Brain Wave

Black-haired, bespectacled Philip Holzer, 24-year-old, $3,200-a-year OPA clerk, is sure of his place in history, perhaps only as a footnote, but still a definite place. He is the little man who broke through bureaucracy, red tape, you-can't-do-that rules, and forced OPA bigwigs, littlewigs and in-between-wigs to mail ration book No. 3 to U.S. householders.

Way back in January, Holzer, along with thousands of other weary OPA clerks and thousands of fresh but baffled volunteers, frantically distributed ration book No. 1 to the nation through the public-school system. Complaints, delays, mistakes were astronomical. The prospect of doing this again & again was horrifying to Clerk Holzer. Suddenly, with appledropping simplicity, the idea struck him: Why not mail ration books?

Quickly he reported his brain wave to his immediate boss, Herbert Parker Sioussat, who is no slide-rule theorist. Sioussat was enthusiastic. But, it turned out, nobody else was. From all sides came the famed OPA chorus: "You can't do that." Books had not been mailed before; obviously they could not be.

Holzer persisted. He laid the idea before Postmaster General Frank C. Walker, suggested Sunday deliveries so as not to interfere with routine mail. Postmaster Walker pointed out that Sunday delivery was illegal, that he had no manpower to handle the estimated 120,000,000 pieces of mail.

Holzer left Washington, traveled about OPA regional offices, crusading for his idea, working out the bugs, winning support. Back in the capital, the idea was finally presented to Paul O'Leary, division rationing chief. He pondered, finally approved, sent it to OPAdministrator Prentiss M. Brown, no lover of OPA traditions. Chief Brown approved, asked Postmaster Walker to reconsider.

With the bigwigs converted, Holzer and Sioussat still had to force the idea down the throats of all the little and in-between-wigs. OPA's administration-management protested that the cost of mailing would be too high, the personnel demand too great. Holzer proved the cost the same, the personnel only half what the last distribution had taken. At length the last murmur was stilled.

When ration-book applications are mailed out, some time between May 20 and June 5, the triumph will be Holzer's. No one doubts now that the idea will work; after all, OPA has now learned that Britain has mailed out five ration books. Last week Holzer was busy explaining details to regional boards. Next week, he expects to be drafted.

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