Evening star., 1936-01-19
Fifth Estate
Continued From First Page.)

Department with staff of forne.
newspaper men. His right hands to-
day are Aubrey Taylor, veteran Wash
ington newspaper man: Milton Fair
man, Chicago reporter, and Dalton
Onslow, who wrote for Minneapolis
and st. Paul papers before he became
Washington correspondent. Onslow
is in charge of information of the
P. w. AS housing division.
A newspaper career which began
in 1904 on the Indianapolis Sentinel
landed Morton Milford in the busy
job as head of the press relations of
F. E. r. A., which has been turned by
law into the W. P. A. To join Harry
Hopkins. Milford left the Miami, Fla,
Daily News, which he had been editing
after Is years as Washington CORE
spondent for first the Indianapolis
News and later the Louisville Courier
ances on his staff Of nine are Oliver
GrisWold. formerly of the Buffalo
N. Y, Evening News. and Sam Redick.
who was once with the Norfolk
Ledger. Between them. these men have
issued $500 releases in three years as
we'll as answered countless questions.
Although Herbert Castor, special
assistant" to Secretary Henry Nor
genthau, jr., of the Treasury, is a
former reporter, he did not step into
his present position directly from a
newspaper Office. He was once editor
of the old New York World, was di-
rector of publications for the Nom
Partisan League, and was Mr.. Morgen-
thaus secretary when the latter was
on Gov. Roosevelts New York State
cabinet. He came to Washington with
the Secretary.
A FORMER st. Paul newspaper man,
Alfred D. Stedman, is director of
the Inflated Agricultural Adjustment
busiest press relations men in Wash
ington. Detroits contribution is
Eugene S. Leggett, former Washing
ton correspondent for the Free Press.
One Of the most agreeable Fifth
Estate gentlemen Is John Fitzgerald
at the Labor Department. His biog-
raphy is similar to those Of many of
the press relations men. Like several
Of them. he is an old New York World
man. Born in Saratoga Springs, he
studied at New York University. From
1907 to 1917 he was a reporter and
night desk man on the World. In
1917 be came to the Washington Post.
where he remained for several years,
the last four Of which he spent as city
editor and editorial writer.
New York then recalled him and
he went back to the metropolis to
edit Kinogram Motion Picture News,
which he did until 1881. The next
two years, until he came to the Labor
Department, he wrote for the North
American Newspaper Alliance and did
special radio interviews and historical
sketches.
Fitzgerald's office is clearing
house for timely statistical reports
compiled by the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics. Through Fitzgerald the press
can obtain building construction fig
ures which come out every month,
weekly wholesale commodity price
figures and monthly retail food prices.
One newspaper man whose run is
the Labor Department characterized
Fitzgerald as the best press agent in
town." Fitzgerald modestly denied
this. But one reason why newspaper
men like him and like to work with
him is that he puts himself to extra
trouble for them. If there Is a
regional story which is of interest to
only q few reporters or magazine
writer's. Fitzgerald takes the trouble
to telephone those few and give them
the tip.
WITH one of the most colorful
w careers behind him, a gentleman
who frankly admits that he is well
satisfied with his job, is the same Mr..
Wisner of the Federal Communica-
tions Commission.
In 1920, Louis Garthe, oean OF
Washington correspondents. died after
IS years in the Capital. Wisner, who
was Baltimore reporter, was picked
to succeed him, packed his bags, and
came. He had hardly hung his hat
in the Office Of the Baltimore Ameri-
can in the Albee Building, however,
when the American was sold to Frank
Munsey.
Wisner was a-jitter until he was
informed by his Office to "sit tight
and continue as their correspondent
pending further orders. When he
heard from the new "bosses," it was
q message to close the Office in the
Abee Building, move over with the
New York Herald, and dismiss the
four other men on the American
staff. In 1924 that connection blew
up." according to Wisner, and he
vorkAd for IJnivArsal sArvicA for n