The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-01-31

the congressman today are definitely
rural, definitely small town, defin-
itely pre- World War-One. No one
can deny that those were the good
old days. But the question arises as
to whether life is like that any
more or whether it will ever be like
that again.
Surveys today indicate that not
one worker in 100 lives in the same
house for Is years. Jobs change. Fac
| tories go bust. A drouth or a depres-
sion comes along and makes neces-
sary wholesale migrations Of thou
sands Of people. Hopeful home
owners carrying mortgages get fore
closed on, slap-dab in the middle Of
one of these catastrophies and lose
everything but their shorts.
THE AMERICA
THAT WAS
1t is sad To admit, but rural and
small town America as they were in
those good old days are disappear
ing. Rurally, there aren't enough
new farms opel.lng up for the sons
of farmers reaching manhood, and
these good young men have to go
to the big town for a job. In the
small towns, likewise, there aren't
enough jobs to go around. With au-
tomobiles, good roads and eight
hour days, these Joung fellers and
a lot of the older ones can CON-
mute to jobs 80 or 40 or SO miles
away from home:
ii you were to spell out the cycle
of shelter requirements for the av-
erage worker during his life span
today, housing experts believe 1t
would be something like this:
/. Before marriage one
room.
2. just married two to
three rooms.
3. Raising a family one to
two more rooms.
4. Change of Jobs O diff
ferent dwelling for each new To-
cation.
S. Increasing prosperity a
bigger or better house.
6. After the children grow up
and leave home--back to two or
three or four rooms.
SETTLING DOWN"
is OUT
In other words, during 30 or 40
years Of useful life, the average
family will require from five to six
or maybe 10 different dwellings.
This isn't confined to factory work.
ers in the lower income brackets,
either. 1t applies TO White-collar
workers in the middle income
groups and to skilled technicians,
professional folks and executives
particularly TO the better paid en-
ployes Of big corporations who get
transferred from one branch Office
or one plant 10 another, often in
distant cities. These White-collar
migrants are just as much of a
housing headache as the day labor
er. And none can be expected TO buy
and sell a house every time the
family changes location with any
expectations of coming out even on
the half-dozen deals.
In the face of such conditions, the
old talk Of settling down and rails
ing a family becomes mere nom
sense as expressing the way of av-
erage American life. The latter part
is still possible, but the former is
complicated.
ACUTE SHORTAGE
LOOMS
There is a demand, now, for hous-
ing from per cent to 10 per cent
of the war industry workers. For
lack of housing on the job, work.
men who live in Connecticut are rid
ing in their automobiles to war jobs
in New Jersey and back to bed in
Connecticut. And from Atlantic City
they drive to Jobs in Camden and
Philadelphia. Wherever there Is a
big new munitions plant or shipyard
there are cases OF long distance
committing like this till the hous-
ing problem is solved.
But wait till tires wear out and
for lack of rubber can't be replaced.
Committing by private auto will
then be out CT the question, and
instead of a demand for additional
housing for from S per cent to 10
per cent OF the war industry work.
ers, you may have demand for
housing up to rs per cent Of these
workers near the plant site.
In plain language, an acute nous
ing shortage for war labor is i'm
minent. An immediate .reorganiza-
ton of all government housing or
CARNATIONS to end the present con-
fusion and to adopt new and de-
finite war housing policy Is essen
tial.