Show Worlds World's Largest Mobile COl Community nl 6 ity M Built of 33 Trailer railei Coaches 7 Will House Douse Naval Workers j I Removal After War mar Will mill Leave No GI Ghost ost Town Improvements in Construction Expected to Stimulate Future Use by hy Migrant l Workers From wasteland to a city of homes in 46 days That's the wartime miracle of Trailer City at Portsmouth Va where persons will viII soon make up the worlds world's largest mobile community When the navy found it was impossible to recruit workers forthe forthe for forthe the Norfolk navy yard because of housing shortages the Federal Public Housing Authority was requested to supply accommodations quickly The huge trailer project is the answer to this request Nothing approaching this feat has ever been seen in hous hous- ing Through the combined efforts of manufacturers government government govern govern- I ment officials contractors and local workers mobile homes a day were transported to the site and placed on foundation foun foun- foundation I dati dation n blocks lock rea ready for or occupancy pancy Since all the units were I completed and ana furnished at ai mia mia- I western factories it was a matter of a a few minutes for four men to them and connect electric lines The successful completion of this project which is expected to be fully uBy I occupied about July 15 is the highpoint highpoint highpoint high- high point of a revolutionary change in inI I housing techniques motivated by war necessity Deliver Complete Unit Completely reversing the old ries-old method of transporting parts or r sections of houses to the site I and then assembling them the trailer trail- trail er r coach industry has applied as- as line embly-line methods to home-con- home and delivers complete units nits including essential furnish furnish- ings Just as mass production techniques techniques tech- tech have changed automobile manufacture from small scale output output out- out put ut at high prices to unit million-unit capacity capacity ca- ca at low cost this new construction construction con- con method for homes brings speed peed quantity and economy into housing lousing at a time when all these factors actors are arc imperative for the war effort In manufacture this method saves 90 0 per cent on manpower The mobile mobile mo- mo bile jile houses require less than one- one third hird the ordinary amount of critical critical cal al materials permitting much greater volume from a limited stock- stock pile rile The average trailer coach furnished and installed costs about All other needs of this city larger than St St. Augustine Fla are being provided by the Equipped playgrounds dot the acre site and two schools have been erected for the children A nondenominational nondenominational non church will be available to all residents Four community and recreation recreation recreation rec rec- buildings will provide facilities facilities facilities ties for stage shows motion pictures pictures pictures pic pic- tures games meetings and dinner parties Four large play areas each large enough for a sized full-sized baseball field will be available for adults and seven seven seven sev sev- en stores will occupy a large commercial commercial commercial com com- mercial building eliminating the need for traveling into the city to shop Each trailer has a plot at least 26 by 46 feet Drainage has made the soil fertile and a Victory garden garden garden gar gar- den usually appears outside each unit a few days after the family moves in Some build small picket fences around their gardens adding adding adding add add- ing the final touch of suburban at at- at- at All trailers when delivered were standard olive drab but because camouflage is not important at this site they are being repainted various various various vari vari- ous hues to suit the taste of the occupants rentals on these furnished homes range from 6 to 9 a week far lower than prevailing rates for v n Y y w r 47 4 r j jI p 4 r rA A total of trailers dot acres near Portsmouth Va Here workers in the Norfolk navy yard will make their home for Cor the duration Each trailer has a plot at least 26 by 46 feet Ceet adequately drained and Victory gardens already have been set out 60 per cent as much as the low- low priced house Further important savings are made in manpower manpower manpower man man- power at the site since four men can have a trailer ready in a few minutes while even a house requires several hours Since war housing is needed in labor- labor scarce areas this has made trailers even more popular Employment in the Norfolk Navy Yard which is is to be served by the Portsmouth trailer community is due to increase increase about 40 per cent inthe in inthe inthe the next few months The speedy availability of the mobile homes will make it possible for the navy to recruit workers long before it could have if it had to wait for for- other types of living units The effect on the naval shipping program willbe will willbe willbe be important to the early completion of the war Trailers Accommodate Families Of the units in Trailer City 2640 are standard trailers normally normal normal- ly housing two to four persons The Theother other are expansible mobile houses which are transported like trailers but have wings that are opened at the site to form extra rooms rooms With a few quick movements movements move move- ments these form four- four room homes comfortably accommodating accommodating dating families of six This proportion of two sizes provides provides provides pro pro- vides