Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-03
Wallace S
BEW Takes
Back Seat
Placed in Advisory Role
Since WPB Order
by PAUL MALLON

dent Roosevelt clipped them in
April.
BEW is certainly not flying
as high as forecast in its pros
pectus al the start OF the war,
when Wallace'S devoteeS were
saying il would be the big organ
ization of the war and postwar
world eventually absorbing
WPB and everything else.
Instead. WPB has issued order
No MICS restricting imports.
which rather seems to have put
BEW down into strictly An adj
Nisory hole
Ali official WPB and BEW
comment on this order is vague.
Both claim il had only routine
aspects.
Before il was issued, however,
Wanace's group had the power
for preclusive buying of foreign
products. and for ordering other
foreign purchases on its own
Say-SO: now il does not, Import
orders are TO be issued by WPB.
TNASMUCH as State Secretary
Hull succeeded in getting out
of Mr.. Roosevelt, last April l3,
an executive order affirming his
right. over BEW. 10 handle all
foreign affairs of the nation,
Wallace and his little group OF
planners are now in the position
of being free to think bat not
able 10 do.
They were supposed. TO plan
out and blueprint the overall
policy on economic warfare.
(Such as buying up foreign cop
per before the NaziS could get
it,
Speeches of Wallace and his
major domo, Milo Perkins, have
been bearing down upon the
further-reaching profile of
making everybody happy after
the war by giving them a quart
of milk a day. and other things.
Some curtailment in personnel
has been noticed in BEW this
past month. On July ! it had
around 1000 employees. Authori-
ties there say they decided 10
curtail in the interest of econ
omy. but some of the bright
young men who have left. say
they realized its scope was being
limited,
THE major policy row between
Il price fixer Leon Henderson
and War Labor Board chairman
William II. Davis reached an
noying. but unreported, heights
this week.
1t seemed to develop aspects
of a duel 10 the death. with
Henderson convinced there was
no use trying to hold down the
cost of living if Davis continues
increasing union wages. Davis
feels the same way about it in
reverse.
A decision by Mr.. Roosevelt is
expected before the end Of the
week.
NEWSMEN around the old
~ Victorian state department
building got tired of seeing 40
staircases with heavy BRASS
handled rails when they read
news dispatches this week that
small arms making plants were
closing down for lack of brass.
They petitioned officials to
turn ii in on the scrap drive but
were referred 10 the Public
Buildings Administration, which
was supposed to have such mat
ters in charge.
PBA, however, said it was do
ing nothing about brass stair
rails, and was only collecting old
plate boilers and monumental
iron.
The old stair rails are still
there. Newsmen are considering
tying them up with a nice little
bow of red tape.
THIS does not relieve you Of
Il your obligation 10 get in all
the scrap from your house,
where there is no red tape. Ex-
cellent publicity is promoting
national interest in the drive.
but nobody seems to be telling
citizens exactly what TO look for
around the house.
See if you have in the attic
an iron or brass bed. brass or
copper screen. old lamps or
lighting fixtures, door knobs,
even keys, locks or springs,
roller skates. ice skates. sleds.
ash-trays. metal vases, old
knives, pots and pans. metal
fans, electrical cords, old porch
or garden furniture.
In the cellar. look for old
stoves, and irons, pokerS. fur
mace parts. faucets. sinks, gar
den tools, carpenter tools, any
kind of rubber. tennis shoes,
garden hose, overshoes.
THE TEXAS primary result
Il diSmayed the White House
only privately. Every one knows
an invisible Roosevelt blessing
was on Judge Alfred. who re-
signed federal judgeship on
the White House steps to enter
the race against senator
O'Danlel.
However. Alired'S friends here
CounSeled against the President
doing anything openly TO aid
Allrpd'S cause as they thought