HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 967

tiation of the development of such projects to December
31, 1943; to authorize Housing Authorities to cooperate
with or act as agent 9f the Federal Government in the
development and administration of such projects of the
Federal Government, to acquire or lease such projects
and to sell certain low-cost housing or slum clearance
projects to the Federal Government; to authorize public
bodies to assist such projects of Housing Authorities
and of the Federal Government; to make obligations
issued for such projects of Housing Authorities legal
investments; and to declare valid all bonds, notes and
obligations of Housing Authorities issued for projects
heretofore undertaken to assure the availability of safe
and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national-
defense activities.

WHEREAS, it is hereby found and declared that the na-
tional-defense program involves large increases in the
military forces and personnel in this State, a great increase
in the number of workers in already established manu-
facturing centers and the bringing of a large number of
workers and their families to new centers of defense in-
dustries in the State; that there is an acute shortage of
. safe and sanitary dwellings available to such persons and
their families in this State which impedes the national-
defense program; that it is imperative that action be
taken immediately to assure the availability of safe and
sanitary dwellings for such persons to enable the rapid
expansion of national-defense activities in this State and
to avoid a large labor turn-over in defense industries which
would seriously hamper their production; that the provi-
sions hereinafter enacted are necessary to assure the avail-
ability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged
in national-defense activities which otherwise would not
be provided at this time; and that such provisions are for
the public use and purpose of facilitating the national-
defense program in this State. It is further declared to be
the purpose of this Act to authorize Housing Authorities
to do any and all things necessary or desirable to secure
the financial aid of the Federal Government, or to cooper-
ate with or act as agent of the Federal Government, in the
expeditious development and the administration of proj-
ects to assure the availability when needed of safe and
sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national-defense
activities.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
Maryland, That seven new sections be and the same are
hereby added to Article 44A of the Code of Public General