The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-03-30
CHILDREN CAN CUT
THE LIVING COST
BY GARDEN WORK
Or. r. P. Claxton Shows What
Raising Vegetables At
Home Would Do

In an interview with DR.. P. p. Clax.
ton, commissioner of education in the
department Of the interior, he made the
statement regarding the high
cost Of living and partial solution
OF II: d..
''IIigh cost of living is on the lips
Of all people in all cities, towns, su'
DURHAM communities and manufacturing
and mining villages in the United
states. IL is discussed in the editions
Of every newspaper and magazine. To
nillions OF laDorng people and pro.
essional people on small salaries it is
4 very real thing. TO hundreds of thou
sands with large families of children
90 support and educate it has come to
De Fearful thing to many, torture
and death. ..t
f'fFor the high cost of living there
are many causes. Two of these are
he unusual lack of food and the fact
chat most Of the food is consumed far
ION the place of production, which
makes the consumer pay the cost of
forage and transportation and the
offs of the middlemPn, many of
yhom, in times like this, take advan.
tnge Of the wants of the people TO
make profits larger than they should.
There Is Remedy ...H
is there remedy There is a
partial remedy at least, but not wholly
in investigation or legislation. This
'emedy is so simple and close at hand
that, as is so frequently the case, il is
overlooked. In the schools of the
titles, towns, suburban communities
nd manufacturing and mining villages
Z the United States there are approx.
nately 100000 boys and girls between
ne ages of nine and sixteen. Most of
hem are idle more than half of the
ear. They are in school less than
1000 hours in the year; and, allowing
ten hours a day for sleep, are out of
'ohoOl more than 1000 waking hours
more than an average of nine hours a
day, not counting Sundays. National
md State laws make il impossible for
most of them to do any profitable work
in mill, mine or shop, and manj -
them are forming habits or idIeness
and falling into vice. Even during va
'ation months only about ten per cent
have any profitable employment; only
about five per cent of them go away
rom thPirs-bomes except for few
days. Still they must live and be fed
md clothed. 5....
"For foq1 millions of these liberals
access to- Wards, side yards. front
Yards and"'vacant lots, which might
1e cultivated as small gardens for the
yrOwth of vegetables and small fruits.
Many live where space could be easily
rad for chickens, ducks, or pigeons
And there are not less than 5000, 200
,lder boys and girls and adult men and
women for whom an hour or two of
work each day in a garden would be
he best form of recreation and rest
| from the routine of their daily labor
in office or shop or mill or mine, and
who might easily find the time for it
with some Intelligent direction
these school children and older boys
and girls and men and women easily
might produce on the available land
IN average Of seventy-fve dollars eacf
in vegetables and fruits for their. owl
tables or for sale in their Immediate
neighbOrhOOd; fresh and crisp through
| III the growing months and wholesome
| ly' canned and preserved for nse il
winter This would add $750,000, 00(
20 the best form of food supply of the
| country without cost Of transportation
" storage and without profits of mid
hemen. The estimate is very conser
vative, rs has been shown by man!
| experiments.
Iealth For Children
I'm addition to the economic profit
here would be for the children healtl
md strength, removal from temptation
| % vice, and education of the best type
and for older persons, rest and recre
alton in the open air and the joy o
Watching things grow. a..
This might all be attained at com
DarativeIy little cost by putting int
he public schools for every hundre'
4 ,hildren between the ages OF nine an
ixteen one teacher skilled in garden
/ ng and paid for all the year. On
: such teacher easily could direct tn
| work. of 100 children and Of the IS
| older persons belonging TO the famil
i es of these children or living in thei
community. Thus 10000 teachers o
his kind would be sufficient for tn
ntire country. These teachers nigh
,asily be had for an average additions
salary Of 1900 or a total of $40 ,000,00(
There would be some cost for seeds an
some for fertilizers and tools, but al
err the first year the cost of these las
'wo items would be comparatively lii
lie. The proceeds would represent pre-
ITS TO a greater extent than in an
,thrr kind Of production. The mincl
Of It is in bringing together idle Ian
IN the one hand and idle children an
fred people on the other Alon'
neither is productive, but gil would b
benefited by the combination even
The vegetables and fruits produce
had no valne; the land by the cultivi
ton, the children by the health. givinI
educational labor, and the older peopl
by the hours outdoors and the eontaC
with the soil" ..,'.
III II