Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-12
Enp.tt&1n Glrat


week or ten days to get accustomed
to the war taxes there is a crop OF
interesting stories to be told about
the way they are being taken and
now the new means to help financed
the great conflict are working OUT
Naturally, the place where the new
law hits oftenest is in the mails and
the number of letters held up be-t
cause of neglect to put on the extra!
stamp is proof that there are veryI
forgetful people. 1t is comical to
see a busy man get a paper to "calIi
at the window" and then be con-.
| fronted by demand for one cenA
more on a letter addressed to hinfY
and then open it to find some choice
| advertising matter or to hunt ALL
through his pockets for one cent to
! pay on postal card announcing a,
meeting which he would not attend if
he could. The men at the stamp win
| doWS are helping out by reminding
stamp buyers of the new rates. Thet
railroad ticket proposition and theI
! validating OF mileage form a pair OF
| procedures which are apt to be an
| noying If one puts off waiting until
| just before train time. And the
| wise person is the one who will have
a supply of pennies and small change
| in hand when the ticket is bought.
! The situation about the theatcrs
solves itself. People want to so to
shows and will pay 1t is a form CT
amusement which is legitimately taxi
able, but which patrons of showSt
can speedily correct If unjust by go
ing somewhere else The course has
brought more than one gouger to-
time in other places. The rise of the
ordinary five-cent cigar to six cents
has caused the stogy to regain some
| of the favor which it lost last winter
when the "three-fers' were abolish
ed and all were made "two-fers."
| Tobacco men admit that 1t does come
hard and men accustomed to paying
five cents for their favorite smokes
for years to have to produce an eX-
ira cent and recitals of incidents are
more sulphurous than the smoke of
the finest York county product An
other effect has been to decrease
sales of high-priced cigars That has
had a good local influence because
there are some fine cigars made right
here in Harrisburg and they are
much better for the average smoker
than the heavy goods that retail for
eleven and sixteen and twenty-six
cents.
, There are two other places where
the new taxes are making them
selves felt. One is in sthe cafes
where people are commencing to get
down to "meatless' and ~wheatless'
days as part of the game. The
breaking away from eggs and bacon
: for breakfast in favor OF sausage
and cakes has been somewhat soft
p ened by prices With eggs retailing
\ at a nickel apiece and bacon a luxury
y the average man soon wonders why
he passed up the sausage and buck
. wheats which he used to enjoy so
n much when he was young for the
r other diet which is so much written
= about in the fashionable novel. And
it may be added that a good many
= people who discarded corn bread and
e other corn products some years ago
because they saw other folks doing
. it, have been getting back new Joys
II from what is made from Dauphin
e or Cumberland county rolled corn
r meal and there is none better than
= that from our century-old mills
= ITS all true that people are get
= ting down to simpler, more whole
}, some things" said the steward of Il
q club the other day. There have
q been few dinners at five a plate for
@ long time and a whole lot of people
r are finding filet of beef fancy enough
d to take the place of birds. l know OF
o two dinners the other day at which
the only meat was the stock in Jhe
rich vegetable soup served and they
{ enjoyed it. The cost was difference,
n too" The man in charge of one of
: the downtown places which special
v ize in oysters declares that the addi-
: ton of a nickel for a stew" or a
RI 'fry" has not cut down the de-
g mand, Instead, more people are
q eating oysters because meat is high.
9 Men who deal in fish say they have
e had a demand that indicates the win
n ter is going to be busy one for
m them and that the way people are
s taking to fish they never knew about
r is going to put a dent in the price
s of meat, if it ever does come down
4 again. More macaroni is being eaten
: in Steelton now than ever.
r As for the effect of the war in the
8 banks, it is shown by the activity OF
people who invested in the Liberty
Loan, who are putting by extra
cash to meet their payments. But
o the place where the immediate eff
fects of the war tax is most notice.
able is at the desks of the officers
t who are posted on the income tax.
@ These men are now being asked an
average of a dozen questions an hour
0 about the effect of the tax and what
v should be done. This is only warm
/ ing up" said one man connected
\ with one of the trust companies as
v he finished three conversations one
after the other, with customers of
the bank on the subject of income
e taxes. I'm the next three months [
! will do mighty little else / have
K been studying the law from all an
! giles and considering Harrisburg's
\ chief investments and the various
slants, We have to give this adj
@ vice. People look to us for it and
we are glad to help our customers,
but it is going to put a strain on us
for a time that few people will
n realize. What people should do is
4 to study the income tax law now
2 and be ready to count up their in-I