Imperial Valley press., 1945-01-07

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programs for housing for conges-
ton as such.
CAN'T TURN WHEEL
That is to say, if 1000 men found
Jobs in El Centre, and moved here.
unless they were war workers, he
could write no program for housing
them.
90 He can write no program for
Rrawley or Calexico because, in the
judgment of his office, these COM
munitieS need no housing.
(4) He can write a program for
El Centre. ano he can write very
small program for Holtville, be-
cause of the proximity of the naval
and marine air stations.
(5) The present status of the pro-
gram for bringing 200 trailers from
Beaumont, Texas, to El Centre, at
the expense of shippers and grow
erS is that 1t is on someone's desk
in Washington.
Briggs was informed by the ship
pers and growers who attended the
meeting that, having learned that
it will cost S150,00C to bring 200 trail
ers from Beaumont to El Centre:
and having learned that, in addi-
ton, they will have to pay for the
installation of sewer and water
connections and cooling systems,
and for maintenance: and having
learned that they never can expect
to get more than 80 or 40 per cent
of their money out of the trailers,
they do not feel that they can un-
derwrite the cost.
1t was thereupon agreed that
Briggs would telephone his office
in San Francisco to wire the ma
ional housing agency in Washing
ton that Senator Sheridan Downey
and Representative John Phillips
would call on the agency Saturday
to ascertain what FL Centre may
expect in the way of aid for its
trailer program.
One proposal made for the solu-
ton of the El Centre problem was
for the El Centre housing author
ity to have representatives call on
FL Centro residents with surplus
rooms. and undertake to persuade
them to rent their surplus rooms as
contribution to the war effort.
whether they have made a practice
of renting rooms or not.
This proposal was made after both
Chaplain George F. Peace of the
El Centre marine air station and
Lieutenant John McCreary of the
Holtville naval station had charged
that OPA rent control is driving Ell
Centre Landlords to withdrew Their
rooms, apartments, and houses from
the rental market because the i'm
posed ceiling prices are too low
Also after Aage Kaiser, of the
Kaiser Lumber company, had sug-
gested that the best thing the CPA
can do is to leave town, "and Gre
ate more room"
X. r. EdmundS, rent control chief,
cenied that the withdrawal of liv-
ing quarters from the rental mar
ket because of CPA ceilings is an
influential factor, and asserted
that, in any case, no one is losing
any money on property because of
rent control ceilings. He said that
the rent control policy has been
liberal" rather than otherwise.
The influx of wives and families
OF soldiers was cited as a leading
reason for the housing shortage in
the county, and Briggs stated that
his agency can make no provision
for such families, but only for vet
erans returning from overseas.
County Supervisor Hugh T. Os-
borne tolc the meeting that the
county supervisors stand prepared
to create a countrywide housing
authority to serve in an advisory
capacity, but not that it would in
terfere in any way with the activit-
les of city housing authorities.
Indicating his view of how much
Imperial county may expect from
Washington, Briggs said of the Ell
Centre application:
Il had my fingers crossed when
J sent it in"