Take two: Simple CREATE TABLE in DBI::Pg?

[This is the second time I've asked this on this list. Is anyone else getting
my messages? I would *really* like to get an answer here.]

Here's the program, in Perl; I've pared it down to the bare minimum:

#!/usr/local/bin/perl

use DBI;

sub tbl_easy_init {
local( $dbh ) = shift;
local( $sth ) = $dbh->prepare( "create table tbl_easy (id int4)" );
$sth->execute();
}

$dbh = DBI->connect( "dbi:Pg:dbname=booga", "", "",
{ "PrintError" => 0, "AutoCommit" => 0 } );

$rv = &tbl_easy_init( $dbh );

This program fails. I've tried it with all global variables, tried a number of
different CREATE TABLE statements, and so on, and $rv always winds up being
equal to -1. Yet, typing in the CREATE TABLE statement in psql works.

If the table is already created in psql, I can use all manner of select
statements in the above program skeleton, and it'll work.

So. What am I doing wrong?

---Ken