The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-19
eY IDA N. TARBELL.

The importance of the fun cooper
ton OF women with the government in
tho reimbursement OF the common
practices of life it has undertaken is
becoming more and more clear The
woman's committee of the council of
national defense feels that one of the
greatest services that women can
render in this war lies in this co.opel.
alton. a
The effectiveness of the backing the
women have given to the effort of the
Bakers of the country to establish the
plan of no bread returns in order to
save the tens OF thousands of loavcs
OF bread that were going to pigs and
chickens is daily becoming clear
Practically all of the bakers of the
country are today cutting out that
waste and the women are standing by
Them wherever the matter has been
called to their attention. 1t is. only
here and there that baker is found
who, in the hope of gaining a COM
petitive ADVANTAGE by turning his stale
bread returns into chicken feed, fights
the change. The women gathered I'm
der the banner of the woman's com
mittcc of the council of national de
Tense have been asked to take care o
such. They will do it as fast as the,
discover them
Save Waste in Men.
The same board which has rallic,
the women To cooperate in saving
the wasted loares. is calling on then
now to cooperate in another saving
one vastly greater. one which If prop
erly conducted viii free not less than a
hundred thousand men and a tremen-
dous amount of equipment, to be used
whore they are really needed.
Just as in the case of bread this
new saving comes through a reform in
one of the every day practices of life
the way We get our daily groceries
is to ask for them-ask for them at
any hour Of the day--a dozen times a
day if we within any quantity. n box
of matches, n half dozen bananas. Il
pound of steak, and presto. il is put
on the kitchen table.
The thing which takes no fore
thought on our part which just hap
pens is pretty sure to he an expen-
sire thing to somebody. Washington,
in the interest of the great war, has
been trying to find out what it 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 households at any hour
Of the day. les a big price we pay.
Delivery Costs Dearly.
The bureau of commerce has found
n 10 IF
"A per cent of the gross sales of food
to pay for its delivery. on a food bill
OF about tWeleve and three quarter
million OF dollars in 1916, Washing
ton PAID over 100000 for sending the
stuff to the purchasers. Naturally it
cost more to deliver some things than
others. Ice, bread. milk ice cream,
cost Washington most
What is true of Washington is true
the country over. so the commercial
economy board finds. 1t estimates
that the gross delivery expense of re-
tail groCers in the country is over SIS, =
100000 year. What is this sum used
for? For the hire of men to put m
packages. to run the number of Wag-
ons and trucks required, to put them
IN at your door, to 30 to your house
not once but often half Il dozen times
Il day.
Take any town of the country OF
10000 pCopl" and it probably is spend =
ing per cent OF the net sales of
groceries in sending them to the pur :
chaSrrs. Again and again these pur-
chaSorS come to the grocery, the
butcher, milk dcpots, in carriages or
cars. but they rarely think of TAXI, r
nome th"Ir purchases. \ woman will
puE p'ckaG" Of Decent cereal and
expect 1t delivered. She will rarely
'h'hk or carrying Il half dozen rolls,
though she is on her way home.