The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-29
NOTES OF THRIFT
 BOND SURVEYOR


 fwhat follows is taken rom
 Inc note-book of a man who calls
 himself thrift surveyor. He
 has been going around town try
 ,rg to find out how many of us
 za,a roonev. and how much. He
 is said to be involved in friend
 lv conspiracy to make thrift easy'
 to make saving and safe invest7
 mAnt in this city more popular than reckless spending ever was
 Editor.)
 went today to see a good work ,oan who is a good union man. l bad talked thrift with him once be- fore. At that time, he had sald IL .was no use trying to save-gooo wages. yes; but look at the cost or everything!
 How about the future-not tomor- row, but ten years from now! What was he looking forward to? The Un- ion? Well, the union is pretty strong. wanted to know how much It could do; and between us we dug up these figures:
 Federation of Labor, with a .memper- ship of 2,072,702, paid out in death benefits $2,264,611-an average or s1I1O each. In sick benefits, $l,O6S,- soa was paid-another 50 cents per 1nember-and in death benefits to nembers' wives and in unemployment benefits another $1S4,43S was paid about 6 cents per member Finally, IA carry members over strike crises, the Federation spent 32,S62,7Ss-- about $1.3S eacfl.s
 It appears, then, that each memper ,. of the Federation pays about $3.0b year for mutual help. s,s
 IS that sufficient provision against old age, sickness, accidents! fOI course not! My friend earns over a thousand dollars a year--he ought 10 : be setting aside at least $97 a year besides what he pays into the union.
 talked today with an employer :, who was not interested in the thrift : status of those who work for him. l Z spoke to him about the worn-out workers; what becomes of them-and I of their families?
 There's a lot of piffle talked about the worn -out workmen," he said.
 Yes. but what about the cola racts He was a business mAn--hence open to the fact argument. So produced a table showing the death rate per thousand and average age at death or workers in various occupations. 5 told him the Department of Labor at washington had secured the data from 1 managers of benefit funds.
 These figures show that journeymen 5 barbers die, on the average before they reach the age of 36; matters live ! nearly to age 46; workers in electrical { plants die between 32 and 3S; firemen ' on locomotives don't live to age S1; ! itralnmen don't live to age 32; tele- 1 RrapherS on railways die before they sreach 34. Of all the groups reported, stationary Engineers and journeymen l,tailors have the best .records-they live to be nearly 61.
 s.Do you think,',' said, ''that where \ the age at death Averages about forty there is much doubt of the fact that workmen wear-cut?"
 ssWhat are the causes of death ?'' asked the employer. named the J principal causes-in the order report ed by the Department of Labor; ac- cidents, tuberculosis, miscellaneous pneumonia, heart disease, Bright's Dis sease, typhoid, apoplexy and paralysis cancer, liver diseases. suicide.
 Look over that list" recommend ed. 1T car see only two items that spell sudden death-heart disease and ] suicide, and many 8 victim of heart 2. disease, fingers a long time before the final stroke.
 s.In a selected group of workers ], Typographical Union who died during a recent period of two years-18 pel cent. or 3e9, fell victims of tubercu. losis If such men don't fit the defi. milton of worn-out workers, should like to know who do. After men get past the age of 45, pneumonia, apo. plexy, pAralysis and Bright's disease begin to get them. Do they fit youl definition of worn-out men when sucf diseases attack them?"
 z ''By George, had no idea it was X as bad as that" said the employer
 Then we began to figure the aver. age earnings of the worker during his l working life. Also, his savings. Also the number of children and womer } who are drafted into money-earninf work in order to keep families to- gether, roofs over their heads, ant enough food on their tables.
 Isn't it time to get interested il some plan by which the workers car provide for the financing of their owr days of diversity and the days Q struggle for their families?
 One day last week, a lady 0sked mt to come with her to a flat in this towl where old Mrs. Maloney (ti1at reall! isn't the name, had just died. It was a tumble-down, shabby plac, i out of which the old ladys body hat been carried; and the coroner's mar was paving gingerly over the odd as sortment of papers and clothes sh, had left On pine table, oi1clotl covered, he had displayed the collect ed treasure-trove.
 Ten dull gold pieces lay on a pill of filthy bills; and a doub1s-handfu of silver was waiting to be stacked il proper piles. I went over to examin' the collection.
 There's roughly eighteen-hundret dollars there" said the man. Tn still finding coins and bills stuck ava. in the most impossible places"
 Then the good lady who hat brought me to this place told me tha old Mrs. Maloney had practicall, starved to death. A neighbor hat found her sick and hungry.
 .'If yell only make me a cup O. tea my dear" she had said. "A doctor z Not for me-only them that's rich cal afford doctors!" My friend found ; v,1rse----ar1d food for her 11nti1 she died