The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-22

dinator and toward the 1dea that what the country needs is more czars or, in plain words, bosses. The Office of Defense Housing Co-ordinator has been abolished. Charles F. Palmer, held that one as long as he or perhaps anyone else possibly could, trying to co-or- dinate the activities of IT assorted government housing agencies with out having any authority. In Pal mer's place Is boss, an administra- tor, John B. Blandford, Jr., who heads a National Housing Authority that has say-so.
 1 Iieutenant- General William S. KnudSen was little more than a co-ordmator when he was head of the late OPM, though his title was co-director. Either way, he had no authority and in his place today there is the War Production Board with q boss, Donald M, Nelson. WHAT'S IN
 A NAME?
 In addition, there are several high up administrative jobs run by CO., ordinators, though they aren't call ed that.
 1 Archibald MacLeish is director of the Office of Facts and Figures, but has no authority and the best he can do is try to coordinate the dozens of military, government information services all over Wash- ington.
 Milo Perkins is director of the Board of Economic Warfare, but hasn't any check book and col- sequently no real authority. It has been reported BEW would like to absorb Lease-Lend and !, others.
 | A few new top jobs in Washing ton are in the making, however, and whether they are to be run by co-ordinators or czars may make a lot of difference. There is to be a new top organization to head lip all the agencies dealing with food, and new organization to direct the Information services, and new organization to direct manpower mobilization.
 Discussing the manpower mo- bilization. the President has indi- cated he is debating whether a new setup will be created or whether supervision over the old agencies may be possible through a small co-ordinating committee. Half a dozen existing departments now have their mitts in the mar- power melange, Department of Labor, WPA, the labor division of WIPE, the U. s. Employment Serv- ice of the Federal Security Agency the Selective Service baords and the several manpower training agencies. Maybe they can be madt to pull together by "co-ordinator. although the President is said tt dislike teh word now, and the in-l ternal row among most of these agencies as to who is to be bos' makes one of the livelier seria stories now running around inside the palace walls.
 ANYTHING
 CAN HAPPEN
 Anything may come out of thC reorganization of government in formation service. Army ana Navy apparently will be left autonomous but how all the others can or VII be pulled together, no one has ye decided.
 Creation of a single agency to ad minister the fod program. as in thu last war, is also being talked of Currently, LeaSe-Lend administra tion, Board of Economic Warfare Department of Agriculture, Price Administration, Civilian Supply ant the WIPE have fingers in the bii meat and vegetable pie.
 All these agencies try to work to- gether when their interests conflict and liaison men between agencieI are everywhere, trying to keel everyone informed on what every one else is doing. But it's a biz government, and to be guilty Of gross urderstatement, trying to rur t by co-ordinators hasn't been eX' actly Utopian or symbolic Of thu perfect statecraft. Maybe nlor' bosses are needed.