The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-31
CUTTING DOWN ON
THE NON.ESSENTI4LS
tBy Edward Hungerford of The Vigil
antes.

great crises of its existence True it is
that the diningrooms are draped in flags
that Mr.. Hoover's iniunctions are sol
EMMY spread upon the menu cards, that
officers in Khaki are seated here and
there and everywhere and that all rise
upon the playing of the national anthem.
These evidences of patriotism are not
difficult An effort, more or less success
| full. has been made TO close restaurant
and cabaret festivities at | o'clock in
the morning But that is about all.
jazz bands still bang out their dscord
ant melodies in the cheap places, with
softer toned orchestras for the more eX
pensive ones. There is gaiety in the air
And prosperity to sign the check
We're keeping them cheered up said
the sleek proprietor of the restaurant,
with wink, You know Business as
usual"
But he means. pleasure as usual
60 over upon Fifth avenue. The press
OF limousines is as great as in any other
December; perhaps even greater. Cars
run in second speed all the way from SD
street to 63d and there is tremendous
wastage of gasoline. What matters i'll
that the president of one of the very
largest of our oil companies warns us
that we are using gasoline far faster
than we are producing it, that there is
less than five years reserve remaining
and that soon we will have to begin put |
ting aside large amount of the best |
product for that great new aviation feet |
which is TO be Americas chief contribu |
ton to the war; Does that worry the |
men in any one of those cars? As for |
that matter does il worry you in yours |
Is it any of your business that there
are $4,000 men-nearly ten full-size regi
ments-to-day engaged in driving pri-
vate pleasure automobiles in the city of
New York: perhaps twice that number
elsewhere in the country. Is that vour
businessor mine?
| rather think it is.
Is it any of our business that we can
not manufacture Photographs rapidly I,
enough to fill the demand at this time;
hat it is big season in furs; that flor
sts never had better wear? Should
We not rejoice that the non -essential
re doing so well in these bitter times?
Why not business as usual?
England can answer that question. h
She went through the same perform
nee? She tried TO stretch her industrial :
Productivity despite great shortage Of !,
nan power-into making an increased I
utput of both essentials and non essen.
isls: and failed We shall fail if we =
ersist in trying to do the same thing.
'nly in our case such failure would be =.
ven more tragic For the best things.
! addition to foodstufs, that We can =
1pply to aid the allies and the great / !,
iuse to which we are all pledged are the :
roducts OF our industrial productivity "
uns, powder, clothing, shoes. aeroplanes, "
rotor trucks, locomotives. railroad ears Il
nd then the ships in which 10 carry all =,
lese things overseas. OF money we hi
ave plenty; already we are giving
anerously of it to our allies Men we IL
IN supply and shal-but | am afraid, II
ever in more than comparatively lin 81
ed number But munitions we can II
nd should supply-in almost unlimited te
q,
Yet these we cannot give plentifullv i,
Hess we have plentiful man power r.
nd our man-power. like that of Eng n
nd's, has been depleted by the drafts co
7 our army And even if we have "
armed from her mistakes and showed "a
ore judgment in picking men for the pl
enehes and leaving the right types for 50
II essential industries, the fact remains 90
at our fighting service already has tr
ade great drains upon our industrial fe
my. These drains we cannot now pre-
MT. But we can prevent the drain OF
nessential industries upon our work
IN, to say nothing of our materials CT
d our very limited supply of fuel. And
is is the very thing that we must stop.
gland stopped tin a large measure
least-by forbidding the employment az
men between the ages of IS and 81 IA
airs in IS industries which she classified q, 90
non essential And when one of the
barred, or practically u
rred, from making his product protest
saying that he must keep his plant la la'
4 organization together until the re ne
n OF peace, she found other work for IN
n. Thus factory given ordinarily W
the output let us say of candy, sud So'
lly might find itself manufacturing ~
med tomatoes for the army, at a price ne
ieh not only enabled the candy maker pcl
keep his business together but TO gain 20.
mail profit from il. And if he was \.
all puzzled at the details of canning W
1atoes the government smoothed out ee'
problems. in Great Britain more
n 10000 plants large and small in -
er days turning out tremendously ,
ersified list of products are to-day un- !
government direction making the
plies essential for England's part in
winning of the war
Iere is lesson by which the United y
ties may profit If only she will heed 4
n time. II has not as vet sunk far.
en- il does sink and we begin to take .
d. there will be little less gayety
the hotels they and the theatres 4
begin TO take on more of the com Y
ZION of London playhouses and hos n
where there Is light and laughter ID
supreme conidence-but restraint as
!. There will be less pressure of pas
ger automobiles upon Fifth avenue. q;
: York, or Michigan avenue Chicago. :,
NY other Of the great pleasure streets ~
he land. The thing | noticed most "
a recent trip TO Montreal. after an l.
nee OF two years, was the tremen.
: reduction IN motor cars upon the
cts the fact that most Of those with ar
light were driven by men and women. to
ously their owners. Canada has had 4.
earn her lesson. And SO must we.
, it is within our power 10 make that Sc
IN reasonably easy-or fearfullv trC
!. Aud IL we do not practice self tn
Al now we undoubtedly shall be CON cle
u 10 practice il al a later time. and
far greater measure la