Evening star., 1953-01-12

mated Secretary of Defense, i,
as devoted to improving the To-
of mankind as the most enthu
SiaStic do-gooders.
Primarily his contribution is il
rsonal transportation. He
Fifth of q Series
thinks it's a good thing for thf
American people to have all the
General Motors cars and trucks
the corporation can produce. II
made SO million vehicles ir
1850, and he has been furious
about the controls caused BY
Korea that have cut down pro.
duction since then. He thinks
they have been unnecessary.
He isn't bit worried about
the crowded roads. If enough
people have cars, he reasons
they will see that sufficient high
ways are built.
And he thinks it's good thing
that the corporations 436,00C
employees are working right
through the year at higher wages
than ever. He works hard at the
management problems involved
Again and again he puts in a full
day, then remains in his office
on the 18th floor of the General
Motors Building until after mid
night working out some problem
He goes home only two or three
nights a week. He is the most
frequent patron of the private
hotel the corporation maintains
on the 14th floor for executives
who want to work the clock al
most all the way around.
Wants to Contribute.
When he was promoted to the
job II years ago he described
himself as "a citizen trying to
make a social contribution and
hoping that in return I will get
a social reward"
A man who works so hard at
his own business cannot take
part in many civic activities. Mr..
Wilson has two or three. He has
been president of the Detroit
Safety Council, a very important
bit of do-gooding in industry.
He has served as chairman of
the Traffic Safety Board of De-
troit. He is chairman of the
Michigan Heart Association and
member of the Board of Gov
ernorS of the American Red
Cross. The one to which he
gives the most time is the United
Fund, which replaced the local
Community Chest. The one big
drive year includes Red Cross,
National Foundation for Infan-
tile Paralysis and the Heart and
Cancer funds. Three years ago
he accepted Craftsmanship of the
Corporation Gifts Committee
and has continued as co-chair-
man. The committee brought
in gifts totaling $4.5 million in
1852. Bringing the Red Cross
in wasn't easy. Mr.. Wilson de-
voted three days to the negotia-
tions. He got the United Fund
ito increase its quota for the
drive just finished. Many
thought his $12.2 million sug-
gestion was high. The drive
ended with $12.5 million.
Amiable Looking.
Mr.. Wilson is an amiable-
looking man of 81, bit jowly,
with kindly eyes and white hair.
parted and combed straight
across his wide head. He wears
double breasted suits which tend
to conceal his paunchiness. He's
not fat. He's feet 8 inches
tall and tries to keep his weight
below ITS pounds, which neces-
states dieting occasionally.
In talking in his office to those
who manage to make appoint
ments he never does or says
anything that would indicate
his time is valuable. But it is.
General Motors has been pay
ing him more than $4,000 day.
Almost all his callers have the
same report on leaving the
Office, "One of the friendliest
men l have ever met"
MIR. Wilson is do-gooder
even in his hobby of stock breed
ing. Henry A. Wallace always
contended that the suggestion
he made in his Century of the
Common Man" speech of "a
quart of milk for every Hotten-
tot" was never intended to be
taken seriously. But Mr.. Wilson
is trying to do something about
increasing the use of milk. On
his purebred cattle farm he is
trying to bring about a success
full cross between the Brahma
cattle from India and the Ayr
shire in order to produce milk
in the tropics.
For a man who spends SO
much time in his Office he has
a wide circle of acquaintance
which is not confined to the au-
tomotive industry. For example,
when Nashamini Golden Boy. his
$4,000 Ayrshire bull, sprained
his back, the head veterinarian
of Michigan State College and
his staff and two neuro-surgeons
from Harper Hospital offered
their services for an unusual
operation in which steel plates
were bolted to each side of the
bulls spine. They were just try
ing to do something for Charlie
Wilson. but the operation was
not successful. The bull had to
be destroyed a few days later
Evangelist on Contracts.
Mr.. Wilson has become an
evangelist for his plan of wage
contracts granting set annual
increases t. represent labor'S
share in tech0o1ooical iY1oOrove-