Imperial Valley press., 1914-06-30
LESSON IN THRIFT
FROM EUROPEANS
tBY WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs)

Paris, June 90.-"What Americans
throw away the French live on" de-
fclared Simon w. Straus, of Chicago
president of the American Society
for Trift in an interview with the
/ United Press. Mr.. Straus is investi-
eating conditions in Europe with the
approval of the United States gov
iernment.
"Thc French" the investigator
continued, "are the most economical
people on the face of the earth and
b wish every American could come
! over and take lesson from them. The
Swiss are next and after them come
the Germans. But want to say this
After seeing these people | am more
than impressed with the wastefulness
of the American individual and that
unless he calls a halt the nation is
in for serious times. Dark days will
he The result. More than any other
factor this wastefulncss with us is
responsible for the high cost of liv-
ing. The French, Swiss and Germans
throw away nothing; everything is Of
some use. We throw away all save the
best. We are spendthrifts in money,
in energy, health and everything.
II see but one remedy: We must
commence at the bottom and work
our way up. Reform must start
among the people and work higher.
We can not have an economical na
tion, or states, counties, cities, towns
or communities until we have econ
omical individuals and my doctrine
is that there lies the key to the sit
uation: Educate the individual. If
we can manage to have economical,
thrifty units, the community, town,
city. county, state and nation will be
economical and thrifty.
"Naxt year at the Panama Pacific
Exposition, we plan to hold an in
ternational Thrift congress. | hope
to see France, Germany, England
and Switzerland and other countries
represented; for since | have been
over here l have discovered that the
cost of living is increasing in Europe,
q fact coinciding with a growing in
clination, especially in the capitals,
to spend money lavishly. Especially
is this spendthrift habit conspicuous
in Berlin. We will urge the educa
ton Cf the individuals in thrift. This
education, of course, must start early
with the child in school, We will en-
courage school gardens. Experiments
have shown that young children can
earn in this play-work some $50 Il
year If every school child carmel
even SO a year or S5 year there
would be national economy of mil
lions
eve viii encourage saving banks
in schools. Deposits of nickels and
dimes given to the children by par
ents, we would encourage but rather
would we have the children earn the
money doing some sort or work or
performing some honorable act. Pitts
burgh has tried this plan to some
extent and Michigan school has ex-
perimented a little along this liz
with the most excellent results. School
buildings are idle for great part Of
the year, this property representing
millions of dollars invested Here is
{. big loss. We will try and find =
way in which the schools may be
utilized for the good of the communi-
ties OF which they are centers. Here
will he big economy. We will en-
courage employers to give more
thought to their employees. know If
one concern which demands that each
emplCye save a dollar of each SO
earned. The money is placed in =
savings bank and draws interest. The
only excuse accepted for not saving
is actual need for the money as dur
ing illnesses of employe or family.
''Thc manner Of floating bonds over
kere should be copied by US. consid-
er it one Of the greatest possible
means of encouraging thrift. When
the government wishes to borrow
money, 100 franc $500 bonds are
scattered all over the country and
offered for sale by the banks A bond
may be had on payment of first
20 francs (s4), for instance, and the
balance on installments as the gov
ernment needs the money. What is
the result! Why there is scarcely d
rag-picker in France who hasn't few
government bonds laid away drawing
interest. Everybody has bonds here
whereas with us when we issue bonds
they are of such denominations that
only the rich man can touch them.
They are not even offered to the pub
lie.
eyes, we are living too fast; we
waste too much. Tbe man with $40 Or