The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-23
Objections Voiced
 By Realtors, Others
 Without Foundation
400 Requests Filed For Homes Gives Contradiction To . Charges Bridgeport, Other Cities Taking Full i Advantage Of Governmental Aid

Sharp rebuttal to the claims made by local real estate men that the defense housing project here is unnecessary to the city's welfare was made today by c. R. Henricks, assistant project manager.
 According to MT. Henricks, the four hundred requests for homes which have already been received by the directors of the enterprise are adequate testimony of the nec- essity for more and better hous- ing facilities for WaterburyS ia- flux of defense workers.
 Among those who nave visited the headuuarters of Major John Lee and his assistants in the post office building have been many persons who are at present forced to live in congested rooms, or even in haaements, for lack of sanitary housing elsewhere ct a reasonable rent.
 Other families, MT. Henricks said, have been evicted by landlords who have raised rents beyond what their tenants can afford to pay. Altogether, in his opinion, the hous- ing situation in Waterbury virtual ly cries aloud for the federal pro- feet which is now under way.
 Unless the people of Waterbury, and in particular local real estate dealers, realize the necessity for adequate housing facilities for the workers attracted to the city by the opportunities in industry here, Waterbury will be eclipsed, he said, by towns like Bridgeport, which realize fully how important hous- Ing for it's workers Is.
 MT. Henricks fortified this State- ment by pointing to the statistics of the housing production which is being carried on in Bridgeport. He stated that 600 housing units had already been constructed there, and that the city was planning to have an additional 800 built. Tn nearby Stratford 400 more such units are planned, making the total for that area 1900.
 The assistant project manager deploged the attitude of local real estate dealers, that the federal pro- ject la taking the bread right out of their mouths" If these men would take . more long-range view, Jne asserted, they would realize 1t was to their advantage to have the new units built here, insofar as the improved facilities will att tract workers to Waterbury who might not otherwise come. After living here few years, and nc- cumuiating e little spare cash, these people, according to MT. Henricks, will be eager to buy homes of their own, and thus local realtors will benefit.
 MT. Henricks said he has talked with several persons who have come to consult him about the possibil- ity of renting the new units when they are completed. Many of these prospective tenants have expressed their intention of going to some other city unless they can get ac- commodations more desirable than those at present available in Wa terbury.
 It was in reference to this sit- uation that the assistant project manager said that Waterbury must cooperate with the federal direc- tors of the project and support the housing improvement or else be eclipsed by other industrial cities with better housing facilities.
 Mir. HenrickS emphasized that, despite the steady flow to Major Lees office of applicants who want to rent homes when the present project is completed, Major Lee and his assistants have nothing to do with the actual renting of the homes. They are concerned only