The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-28
TALKS ON THRIFT
THE BATTLE AGAINST WASTE

Some of our greatest Industrial organi-
cations. have learned their A, B, C's in
waste elimination and have found them
when every man who lays claim to busi-
ness ability will keep the question of
waste before him constantly. Thomas A.
Edison.
Professor Ferrero, the famous Italian
historian, says of us: "The rapidity of
your development and the creation of a
multiplicity of new needs eats up the large
earnings of the people, who, though they
are living better than Europeans, unfor-
tunately have not acquired the habit of
saving"
1t is very good thing sometimes TO
''see ourselves as others see u.s." While
1t is not possible. as Edmund Burke said,
to bring an indictment against a whole
people, there is great deal of truth in
what this distinguished foreigner said.
In New York city and at Washington
there have been established bureau of
standards, which are bringing about a
Standardization of quality, quantity and
price in materials, and supplies which is
itSulllllS III du tilOIliOuS SdNin6 VI lilC
peoples money.
The New York bureau of standards has
been in existence only about two years,
but already, on account of the immense
economies effected, it has not only amply
justified it's establishment, but it has at
tracted the attention of persons every
where who are Interested in the public
welfare. Efforts are. being made to es-
tablish similar bureaus in other cities and
for the benefit ef the different depart
ments of state government. The state OF
New York has a commissioner of effici-
ency and economy who is expected to
save thousands and hundreds of thousands
of dollars every year to the taxpayers OF
the state by the waste and the extrava-
gances he will stop and the economies
he will institute.
Officers of the government are beginning
to realize the necessity for economy in
this era of prodigality Business men
are waking up, too, and scientific man
agement and economy are becoming the
watchwords. An example is the big de-
partment store which employs a man
whose sole duty it is to go around and
turn off electric lights not i'm use. He
saves the store more than his wages.
1t will take a long time, however, for
this leaven of economy to leaven the
WnOle lump OF our cOulfneFcidl anu III
dustrial extravaganza, which. it is as
serted costs the consumer 40c on every
dollar. An interesting commentary or
this subject is the fact that the humble
junk business. the trade of unconsidersd
trifies, has prospered in America more
than in all other countries. In Boston
lives dealer who has accumulated more
than $l,0O0,OO0 The leading dealer IN
Providence, who handles nothing but
scrap iron, is worth 100000, while Phila-
delphia has two junk millionaires and 8
cluster of near-millianaires in the same
business.
| But, primarily, it is the individual
citizen who is to blame for the extrava-
gance which seems to be in our blood
The whole American public is wild witt
spending. Public economy is lost art,
! saws James j. Hill. "Extravagance |.
our national CURSE says John d. Rookie
| feller.
| Men and women who are living on sal
aries and whose income seems assured
/ do not stop to think where they would
| be if for any reason that income should
cease. while times and conditions like thu
present incite them to spend and spend
Living costs much luxuries are common
in fact they are necessities with many
| The demand is always for more and more
and more
| If Americans economized in good earn
est for awhile, they could do some amaz
| ing things.
BY cutting their liquor bills in half they
would save s500,0O0.O00 in year
| The people of this country pay $751;
559,59l a year to foreigners for their supply
of coffee. Should they drink one cup o.
coffee instead of two, they would save
SIS. S.799.795.