The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-01-20


der Miss Harriet Elliott had been
permitted to accumulate all kinds
of consumer movement spiderWebs.
In some other respects the "as
usual" situation doesn't look SO good.
Take the volunteer participation
program of the Office of Civilian
Defense.
AS Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt eX-
planned this work to Congressman
Tolan's committee supposed to be in
vestigating defense migration but
somewhat off its beat in the OCD
hearings, little child drinking its
milk Is contributing its share to civ
ilian defense. What that amounts
to is saying that civilian defense
must meet all the needs of all the
people all the time. The nation is
strong only if it is Wellhoused, we'll
clothed and full of vitamins. Anyone
who feels frustrated about anything
is contributing to poor morale.
Working on this major premise,
the volunteer participation depart
ment of OCD has gone off on all
possible tangents like Wednesday
afternoon ladies aid society looking
for purpose And it is here in this
field of general welfare programs
that the OCD effort has appeared
to go a,bit sour and give civilian de-
Tense a bad name. If the outfit had
stuck to its primary purpose OF
training firemen and air raid war
o,,vi1iort- tNn1ion onI
tecting the citizenry in case enemy
bombers got by the military, all
might have been well. 1t is the
boondoggling that may come close
to causing the ruin.
YOUTH MUST
BE SERVED
First off, there had to be youth
program. The formula for this has
MT jelled yet, but coming just at a
time when there seemed to be a
good chance to get rid of some OF
the worst of the NYA reforms, this
something to watch.
Then there was the matter Of uni
forms. Catering too much to the
club woman type which would feel
that it couldn't do war work without
a snappy ensemble, OCD was all set
to doll up all its volunteers like the
pony ballet from Graustark. Forum
ately the Office of Production Man.
agement came to its senses just in
time and told OCD fatty that it
couldn't have that much wool. If
only half of the four million women
or a fourth of them went for these
new uniforms, it would take enough
sleeps clothing to keep the fightin
men from looking like anything bet
ter than veterans at Valley Forge.
A compromise is being worked out
on this now. The gals will get uni
form to keep them style conscious,
but it may be nothing more than a
brassard-arm band to most people.
Then there has been a tangle on
food. The Office of Defense Health
and Welfare services-Paul v. Nc
Mutt in charge-decided it would be
good thing to prepare list of
emergency foods which could be put
on the pantry shelf for use In case
of an air raid. Mrs. Roosevelt, with
out asking anybody, decided this
was boarding and put the Scotch on
the idea. The McNutt organization,
not wanting to cross up the First
Lady, had to withdraw its list.
MORE
CONFUSION
Latest idea is a garden program.
1t might seem to a novice in govern
mental affairs that the Department
OF Agriculture would be the logical
place to handle this garden promo
motion idea. But no, Office of Civil
ian Defense must hire a garden eX-
pert of its own and publish its own
book. More confusion.
Unquestionably, this voluntary
participation program can do a lot
of good in furthering civilian de-
Tense ana civilian morale, boosting
waste prevention mad salvage, de-
Tense savings and backing up the
Red Cross. But when it starts trying
to run the business of everything
else in sight, you see what can hap
pen.