Imperial Valley press., 1941-02-21
by Peter Edison. :.
The Inside Track in Washington

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 - Sol
oier would YOU just listen to TINS:
Three thousand to 1000 hostesses.
recruited from the 10000 govern
ment employees.
Dancing in the streets every nee
night all summer long, in the big
square between the two Agricul-
ture Department buildings.
Show in the Labor Department
auditorium every Sunday.
Show in the interior Department
auditorium every Monday.
Show in the Agriculture Depart
ment every Tuesday.
Radio broadcast quiz program
from the Labor Department audi
tofium. with prizes for the SOL
diers and government gals who do
the best. on Wednesday.
Amateur night, la Major
Bowes. from the Commerce audi
torium come Thursday.
Rig-scale dances at the Govern
ment Printing Office and Bureau
of Engraving Friday and Saturday
SOMETHING DOING
EVERY MINUTE
No. soldier this isn't a phony
dream for a weeks furlough with
raw in advance. but the honest
to-gosh program for entertaining
the troops when they come to town
on leave. And the town isn't Co.
lumbus. Ga. San Antonio or Bon
neville. but Washington, d. c., slat-
ed TO become one of the biggest
boom towns of the country in the
next two years and as long there
after as the defense effort con-
tinues.
Within a few miles of Washing
ton will be four big army camps
which will train 10000 men. There
will be 5000 or so on leave every
night of the week, and on payday
weekendS there will be double that
number or more. The question is,
what TO do with them?
Then there is the other army of
government clerks, growing at the
rate of 1000 a month. By July there
will be 10000 and the other part
of the question is, what to do with
them?
So the chiefs of the federal en-
ployes' welfare units in the vari-
Gus government agencies have been
putting their heads together to map
cut programs of entertainment
which will let off the steam of
surplus population of nearly 300,-
900. plus the 1000 already here.
Recruiting the hostesses from
among the gals of the gov'ment is
the first step. Getting the local
merchants to put up prizes for
the amateur and radio quiz pro-
grams is another. Making over the
capital park system, doing away
with a golf course to provide more
tennis courts and things like that
is another.
The big idea is TO have some
thing going on every minute OF
the time-off periods for soldiers
and clerks. And in addition to
the government building auditor
iums, every school hall and meet
ing place is beng catalogued for
possible use as a smaller amuse-
ment center. Cupid will be run
ming rampant all over the place
and motorists will be warned to
safeguard their tires from stray
arrows.
COUNTER
ATTRACTION
All this effort is OF course on
the strictly nice side and it's be-
ing organized as. counter attrac-
ton to Washington's notorious red
light districts. It's not in the guide
books. but the sad fact is that
south of fhe capitol is an area
which is national disgrace. War
Department and district police
plans are already afoot to have the
area patrolled by military police
to keep the soldiers out of trouble
when they're on leave. That's mere
ly another manifestation of the
boom town atmosphere which
Washington is taking on.
A white-collar WPA project has
already been cavassing the housing
situation, and has reported fewer
than 3400-2 per cent of the citys
dwellings-yacant. With only 5000
rooms for rent. you won't be able