The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-10

A nationwide picture of small towns and cities engulfed by tidal waves of soldiers and sailors on leave from nearby posts appears in the reports of government morale ofncials and welfare agency field men.
 The summary is that tonight and every night tens of thousands of service men will have nothing to do, no place to find beneficial diversion from military routine.
 Many of them, the reports point out, will return to duty depressed and disgruntled, instead of cheerful and refreshed.
 The number of points where troops are now traniing in America is an offlcial secret, but several hundred" Is an admittedly conserv- ative estimate.
 Scores of populous training cen- ters are fringed by small ccmmuni- ties.
 Instances of congestion and over- taxed facilities, culled from reports to the New Ycrk headquarters of the United Service Organizations, include the following:
 In Louisiana
 Alexandria, La, has gained 30,000 perhaps 40,000-population since t became a focal pont for three large training camps. While town officials deny that rackets and other per- nicious influences have increased urduly, one observed, "Tt's easier and faster to slap together . ciapboard drinking shack or juke joint than to build more desirable establish ments"
 Every week end 10000 soldiers pass through or tarry in Starke, Fla, 9 peaceful backwater town of 1,50c souls until Camp Blanding was built The fingers of two hands can add up the movies, passably good restaurants hotels and public washroon1s.
 To evade restriction and supervi- sion, number of so-called juke joints are scattered along the nine miles of road between Fort Bragg and Fayetteville, N. O., the nearest town. .u
 Vallejo, Calf, has no swimming pool, no beaches, no parks for the 1000 daily visitors from nearby Mare Island navy yard. The local " and other existing agencies can care for a maximum of 1900 men.
 A number of communities, like Cheyenne, Wyo., have established their own recreation centers, but all lack funds for an ample, balanced recreation and social program. More than TOO soldiers jam @ floor or 6u by 60 feet, the largest space avail- able for the weekly dance Cheyenne gives for service men.
 From Camp Bowie
 When men from Camp Bowie Texas, where 30,OO0 are training visit Brownwood, population l3,000 they find only eight places with even wasihroom facilities. The joint efforts of the +. M. c. A., the ca. tholic Community Service and the curches can accommodate only 300 men ct 6 time. we need hundreds more beds to rent ct moderate rates" is one community plea.
 At Norfolk, Va., where there art 4s,OO0 visiting sailors when the ship are in, 5000 men receive liberty a one time but the Navy Y.M.C.A. of' fers the only public washroorn, ex' cept those at hotels. An sos iron that area pleads: Multiply by q least three what the Navy "" doing now"
 Fifteen per cent of the soldier on nightly and week -end leave iron Fort Leonard Wood, near Rolla, Mo would tax to capacity the facilitie of seven surrounding towns.
 In Waukegan, Ill, the daily gea of thousands of visitors from tn Great Lakes Naval Training Sta ton, there are two places for then to wash and polish up." On tn other hand, there are 80 juke joint and 50 saloons. The programs an, recreation facilities offered by tn, "Y", ,'the Army and Navy "Y", ant the Jewish Women's club suface fo only 400 sailors at a time.
 Soldiers from Chanute Field, III where I8,000 are now stationed |