Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-24
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speed ever known here, there doed
not appear to be much difference beS
tween the Christmas shopping tho
last week and that of a year ago OF
two years ago. In fact, many OF
the businessmen say that there haa
been more money spent this yeal
than before, but that it has gone into
the substantial rather than the typ
ical holiday things. Some people
seem impressed with the idea that
they will be unable to buy wooIerI
clothing next year and that shoes
Will go to high prices" declared one
businessman. Probably it is a good
thing, because we are going to sea
people better clad than usual, even
II 1t does cost more. If the food and
luel situations could only be adjusti
ed, think that we could look for-
ward to tackling our war problems
with more equanimity." In any
event, 1t was interesting to observe
Market ana other shopping streets
crowded with people every ALTERS
noon last week and to note that the
evening business was of big pros
portions. Front street, in Steelton,
showed the usual holiday buyers, Il
may be added. Another thing that
was OF interest to the business OBJ.
server was that there were many
morning shoppers and that it was
not uncommon to see people stand-
ing around doors of stores waiting
Tor them to open at o'clock. A
result of war times was that carry>.
ing parcels was more general than
ever before. 1t was q nuisance To
be poked in the back by the legs of
childs chair in the aisle of a
crowded store, but the average per-
son seemed to feel how it was and
VIC 81 ,nH
while the appearance of baskets OF
gigantic carrying capacity, was ac-
cepted as sign of the times and
the only wonder was how much IL
would contain. That it would be
naVlgated through the stores was a
foregone conclusion. There were so
many of them that the carriers sort
or subconsciously agreed to helm
each other just like people with
chlldren do on a crowded sidewalk.
trolley traffic seems to be greater
than usual this holiday season and
from what the men say they have
the greatest difficulty in eettinp
their doors closed. Cars have lost
valuable time because SO many peo-
pie persisted in packing into them
and those who could not be accom-
nodated refused TO get off to per-
mt closing of doors. Between try-
ing to handle the industrial rush
hour business and the holiday shon-
pers things were strenuous the last
ten days in railroad circles, steam
ana electric 1t may be said.
1t does seem hard to understand
that Harrisburg, lying within thirty
miles of one of the finest beds Of
anthracite coal in the land, if not
IN the world, not only fails In get
any OF 1T, but suffers such shortage
OF tuek. The Lykens Valley region
mas been furnishing coal for we'll
hlsh century and Harrisburg. which
was one of the first communities to
appreciate its qualities, is now about
the last to get it, although paving a.
price Tor coal from Wilkes Barre
Mnieh n,l, Is excessive for its heat-pro-
uuclhg qualities. One has ONLY to
observe the huge coal trains coming
down the Northern Central railroad
10 appreciate the absurdity of the
situation in regard to anthracite
ana haIf a day spent along the lines
OF the Pennsylvania railroad on
both banks of the Susquehanna and
or the Reading to note the tre-
mendous trains of bituminous and to
wonder why this city should ever
run snort of fuel. The lot of a fuel
WIN must IaC6 the
public, answer to Washington and
puck all sorts of railroad agree
ments, to say nothing of trouncing
gougers, is worse than that of n
christmas shopper at 4 o'clock on
the afternoon before the great hoIi-
day.
1t is hard to understand the mem
Iai processes Of farmers who aslS
Il1ty and fifty-five cents q pound for
turkeys and then get mad when a
marketer asks to be shown why the
increase over the week before
Thanksgiving day. Saturday even
ing farmer who tried to get sixtv
cents pound for turkey at one mar,
ket ana tnally came down to fiftv-
1lVe had to take his bird home with
him. Il guess I'll have to eat that
myself" he said ruefully to man
at the next stall. The neighbor was
a butcher and he cut deep in his
reply. "Old man." said he, ''I'lI bet
you did not spAnd fifty cents on feed
Tor that turkey in its whole life
III bet that you let that bird run
around1ln the barnyard or maybe in
chicken yard without giving n
more than one quart of corn since
THANKSGIVING day. 1 hope to thun-
der you have to cart around vour
turkeys and eat them Yourself
got soaked by the packers and T can
show costs and what my margin of
profit is, but you can't" The farm m
er told the butcher by wavs Of an
swer that he talked like most Of
the people who tried to market"
Among the brilliant officers wbo
nave developed in military work
since the National Guardsmen ware
modified at the Mexican border a
years ago and who are now in France
is Major Hart w. Palmer. of the
state of Washington, a brother of
Lew r. Palmer, acting state COM
missioner of Labor and Industry.
From all accounts Major Palmer is
| as vigorous and brainy as his
brother. He was for TWENTY-FIVE
years connected with the Guard NJ
the western state and at his own
request spent some time at the
border after the Guardsmen went
home. just to learn things. The re-
suit was that when a chance came
to go abroad he was taken, and he
| is major. olthOnpI ba diJ