETT
Alp Feature Service Writer


Much has been written OF the
boom towns of national defense
the cities of workers and fami-
lies that spring up overnight as
thousands of men pour in to
build the barracks, houses, sheds
and shops that go to make up the
cantonments. But there is an
Iother side of the picture.
Small towns-and even larger
|ones-are being stripped of car
Ipenters, tinsmiths and the other
skilled and semi-skilIed workers
who keep city shipshape.
Scores of small-toWn business
land civic leaders have descended
ION Washington, trying to rush
and widen the governments de-
Capitalization program, and, with
defense contracts, trying to stop
the drain on their communities.
II have talked to so many of these
and | have heard again and again
the same story.
The workers are attracted by
wages which, because of steady
work, overtime, and higher
scale than in smaller cities, re-
isult in a monthly wage higher
than most ever dreamed of. They
are packing their tools and NOV
ing as fast as they can.
The Silver Lining
At least one government agen-
cy has taken cognizance of the
situation. At Social Security
they already know what is hap
.pening and SO do many congress
men. But other than continued
efforts on the part of some con-
gressmen to speed decentraliza
'tion, no action is planned
There's nothing we can do
about it,, said one Social Secur-
ity official. "The situation is too
localized now to merit considera-
ton of action. Besides, to try to
slow up the flow of labor to these
deefnse construction n e r S
would be to slow up the whole
program.
In addition. it was pointed out.
what now appears to be serious
matter to merchants and other
residents of some of these COM
munities may prove, in the end,
blessing. The cantonment con-
struction and plant expansion
work won't last forever and when
it is over the workers will return
to their home towns with money
to pay off the mortgages and
buy some of the comforts and
luxuries which they have been
too busy to enjoy.
Then there will be plenty of
men to do the neglected building
and repair work. Business, for a
while at least, will hum--and just
at time when the boom towns
are debating.
II could work that way, of
course. But in the meantime. the
situation is producing some awful
headaches for some Small-town
residents.
A Mass Exodus
One visiting business man told
me that in his community of
about $4,000, more than 700 skill
ed and semi-skilled workers. had
departed. The two nearest cam
torment construction projects
are 200 and 300 miles away. The
city has no defense contracts yet
and thus is benefiting in no way
that il can see from the big build
ing program.
Why. there were a bunch of
the men down to the station to
see me off and one fellow said if
/ came back empty-handed. there
were just II merchants in the
crowd who were going to close
their doors. l doubt that, but il
is no doubt we are hard hit. he
said.
An editor from town of about
5000 only about 10 miles from
new camp told about a ncighhor
whose front door had been
knocked loose from its hinges.
The jamb had split He couldn't
even find a fellow handy enough
with tools to fix that. said the
editor,
Apparently national defense
doesn't hoon everywhere.