The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-10-02

New York, oct. 2.-The United States may have to resort to some form of billeting or requisitionlng of existing housing facilities III oyercrowded war centers, if produc- tion schedules are to keep pace with demand for war supplies, Fortune magazine declares today in its Octo- Der issue.
 Pointing out that construction of the housing needed in congested areas is now impossible because of labor and material shortages, the magazine urges that subcontract1ng also be used to bring war work to the workers who are already ade- quately housed.
 Millions Coming
 Millions of workers have migrat- ed into centers of war production, and more millions are to come" For tune explains. "The gradual con- sumption of 150 million irreplaceable private tires is transforming sub- stantial portions of old established local labor into desperate bidders for new homes; record activity of private building and centralized planning by MIA have produced in two years homes for not more than few hundred thousand war work CTS; growing scarcities spell the de- cline of building.
 What are we going to do?
 "All the inventiveness in the world will not be able to overcome the housing deficit with construction" " Fortune points out. Since new homes cannot be built in sufficient quantities, existing ones will have to be mobilized by billeting, and even tually even by requisitioning.
 "Yet of all the subdivisions of MIA, the office in charge of Homes Registration lives the most puny ez- istence. Actually 1t should be trans formed into a key agency, for it may well become the motor for the most prolific of>all housing activities. "Under the Bill of Rights, the government cannot billet soldiers | Cor anybody ,else) but in a manner to be prescribed by law It could be argued, on the other hand, that the War Powers Act has given the President unrestricted power to re- quisition any private property need ed for the successful prosecution of the war;" Fortune explains. But precedent has shown that the Pres ident would seek specific legislation which is as it ought to e. And when the country realizes the ur- gency of the situation, Congress will scarcely deny the government the power to redistribute housing space in areas of emergency.
 "Once the legal power of requisi- tioning is established, it would have to be used in but few cases; owners of empty rooms in critical areas l would hurry to rent them, if only to exercise the privilege of picking their own company, as people did in England. Colleges might merge, now that their registrations will be low cred by the draft; private schools summer hotels, tourist camps, ware houses could be made into dormi- tories.
 Barracks As Homes
 'In 1922, with millions of U. s citizens living in barracks here anc abroad, there are not more but fewer Americans to be housed" Fortune continues. "The housing emergency therefore is created not by pressure of total numbers but by voilent so' cial dislocations.
 Tn the last analysis, the housint problem is no longer a responsibility of MIA. Created by the masters O. our war economy, 1t will also have to be solved by them: the War Pro duction Board. the War Manpowel Commission, the procurement de partments of the armed services and the Commander-in-C Chief wil have to be asked for the final con tributions.
 For one, we shall have to turi one-way migration into a two way migration. Since 1t is clearl beyond our economic means to ac commodate all millions Of worker needed In the big industrial centeri nothing is left but to make room Il the direction. Eventually we shal have to evaculate from the over strained regions all those who's
 presence Is not essential to the pro ductlon effort.
 "A tremendous Aacrllice w0ul' have been asked from those Wh , had to De evacuated; but ll woui also bo their most valuable, ln fec their deelalve contribution towaFl tha war effort.