The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-06

EIDE has been meeting every Wednesday morning in the vice presidents of1ice since the board was created by President Roosevelt . few weeks ago. Just what the board has done in these gab festS 1t has kept 1t itself. And while ell the cab met -member members except Frank Walker and Madame Perkins have been fairly regular attendants, the real work of the board won't get zoe ing till It's executive director, Milo Perkins, fully recovers from his ap- pendectomy and Is able to start swinging.
 ALREADY
 DIGGING
 Indications are that the board will let the executive director do all 1 the work. Perkins is still confined to his house by doctors orders, but his exceedingly active young mind has been racing all over the globe and of late he has been calling his henchmen in the Department of Agriculture, where he heads the Surplus Marketing Administration, demanding data and doing some home gardening in the fertile fields of speculation.
 Announcement of the creation of EDB was the signal for any nun. Der of bankers, business men and broad brains from the colleges to offer their services. They seem will- ing and even anxious to serve their government for dollar Q year or fol nothing, plus expenses of course, so Milo-you have to call him Milo so he won't be confused with Madame perklns-will have the pick of some of the country's most able economists.
 At present, 1t Is Milo Perkins idea to keep this staff small. He wants to be his own liaison man, and If he runs EIDE the way he ran SMA, he will be all over the place. Establish cd government agencies - State, War, Navy, Agriculture and Com. merce-wiil do the actual waging of the economic defense, but Milo Per. kins will play an awful lot of quar- terback for the team, q position ct which he has already demonstrated talent.
 He Is known as one of the hard est working men in Washington. Ten and i2-hour days, with 0 cup of coffee brought Into his desk every few hours. Then on armload of de. tall work carted home every night to shape up things to be done the next day. Six years at that pace was really his undoing, and Q few months ago he had to quit, go under that knife and clear up some or- ganic disturbances.
 Milo Perkins two big accomplish ments in Washington have been the food stamp plan, which he con. ceiVed and organized, and the food and agricultural products purchase plan for the British, which he or ganized. In addition to these, he has been In charge of all marketing agreements and the program for re- moval oS surplus crops. If Food will win the war" as Secretary of Agri- culture WIckard has stated. Milo Perkins knows his weapon as do few other economic warfare soldiers. MIXES BUSINESS
 AND NEW DEAL
 Since Milo Perkins was named as director of EDB, there has been a lnew interest in his speeches and writings. He Is only 4l, a self-made business man, & telephone salesman while working his way through high school in his home town of Mil- waukee. then a bag salesman in Texas, and at 27, without a college education, president of his own bag company in Houston Unlike many self-maders, Milo Perkins still re- members his own tough times on the way up It was only natural that when Perkins quit his business and came to Washington he brought along a hard-headed business ap- Iproach, tempered by social con- sciousness and a desire to give a better break to the underprivileeed. As 6 right hand to Henry Wallace, he fit like a glove.
 He has a reputation for being able to influence any kind of group, bus- mess men, farmers, families on re- lief. His views on economies are sometimes unorthodox "I don't give a damn what the economists tell you" he has been known to say. "The common sense and the facts are these-and this is the way we're 0oin0 to do It."