Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-10-15
YOUR SONS LIFE
OR A NEW SUIT
What II Means II 105.000,000
People Refuse 10 Economic
on Clothing.
nation HURT IN MANY WAYS
One Of Numerous Cases in Point Vivid.
ly illustrates the Vital Necessity
Of Saving 10 Save the
Country" in War Time.
BY PAUL M. WAEBURG,
Former Vice Governor of the Federal
Reserve Board.

BY PAUL M. WAR6URG,
Former Vice Governor of the Federal
Reserve Board.
am one of one hundred and five
million of inhabitants Of the United
States; my duties are the same as
those Of every other true American,
and those Of every other true Ameri-
can are the same as mine. Whatever
| contribute to the cause of the coun-
try, may expect to see done-each in
his own way-by 105,000000 people.
Let us suppose for the purpose of
illustration that | decide that | shall
effect saving on clothes. | might Sc
iect boots, automobiles, umbrellas, or
any other article for which | regularly
spend my money, as ! have no desire
to single out any one commodity, but
clothes lend themselves to my thought,
so name them. If | make up my
mind then, at this juncture that to
wear old clothes is more respectable
than to be seen in new ones; if | de-
eide to buy one new suit of clothes
less than | usually purchase each year,
and IL figure that suit to cost no more
thaR Sl0--the country as whole,
should we all pull together and act on
the same lines. would save thereby over
one billion dollars. 1t Is true That in
dealing with our 105,000,000 population
we include children and many poor
people that could not save ten dollars
each because they never spend more
for clothes than they absolutely must
But on the other hand so is a much
smaller amount than the average man
or woman spends for new suit of
clothes. The assumption that billion
dollars could easily be saved on clothes
may, therefore, be accepted as conSer-
vatiye
The first thought that occurs to us
in this connection Is, that by this say
Ing in clothes over one billion dollars
would be freed to be invested in Lib
erty loan bonds. That is the first i'm
portant and most obvious result But
there are other economic results in
VOWED in this saving that are of fal
greater importance than the mere saw
ing Of mon =
Econc mic Results Are Vast.
Let us consider first what one billion
dollars worth Of clothes means. Sup
pose they were half-wool and haIf-cot
ton and that the value of the raw ma
I terial constituted only 80 per cent o
the price paid By the ultimate consum
er, that would at the present price o
GO cents per pound for wool and 3
cents per pound for cotton respectively
represent 20S,334 tons of wool and il6
661 tons of cotton. Can you imagin
how much freight space would be re
tquired on water and on land, in NOV
ing this mass Of raw material? d
you realize that If these bales wer
put into freight ears. assuming a load
ing capacity of l6 tons per car 70
wool and 13 tons per car for cotton
this would represent 1902 box car
! loaded with wool and 32,056 box car
loaded with cotton? Assuming IS car
per train. there would be about 60
4 trains; the total length of these train
would be approximately 314 miles, an
/ .hese trains, hauled by 600 engine
when standing in line would approx
mateIy cover the distance from Bait
more to Pittsburgh? Can you im0gin
the amount of coal consumed in frs
transporting and then weaving tn
raw material into cloth? Can you in
agine the number of hands employed
these processes? And then considt
that more coal, more labor and MOI
transportation are required In distri
uting the cloth and again more labC
and more material in converting 1t I'M
clothes, and again more labor ar
transportation in retailing the fnisht
product to the final consumer.
Let us be mindful that all the tin
these processes are being carried o
Uncle Sam is short OF the men neCe
@ary to diSpqtch his war work, al
furthermore that shortage Of coal M
the cloggng Of the wheels Of transpc
tation have stopped his progress
most critical moments and in the pre-
cnt emergency continue to remain
constant menace to the country.
May Cost Your Sons Life.
My new suit Of clothes means, ther
'ore, delay for our military operation
delay in transporting and equtppi
: men, and In sending to them, and
l our allies, the supplies they nee
means increased losses ana n long
duration of the war. Ny new suit
clothes may cost, therefore the Il
of my son.
The supply Of goods, of labor and
transportation Is limited 1t is mi
ter of common agreement that this Ii
tied supply is not sufficient freely
satisfy all wants and that unrestrict
> attempts on the part of each indiyidl
u to satisfy his own requirements IN
lead to wild scramble and destrt
tive competition with the goyerumo
- rpgultinp in fatal dnluv md pntlpSS