The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-12-15
UTILIZING WASTE.

NkllIlA1NNu AZ
y Chicago man, in u letter to one
Of his city papers, calls attention to
the act that the railroad companies
arc burning all their old ties along
the right of way, while, in the large
cities. poor people are having difficulty
i'll getting enough fuel to burn. He
suggests that the matter be taken up
with the railroad companies, and that
they be induced to ship this waste to
the larger cities and turn it over to
charitable organizations or other suit
able bodies for distribution to those
who need it.
The yentlenlan's purpose is UNI
,ioubtedly excellent. He sees in one
place a. great need for fuel, and in
another great quantities of material
having some fuel value going to waste.
And his very natural and very proper
desire TO see the need supplies by the
prevention Of a waste leads him to an
unavoidable conclusion. 1t is barely
possible that in Il few isolated cases
the suggested cours could be follow
cd, but in the vast majority Of cases
it would be out Of the question.
The PREVENTION of waste is one of the
most important problems that we
have to face. There is an economic
loss in permitting anything that is
useful to be destroyed. To the bust
ness establishment waste often means
failure. The methods Of the great
packing houses furnish a familiar OBJ
ject lesson in the prevention of waste
by the Utilization of every scrap of ma
TIL prevention of waste is n of the
animal which are in the small in
dividual plants consigned to the
dumping ground there are manufac-
tured scores Of things of value. Hides,
horns, hair. hooves, bones, everything
is turned to some useful purpose, and
the enormous wealth of the great
meat magnates has been built on the
utilization Of all these little items OF
the carcasses which have been thrown
away by others.
The writer of the plea for fuel for
the poor man may have had facts OF
this sort in his mind when het wrote
his letter. He did not stop to con.
slider that to transport the half rot.
ten ties to town would cost money
OF course the railroad company hat
trains, and it has men But presum.
ably 1t employs just men enough to dc
if0 wnYk tn 1n06 fino xs,o,,l7 tol><
more men. To haul them would take
more trains, more steam, more ev.
rything. 1t makes no difference
whether the company donates all thi.
or receives for its services money do
mated, by somebody else. The expen,
diture is there. The question il
whether or not the material trans
ported IL worth. when delivered, VIVA
it cost to get 1t there. In the case O.
old ties the answer would almost Ger
tainly be in the negative. Hence it 81
true economy to stack the ties up ant
burn them where they are, rather
than to expend enough labor on then
10 get them into the hands Of person.
to whom they would have some small
value.
The question Of what constitute.
waste is M which involves answer,
which often may appear contradictory
The great manufacturing compan,
employs experts to devise methods O.
extracting from refuse commoditie.
which may yield = few cents a tor
more on the output. Yet 1t will no
hesitate to throw into the scrap heal
machinery which has cost hundred.
Of Thousands Of dollars, and which il
imperfect condition Both practice.
are in the Interest Of economy. Ths
discarded machinery may be as good
sS ever, hut other machinery which
will perform the work at less cost ha.
bssn invented. and failure TO emplo,
the newer dvice means waste.
A similar situation arises on the
farm. The old breed cattle, or the ole
kind Of grain may be just as good as
ever. The old methods Of farming
may produce just as good crops a.
they ever did, and to make a change
may involve the sacrifice Of time, Ia,
Dor and property. But the progress
sive farmer is ready at any time t.
consign his herd to the shambles il
he ID convinced hat another strai,
will yield him better returns, ant
whe nbetter methods than the old arr
found he will scrap the old withour
hesitation. Thus it goes all along the
line. True economy sometimes de.
mands great care to save the smalles,
particles of matter, and at other time.
1t demands the actual destruction o
what is i%ntrinsically of great value.
RURAL SCHOOL WORK.