Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-23
BOARDING IS FOLLY
Increases Prices and Makes All
Food Products Scarce.
ENGLAND HAD ITS LESSON.
Newspapers Held UP to Scorn Both
Hoarders and Merchants Who Had
Catered to Them, and Government
Threatened Penalties--many Perish
able foodstuffs Spoiled.

New York.-The government is wor.
ried over boarding Of food supplies By
individuals. So run the dispatches
from Washington. Can it be that we
are going to witness the same dis
graceful exhibition of selfish folly that
marked the opening days Of the war in
England!
men are so duh or SO heGrtless. But
seliishness, like patriotism, knows no
country, and it may be necessary to
shame the self centered into decent be-
havi0r here, as was done in England
in August, 1914 just to wake up those
who act in mere tholghtlesslless it
may be pertinent to mention the expe
rience of an American couple In the
/ first days after England entered the
/ war, says Charles j. Rosebault of the
! Vigilantes.
They were living in tiny village
4 twonty-four miles north OF London.
and their main food supplies came up
daily by motor truck from one Of Lon
don's large department stores. Eumofa
that there might he q scarcity had pen.
etrated even to their bachWater re-
treat, but they declined TO be rulilgd
thereby.
So the order for the morrow went to
the department store as usual, only
bit larger than ordinary, as it Was
for the wecl, end and guests were cX-
pccted 1t included fish and meat ard
a variety of fruit and vegetables, rs
well MS some canned goods The FOL,
lowing day the big truck rolled up 70
the door at the usual hour and dis
charged-a package Of washing soda
and some clothes pins,
The motOrman was Apologize, but
the department store had to admit IT,
self beaten. The day before horde
Of panic stricken Londoners had ar
rived in motorcars and had simply
swept clean The counters shelves and
/ reserve bins OF that huge shop. The
/ other shops had met with the same
experience.
All the greedy ones had acted rs with
4 one impulse. 1t was as though Lou
don was already besiegcd and the en-
envy had it in its grip. First come first
/ led appeared to be the slogan of those
with money to buy and no regard for
their fellows.
The sensolcss fright was short lived
The newspapers held up to scorn batl'
the hoardcrs and the merchants who
had catered to them. The government
took hand and threatened penalties.
The Shopkccpers, stung by the al
most universal condemnation visited
upon them. took their revenge by re
fusng to take back anything. MINI
pcrishable foodstuffs spoiled on the
hands of the purchasers. The favor
departed from others long before they
could be used. There was some poetic
justice. after all.
But there was also darker side to
the incident. Prices Of food had jump
ed overnight, and those of slender
purse were the sufferers. Anxious
housewives found themselves with
empty larders and lacking means to
replcnsh them. There was much hard
ship and nobody, not even the guilty
ones. a gamer.
If there IN one proposition which can
not be gainsaid it Is that boarding al
ways has only one result-to increase
prices and make scarce the articles
boarded. II everybody will be scnsi-
bic ana purchase only what is required
for immediate use there will be neither
scarcity nor inflated prices.