The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-05-02

Paul " NcNutt want TO get into
the military
service but aren't permitted to join
up because the manpower board
needs EN- worse for industrial pro-
duction. They're conscripted all
right, but it's consumption for fac
tory tasks and away from the
Army. The latter is the outfit they'd
prefer to be mustered into at lot
more personal risk and great deal
less pay.
Plants. II appears, are numer-
Gus enough and are adequately
equipped to deliver emergency sup
plies IN materially larger volume
and at a decidedly swifter rate
than they're doing it now but their
arrangements can't get the skilled
hands required to operate 'em at
their maximum capacities.
Employment Of women is expect
ed to relieve the situation very
much presently, but recruiting and
organizing EN- takes a bit of time
and it will take still more to train
most of them at technical crafts.
and times at fierce premium to-
day. Hence evolution Of the idea to
adapt priorities to the ALLEGATION of
labor as well as commodities.
Transportation Is Tough
transportation facilities are an
other headache to emergency Off
cialdom, It's pretty aggravating to
have wartime products finished and
ready for utilization, but piled up
at shipping points for lack OF
means to move EN- 10 other places
where they're in urgent demand.
Buildings dickens Of a prob
lem. too.
All our emergency industries
have to have roofs over 'em, at
least.
Our cities. where it's convenient
TO provide them. are entirely un-
prepared to -assimilate EN-.
They're generally congested al
ready.
There has been certain amount
Of communicating Of their ONCE
skyscrapers and apartment houses
and miscellaneous nonessential
manufacturing plants, for govern
ment occupancy, but it's quite a
stunt to evict a whole urban popu-
lation onto park benches to make
room for Uncle Sam. Folk screech
like fury at being chucked out.
Some Of 'en1 have leases and stand
pat. Furthermore, while a 12-story
hotel, q block square. such as the
one across the street from where
I'm writing. has deal Of floor
space inside It, II wasn't planned
TO accommodate Notwithstanding,
and practically would have to be
reconstructed for the purpose.
That's where the time factor en-
tiers into the equation again. A
whale OF a town, the size Of New
York or Chicago, can't be torn
down and rebuilt, for the war
emergency, in a hurry, and haste
is the vital essential now.
Besides, wherell all our war
workers in these industries. be
housed. with their families? Right
around, In the neighborhood? No,
no, that wouldn't do. AS result Of
the tearing-down, nothing would be
left but Sums Washington an ex-
ample of il. Congress itself Is
scared by conditions in the capital
afraid Of an epidemic thatll kill
of about half Of It. senators and
representatives, included, due to
overcrowding.
Moving no Cinch
You might say that the populace
could protect its health by moving,
residentially, out into the suburbs.
But. once more. we get back 10
the transportation proposition.
How are these workers, with
their fivvers put out Of commits
sion for the duration. 10 get from
home TO their jobs and back home
again?
Industry is solving the puzzle to
some extent.
It's doing II by moving its plants
into the cities outskirts and en-
courseing their workers 10 flock
Il cir homes around, in their vari-
Gus neighborhoods.
The Industries are headquartered
In what are known in Washington
as tempo" abbreviated from
temporary. They're hastily con-
structel frame affairs, but pretty
big many Of EN-. and combustible
as kindlingwood. but heatable In
winter, and waterproof
The Urban Land Institute, an in
dependent agency in a recent re-
lease, predicts that this tendency.
which IL calls decentralization"
will continue.
Its forecast is that It'll be cheap
er for industry to operate and more
comfortable for workers to live out
| in the sticks. and that that's what
they'll vote for from now on. The
Institute doesn't contend that big
cities will disintegrate completely,
but it does guess that skyscrsper
days are over.