ample quarters for large families tam lam flies as well as smaller ones sub-standard sub quarters in the city Electricity is provided at cost Although Trailer City at Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth Ports Ports- mouth is the point high-point of the use of trailers it is expected to be followed soon by similar projects in other severely congested centers The government already owns more than units situated in nearly parks throughout the country Portsmouth Enthusiastic Portsmouth is enthusiastic about its infant addition for the housing shortage has been its greatest headache headache headache head head- ache since the emergency began But even more than the speed of its completion the projects project's effect on the city after the war is Residents are glad that when the need subsides this emergency subdivision will be moved en masse leaving only the vacant field it mushroomed from instead of a ghost community George F. F Miles president of the Trailer Coach Manufacturers association association association asso asso- whose members supplied the mobile units for the project sums up this aspect This city's birth is spectacular its contribution to the war effort will be not noteworthy worthy and its fate when the war ends will make a dramatic sequel to the whole tale For unless war post-war needs exceed expectations the whole community is likely to tc to disappear even faster than it came The workers will move on to peace- peace J i irp 4 Ih rp d q yr r 4 r a Q zit This little girl even finds room for her dollie in one of the trailers of the settlement near Portsmouth Va Whole families can comfortably occupy one of the new units Playgrounds Playgrounds Playgrounds Play Play- grounds schools and recreation centers centers centers cen cen- have been built to accommodate accommodate accommodate date the residents time occupations the trailers will L find wheels again and serve vagabondage vagabondage vagabondage vaga vaga- bondage or house migratory workers work work- ers and the ground that had been bee n host to a thriving city will once more be an open field field no no worse for wear For Portsmouth there will be n no 0 bad effects no ghost slums no reIn re re- grets In this project also is seen th the e forerunner of a vast avast field for trailers trailer s in war post-war Europe With millions million s of persons returning to ravaged cities cities cities cit cit- ies communities like Trailer Ci City tY will pop up to house them until permanent permanent permanent per per- manent quarters can be constructed construct construct- ed he predicts If American manufacturers manufacturers manu manu- can get sufficient materials materials materials mate mate- rials in time it is not unlikely that tha t they will provide units for hundreds hundred s of towns as big as Portsmouth's to dot the European topography See New Trailer Use Peacetime uses for trailers w walso will ill also show the effects of their wartime wartime wartime war war- time use Large groups of migratory migratory migratory migra migra- tory construction workers movin moving g from one reconstruction job to another another another an an- other will use trailers so they ca camove can n move their homes with them Seasonal Seasonal Seasonal Sea Sea- farm workers will do the same sam e thing Lighter and more powerful 1 automobiles will make road travel trave 1 more popular with salesmen and professional men and trailer homes will permit them to keep their families families fam fam- together while they travel An upsurge in travel interest following following fol fol- lowing wartime repression will enhance enhance en en- hance the normal market for trailers trailers trailers trail trail- ers too and thousands of families who are finding funding these mobile homes satisfactory during durin the war will ViII HP cide to retain this type type of f living i fug The trailers that were moved into I Portsmouth are tributes to the manufacturers manufacturers' man man- manufacturers manufacturers' man man-I ingenuity for they are areas areas I as sturdy and comfortable as prewar prewar prewar pre pre- war models despite sharp curtailments curtailments curtailments curtail curtail- ments in in available mat materials rials The chief shortages shortages rubber rubber for tires and steel for under carriages are not serious because the units II are placed on foundation blocks andare and andare andare are immobilized for the duration of the war unless they are to be moved to another site after their first assignment is filled However shortages of such basic materials as plywood and stainless steel have necessitated sub sub- The Portsmouth trailers have less than pounds of steel only three pounds of copper and use in place of The experimentation required b by these substitutions will pay real dividends div div- dividends in the future experts predict Weve Veve learned better ways to do things these experts say We now can save weight add space and increase comfort without increasing cost After a year or two when we g get a supply of the new light metals and plastics well we'll produce trailers trailer s that tha t will be luxurious and practical and and at a small cost Meanwhile the Portsmouth project project is is doing a big war job Incoming ing workers pour into the project every day bringing their families into a new type of living experience Once in they plan to stay This kind of life explains one worker after five days in his trailer trail trail- er is is s as much fun as s camping and a lot more comfortable |