Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-03-11

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voluntary basis at personal incon-
venience because they care a lot
that the things provided for the
soldiers and sailors in the reserva-
lions should help make them better
fighting men if they have to fight
to defend their country, and better
citizens when they return to civil
life.
Communities Helping
Off the military and naval reserva-
tionS, the Army and Navy are no
longer in charge. The men are
free to go into the communities
adjoining the camps. Every COM
munity is doing its share to pro-
vide decent and attractive surround
ingS, but where the community is
small and the adjoining camp is
large, the community may need out
side help. Even our cities may need
help to coordinate their services.
The Federal Security Agency was
directed last December to supervise
the work being done in so-called
defense communities. In February
Paul McNutt, Federal security adj
ministrator, appointed Charlie Taft
of Cincinnati assistant co-ordinator
in charge of the defense activities
of the agency. He is here with us
tonight.
Mr.. Taft, will you tell us about
the work the Federal Security is do
ing for our soldiers and sailors?
Mr.. Taft's Talk.
Text of Mr. Taft's talk:
The Army is interested in what
the soldiers find when they go to
town because it has a tremendous
amount to do with their morale and
effectiveness as fighting men.
If boys family comes down to
see him over a week end and has
to sleep in the car or on the bench
in the railroad station, he gets
mad.
If he goes to town himself for
the week end and he has to sleep
on the floor in a warehouse, he is
not so good when he gets back to
camp.
Anybody would understand the
necessity for driving out CONNER
cialized vice but lack of these sim
pie needs like toilets, sewers, place
to rest your dogs, good food for a
fair price, pleasant place to get |
a glass of milk and sandwich, all
of these have direct effect on the
morale of the Army even though
they all are relevant only to the
off hours of the soldiers.
That is, in sense, the negative
approach.
Hometown Atmosphere.
Afflrmatively, the man in uniform
is a long way from home and to
make him a good all-around soldier
you need to maintain just as far
as possible the ordinary hometown
atmosphere. You need to convince
the families In the community that
these are boys just like their own,
that they are longing for ordinary
hospitality and social contacts.
Most of them belong to churches at
home, they are used to going to
the Y M. C. A. or the knights of
Columbus. We want to establish
the same sort of contacts outside
the camps.
The camps are in interesting areas
often. Sightseeing is always of in
terest. There may we'll be oppor-
tunity for stimulating hobbies and
even for some measure of informal
lectures, special movies and other
semi-educational events. Soldiers
need somebody to talk to who is
not a superior officer and their
families need help when they come
to town.
Recreation Includes All These.
Recreation is a restricted term
but for our purposes it includes
all of these things that have been
describing. 1t is even our job to
set up methods for improving the
service of commercial organizations
and eliminating proflteering. Our
agency is not going to operate these
programs, The primary RESPONSE
bility must rest on the local COM
munity itself. We expect to rely
on existing local organizations or
where that is not possible or not
sufficient we have been offered and
have accepted the help OF the
United Service Organization, a group
which is made up of the Y. M. G. A.,
Y. w. C. A., Salvation Army, Jew
ish Welfare Board and Travellers
Aid, the National Catholic Com
munity Service.
They are going to operate most of
our recreation buildings which we
expect to build in defense areas If
the community facilities bill passes
Congress.
Housekeeping Important.
The morale of the soldier Is pro-
foundry affected by the town house
keeping around the camp. We are
trying to secure adequate building
regulations and zoning regulations
in order to prevent slums outside
the gates.
1t is our job to see to it that ade-
quate sewers, water lines and sewage
disposal plants are set up to pre-
vent the ordinary sources OF diseases.
We shall have to do a good deal of
ditching and mosquito destruction
in order to eliminate malaria. Hos
pitfalls and clinics will be needed to
some degree for civilians where
otherwise the absence of medical
care might lead to epidemics.
Some families, both of construc-
ton workers and of other civilians
looking for jobs or expecting to
serve the needs of the camp are go
ing to be stranded. To let those
families go hungry has its roper
cussions on the community and
therefore on the camp.
Problem of Prostitutes.
One Of the best advertised prob
lens has to do with the importation
of prostitutes by commercial inter-
ests and the spread of venereal dis
ease
The position of the Army and