European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 29, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes consumer watch Esther Peterson consumerism gone global by Mary Neth consumer editor consumerism is far from says Esther in its gone while such As Rhoda executive director of the Consumers Union of the United states bemoan what they see As a close Down of the Protection Consumers get from their Peterson remains the representative to the economic and social committee for the International organization of con Sumers unions Ioco was in recently to address the 27th biennial conference of the federation of american women clubs big business went International a Long time Peter son Points consumerism is there is growing worldwide interest in the safety of products and their effect on local economies and the soft spoken Champion of consumer advocacy pulled no punches when it came to criticism of what she sees As americas disappointing showing both at Home and abroad on the consumer front in recent if anyone has a right to express such an it is Esther who might Well be called the Mother of american now has spent a half Century As a Cham Pion for the cause and still has not slowed she was the highest ranking woman in government As president Kennedy assistant Secretary of labor for labor under president she retained that Job while also serving As chairperson of his commis Sion on consumer during Carters she acted As his special assistant for consumer recent remarks by James head of the Federal Trade do not impress Peter Miller said that people who criticize his administration As soft on corporate crime dont understand that just because his Agency int suing people Doest mean it is we he identify people who Are not composting with the Law As we understand it and see if we can get them to abide by the retorts Blue eyes if the Laws Are they should be otherwise there should be Millers statement that he believes in eliminating pro Grams that would turn the Etc into a National Nanny also raised her i am a a i have i also have a Nanny attitude when it comes to protecting the she Peterson is particularly disturbed about to Advertis ing that is directed toward Young using Chil Dren to Market products is the Etc certainly should have an interest in such whose grandparents were immigrants from came from a conservative Republican Back from 1930 to 1936 she taught at a fashionable College preparatory school for girls in her inter est in the labor movement and particularly the plight of working women was sparked when she volunteered to teach a class in the Industrial department of the local Young women Christian she became alarmed when her students failed to appear one when she visited some of the women in their slum she Learned they were on strike Heartbreak strike they called it be cause their employers had required them to sew a complicated hear shaped pocket instead of a Square one on each dress they with no additional compensation above their usual meager per dozen from then Peterson worked to improve conditions for women in the garment in her More than a half Century of Public Petersons main concern has been for the Distad she fears that today a new class system is developing in America involving the information Rich versus the information too she policy decisions Are being made by the information poor based on insufficient she believes that scientists and educators should have More input on matters that concern the welfare of the decisions should not be left to those who Are not Only not fully but see Only the Money Side of she in this line she was very Active in the Battle to re strict infant formula in third world countries and stood behind the code developed by the world health it had been ascertained that because of Lack of proper sanitary equipment babies being fed formula instead of mothers milk were the code was adopted As a nonbinding recommendation which member governments were urged to trans late into National Law and regulations As they saw the code in general proposed that direct advertising of infant formula should be that wording on the product should warn about health that distribution of free samples should be prohibited and that manufacturers were to be forbidden to pay commissions to staffs of health clinics for it was terribly disappointing for me that the United states chose to vote with the minority who opposed this up photo in vice president Johnson informed Peterson of her new labor department Theo Vogt Esther Peterson in says Public resulted in two multinational firms which sell infant formula agreed that they would no longer promote their products directly to mothers in developing we celebrated that Victory with a party in which refreshments were products from those re Calls As far As the products themselves Are they Are we want to be Able to use that was not the she gives no credence to the argument so often made that consumer Protection cant be from 1970 to she served As the consumer adviser for giant during that time the supermarket Chain introduced unit pricing and other consumer oriented pro during the first full year of the the company also set records in Peterson has seen her fair share of both victories and during those years with the Carter adminis she lobbied for a Federal Consumers the Bill proposing to establish the Agency was Defeated in the another defeat followed the Tris in which childrens sleepwear treated with the fire retardant was banned after it was found to be a possible cause of Carter then asked her to develop an executive order to prevent such products from being sold in the third the project involved Many meetings with the chemical Industry which finally the whole project took three the new How cancelled it after three months in since a congressional Bill has been introduced to allow drugs banned in the United states to be sold the excuse was that the action will open up this Type of if nothing also can Boom she Points noting that such hazardous products can come Back in imported such she also Are giving Consumers in other countries second thoughts about they Tell me they always have looked upon the United states As the country with the highest standards and ask when it will again be since becoming a member of she has worked to have the United nations pass a consolidated list of All those products which Are banned within the affiliated countries and cannot be be exported except on official the list can be obtained by writing to the at 777 United nations new besides her work with the Peterson is working on a project to preserve the Hyde Val kill Home of Eleanor which is now a National historic during her time in the Kennedy administration Peterson became a close Friend of the late presidents she was vice chairwoman of the presidents commission on the status of then chaired by she has been my role says she accomplished so much and had such a tragic my life has been a very Happy