The Washington herald., 1917-07-15
Rx IDA u. TARBELL.

II the powers In Washington con-
tinue their investigations Of the COM
mon practices Of life, we shall, all Of
US very soon. become very much
ashamed of ourselves; ashamed Of our
easy acceptance Of wasteful ways Of
doing things; ashamed OF our lazy
habit Of letting others do for US what
we might easily do for ourselves;
ashamed Of the intellectual shiftless-
ness which taxes 1t for granted the
way thing II done must be all
right" or at least good enough"
There Is a group Of Jealous patriots
at work. in the government bureaus
and in the Council OF National De-
fense, looking into the everyday
habits of average Americans. not for
the purpose of putting us to shame.
though they are doing that, but solely
to see where they can release men.
money and energy for the appalling.
the hmitless needs of present-day
humanity.
A world at war cannot tolerate
sloth, waste, indulgence. Every need
less activity must be suspended. We
must get our lives onto basis OF
needs, not Of whims and self-indul-
gence.
Bakers Cut Out Waste.
That is the meaning OF the patient
examinations of the way We do things
which are being pushed by the COM
mercial economy board Of the Council
Of National Defense. Their effective
demonstration of the way we've been
feeding tens Of thousands of loaves a
day OF good wheat bread to pigs and
chickens through these terrible years,
when Belgian and Serbian and Alban-
ian and Armenian women and children
were starving for bread, has made
some people ashamed. Practically all
the bakers OF the country are cutting
out that waste. 1t is only here and
there that a baker is found, who. in
the hope Of gaining a competitive
advantage. by turning his stale bread
returns into chicken feed, fights the
change. Women have been asked to
take care of such. They will do 1t
as fast as they discover them.
The same board which has rallied
the women to cooperate in saving the
wasted loaves is calling on them now
to cooperate in another saving-one
vastly greater; one which IL properly
conducted will free not less than a
hundred Thousand men and a tremen-
dous amount Of equipment TO be used
where they are really needed.
Bread Like Mama.
Just as in the case OF bread, this
new saving comes through a reform
in one of the everyday practices of
life. the way we get our daily gro
ceries, meat and vegetables. They
come to US almost like the Mamma
from Heaven. All you did in the
case of Mamma, believe. was TO pick
it up. all we do IN case of our gro
ceries is to ask for them. ask for
them at any hour of the day. a dozen
times a day IL we will. in any guam
tity, a box of matches, a half dozen
bananas, a pound OF steak and pres
entity 1t is put on the kitchen table.
The thing which takes no fore
thought on our part, which just hap
pens, Is pretty sure to be an eG-
pensive thing to somebody. Washing
ton. in the interest OF the great war
has been trying to find out what II
costs to relieve the women OF the
country, of the need OF forethought
in ordering. In making It possible for
them to ask and get anything that
they find they want. for their house
holds. at any hour OF the day. It's
big price we pay.
The Bureau of Commerce has found
that In the city OF Washington Il
costs rs per cent of the gross sales
OF food to pay for its delivery. On
food bill OF about 81. 2.7JO.OO0 in 1916,
Washington paid over 10000 for
sending the stun to the purchasers.
Naturally 1t cost more to deliver
some things than others. Ice, bread,
milk, ice cream, cost Washington
most.
Country's Delivery Bill High.
What IS true Of Washington is true
the country over. 1t is estimated that
the gross delivery expense of retail
grocers in the country is over SIS, 900
900 a year. What is this sum used for?
For the hire of men to put up pack
ages; TO run the number OF wagons
and trucks; to put them in at your
door; to go to your house not once
hnt oftan hal Aap