Evening star., 1941-02-24
S150,0Oo,oOO Asked
For Public Facilities
lin Defense Areas
President Says Work Is
Hompered at Points
By Health Weaknesses

President Roosevelt today asked
Congress for a supplemental appro-
priation of $1500OO,0OO to provide
essential health. welfare and other
public facilities in communities
where q shortage Of such facilities
otherwise would interfere with the
national defense program.
In a special message to Congress
the President pointed out that the
spreading national defense program
had resulted in new concentrations
of military forces and civilian work
ers near some communities without
adequate public facilities and serv-
ices to care for the increased popu-
lation.
He explained that while the pro-
vision of such community facilities
Is a local responsibility, the Federal
Government must be prepared to
help finance the cost of expanding
services in some cases where local
governments are unable to meet the
entire burden.
Available for ALLEGATION.
The requested appropriation of
$3.50 900 900 would be available for
ALLEGATION to appropriate Govern
ment agencies" to provide COM
munity facilities in those COM
munities where there exists or i'm
pends such an acute shortage of such
facilities as to impede essential ma
tional defense activities, and where
such facilities cannot otherwise be
provided"
Purposes for which the money
would be used would include i'm
provement of streets and roads, ex-
pansion of water supply and sewage
systems, and development of better
health, safety and welfare facilities
to benefit the new workers brought
in to communities by defense ac-
tivities.
Mr.. Roosevelt said the $3.50 900 900
estimate was based on studies and
recommendations by the chairman
Of the National Resources Planning
Board, the co-ordinator of Defense
Housing, the administrator of the
Federal Works Agency, the CO.
ordinator of Health, Medical, We'll
fare and Related Activities Affecting
the National Defense, and the direc-
tor of the Division of State and
Local Cooperation Of the Defense
Commission
Strategy Is Controlling Factor.
The President pointed out in his
message to Congress that military
and naval strategy has been the
controlling factor in determining
the location" of many new defense
establishments.
"As result" he said, posts and
plants have been necessarily near
communities without adequate pub
lie facilities and services for the
large numbers of workers who ar
rived to construct them and will be
needed to operate the new estab-
lishmentS."
Shortage of essential public facili-
ties in some of these areas has
handicapped our re-armament ef-
fort" Mr.. Roosevelt added. Recall
ing that defense housing program
already is underway, he said:
I'VE must do more to obtain the
most effect from new plants, new
houses, and, most important, from
new workers. There is need, in
some areas. for improved streets
and roads to carry the increased
traffic, additional water supply and
sewerage systems to service the new
structures, and better health, safety
and welfare facilities to benefit the
new workers and their families
Must Share in Risk.
He pointed out that I'VE cannot
expect local governments to assume
all the risk of financing the entire
cost of providing new public facil-
tiles for the defense program" be-
cause the new facilities might not
be needed after the defense pro-
gram ends and the cost might be
much greater than justified by the
rise in local public revenues result
ing from increased business activity.
Under these circumstances" he
said. equity requires that that ele-
ment of risk attributable to the ma
tional defense effort should be
shared by the Federal Government" 4"