The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-11
Poor Food, Little Comfort, Bedevil
 ElktOn'S Girl Ammunition Workers
tFlrst of Two Artlcles) By BETH FARNswoRTH

over 1000 girls down In Q com munity Of 3,60O and see what hap pens. Elkton, Maryland, can tell you.
 Eighteen months ago, the townt two small munitions plants were staffed mainly with local talent and a strange face belonged to someone waiting 4S hours to be married in this Gretna Green Eighteen months ago the Japs weren't grabbing other nations property in the Pacific, either.
 Almost overnight thousands ot potential heroines in slacks dropped into town because of dads that had reached them in such @ variety Of states as Pennsylvania, Texas, Vir- ginia, Georgia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Mississippi.
 Wishing to do as much as their brothers and boy-friends to stop the little Jap and the big Boche they were more than ready for any danger their jobs might pre- sent. Neither they nor the town with only four small hotels were in the least prepared, however for the troubles which such sim pie things as sleeping and eating were to give them.
 THEY WORK HARD
 Supposing you had put in your eight hours, either by day or night, you'd be mighty tired and hungry, wouldn't you? Especially If in all that time you'd had only Q half hour of for rest periods and a snack of canteen lunch. Al some time during the next le hours, bed and privacy would look awfully tempting too.
 Well, that Is exactly how these 1000 women, all neatly turned out in slacks or jodhpurs, feel.
 Of course, you might be among the lucky lso, hanging your hat in a twin-bed room of one of the three dormitories the Federal Pub lie Housing Administration has put up in their war housing project or Singerly road, or among the thou sand more who will soon be living In the IS additional buildings being erected.
 On the other hand, you migh' find yourself squeezed into a Elktor rooming house with as many as si' roommates or you might be forced to commute from some communit! as far as 30 miles distant.
 Many a night when you hat been on that four-to-midnigh shift or were starting on the mid nieht-to-eight a. m. you woult have to love the Stars and Stripes dearly to want to keep on helping pass the ammunition.
 COOKING BANNED
 Even If you didn't have Q lonf bus ride and lived in one of th' dormitories you'd still have a mil' walk, no matter what the weather along a lonely cinder path, just tt get to and from the plant.
 At no time could you look for ward to relaxing in bathrobe ane slippers while you enjoyed nict hot food. Cooking is tabu in thu dormitories and in most roomint places. Across from the dormi tories is a restaurant for whicf many 0 half-hearted prayer Is ut tered.
 Half hearted, because, Ike every other eating place in Elkton, ths portions are far from man-size cost as much as 30 cents for helping of beef stew, 70 cents fol two pork chops, exclusive of soup dessert or beverage.
 Nowhere, will you find q cooF with enough enthusiasm and in' genuity to have ever given the girl their first sayory taste Of friet chicken. The cheapest breakfast 90 cents, consists of a dish of oat meal, e piece of toast, cup O coffee,
 This Is the only place within mile of town. The Main Stree restaurants offer no further Tn ducement, either as to price, qual ity. or quantity. An hour afte you've eaten. you're sure to D hungry again.
 When your pay Is 60 to 70 cent an hour, your room rent rom ' n week up, your transportatiol from $l.25 weekly, you'll find tha you've eaten yourself out Of you last dime a couple of days befor your bi-monthly pay check rolls 1T
 Particularly, f that was the tw weeks in which you had to sen money home, or pay $4.5o for safet shoes, or $500 for work suit, an buy bonds. not to mention the em ploye insurance and social securit automatically deducted.
 No, you'll never get to be war profiteer by joining up In Elktof and the country owes these slack wearers A salute because so few ( them ever consider quitting.
 WHAT THEY WANT
 What they do consider Is how Ion 1t will be before Uncle Sam rea!i offers them his arm. They want hir to build them enough dornlitories [ house the other 5000 women worker and provide community kitchen where they may cook late at nigf or all day long. :.
 That way they could have Q fal chance to relax and sleep, be abl to cut down their high cost of liV ing, and get back some Of tn pounds that nearly all of them ar losing regularly from hard wor coupled with a lack of rest an nourishing, adequate food.