The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-11
DIsCOURAGEMENr OF THRIFT.
More Difficult OF Practice Under
Existing Conditions.

Existing Conditions
From the New York Independent.
Thrift Is becoming a relatively rare vir-
tue in America. not only because, as we
have often pointed out, the character OF
the people Is changing for the worse IN
this respect, but also because It is at
present more difficult TO practice the arts
of thrift than it was genration or two
ago--when most OF the goods that a
family consumed were made by itself in
the household. on the farm, or in the
small shop, the irksomeness OF avoidable
labor was powerful motive making for
economy. 1t was not in human nature TO
destroy wantonly, or by negligence. shoes,
clothing, furniture and utensils that mu5t
be replaced, II replaced at all. by the
labor Of ones own hands.
With the introduction OF manufacture
on large scale. different set Of mo-
tives came into play. Producing for a
market. the manufactures desires quick
and steady demand. and he likes to have
the stock Of goods in use disappear as
rapidly as possible. The same motives
are felt by the middleman. The con-
sumner is urged and tempted TO replace
the old with the new more frequently
than he can afford.
To-day. organization on q gigantic
scale. with trusts and lesser combina-
lions controlling production, jobbins, and
retailing, temptation TO wastefulness has
become a DEFINITE and increasing coercion.
without any actual conspiracy, the con-
duet Of individuals and corporations often
| takes form Of Joint action that has all
| the effect of conspiracy. Manufacturers
and dealers, including all Of the larger
mercantile establishments in this practi-
/ cal sense, and presumably without any
actual conspiracy in the legal sense. COM
bIne their efforts IN a thousand effective
ways to discourage thrift. Patterns,
models, forms, and colers are changed
with bewildering rapidly. II is increas-
| ingly difficult 20 match a piece OF goods.
| When you have found a shoe OF hat
that suits you. you can no longer con-
graduate yourself upon having solved
a problem OF personal economy. The
chances are that you can never again
/ obtain exactly the same style OF hat OF
the same last OF shoe.
With this continual shifting OF patterns
goes a steady deterioration in the quality
OF all repair work. IN all possible ways
manufacturers and dealers discourage the
art OF repair. More often than not
they refuse to be bothered" with repairs
II they reluctantly undertake them. they
will return the articles TO you lookine
perhaps "as good as new" but in reality
as you discover a few days later, ir.
reparably ruined.
Probably there is only one practica
way IN which TO check the increasing
wastefuiness OF our present productive
and distributive system. II is not likel!
that We shall again witness the encourage
ment OF thrift until we resort TO CO
operation in some form. one large iteu
IN the economy OF such schemes Of dis
tributive cooperation as those tina
flourish in England Is the immediate an'
natural incentive 10 thrift which the,
onee more bring into play. Through then
the consumer can get the kinds OF good
that he wants in standard patterns. ant
need not replace them until he need
20 do so. He can demand and secur
articles that are well made BY Sigh
extension OF the cooperative enterpris
It would be easily possible 10 provide 70
prompt and well-made repairs
AS we have said more than once be
fore, the extravaganza and wastefulnes
OF the American people are not likely Z
diminish so long as It is possible 20 &c
rich quick BY the method OF skinninl
our natural resources. which has beel
worked "for all it is worth" since IN
civil war period. II VIII be when we fee
more keenly the pressure OF diminishinl
returns that we shall begin 10 ask our
; selves how We can economic our re
sources and our energies. 1t is highl
probable that when that day comes W
shall discover that the American peopl
are as competent TO organize and carr
on successful cooperation as the peopl
OF the countries OF the Old World are.