The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-09-10
Michigan in
Washington
Ry Esther Ne Wagcner Tufty

By Esther Van Wagner Tutty
The Big Four on the defense front
OF women's activities are busy as
beavers in Washington.
II there Is a lag on their defense
fronts has been charged. printed.
and denied-these four women don't
want to bother 10 discuss Il. Their
sleeves are rolled UP 10 do Job.
They are as different in type as
four women could be
Miss Eloise DAWSON. assistant al
rector OF Civilian Defense under
Mayor la Guardis. is the newes, 20
Washington. She is brisk. fair
haired. Formerly she headed the
Home Economics Institute OF the
New York Herald Tribune and
somehow looks &C.
Miss Harriet Elliott has the long
title OF associate administrator OF
the Office OF Price Administration
Elderly short, and chunky. she
looks motherly. Also academic, but
maybe that is just imagined be
cause she was dean OF women Of
southern college.
Mrs. Florence Kerr the best
known. Is assistant WPA director
She ie an impressive. gTay-haired
woman OF great dignity not
formidable, Her ready smile pre-
vents that mid-western type This
Iowa woman is the kind who gets
things done. She pioneered the civil
ian defense effort under la Guar
dia.
Mrs +. P. Hobby has a title that
only the Army could concoct-Chiet
OF Womens Interests Section OF
the Bureau Of Public Relations OF
the War Department she looks
Fifth Avenue but she comes from
Texas Slim as girl, dynamic, she
is the mother OF two small children
and former publisher OF the Hous-
ton Post.
These four did not hesitate 10 pro-
duce a progress report when In
terviewed this week in Washington.
(From these II is difficult to believe
that the rumored lag" Is too seri-
ousD
Miss Elliott, interested in con-
sumers' prices, is facing the tough
est fight yet She says we need a
price control bill desperately. For
year and half she has been talking
to American women about the threat
OF initiation IL prices are not kept in
line. Now II seems that voluntary
cooperation OF merchants is not
sufficient.
She says Initiation Is the enemy
that can wreck our defense effort
and when the reaction comes when
the prices that are now starting to
spiral upward spiral downward in
depression enemy that can
bring disaster even to n victorious
| peace"
-AEs-kerr- Mith-hnr lnng=estah-
lished WPA organization behind her
is pushing forward on two defense
| fronts.
One is a reyamped WPA program
streamlined and redirected toward
| defense. This week TO all state
WPA officials has gone a call from
| Mrs. Kerr for volunteers.
The second is the brand new
alien educational project aimed at
making first rate citizens out OF
the million or more aliens asking
for American citizenship. She
needs teachers very badly
Spriehtly Miss Dawson, the new
est OF the Big Four, asks for volun
teers for a challenging and even
intriguing OF activities. She
seeks active participants In auxll
larry police posts Also assistants In
medical corps. Emergency drivers
Volunteers to tackle plans for
emergency food and housing Jobs.
Younger men and women for de-
Tense messengers.
II a central defense volunteer OF
flee is not already established In
your community II soon will be. she
promises. At this central office
someone will give out information
to guide volunteers to the job best
I suited to his or her capabilities.
Off the press this week comes o
manual telling precisely how a local
volunteer office can be set up and
operated
Mrs. Hobby's job with the War
Department is very different. It's
a news Job. It's up to her to inform
women on Army life in terms OF
their specific interests. Boiled down
]