The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-10-19
WHAT YOU SAVE

"
When the American people locked
up their automobiles for another gas
less Sunday, they saved enough money
to provide General Pershing's Army
with 5000 machine guns, costing $3.50
each.
They saved enough money to buy
food for the American Expeditionary
Forces in Europe for two whole days.
They saved enough money to provide
General Pershing's army with $780,
900 hand %grenades.
They saved enough money to pay
for 1874 completely equipped rifles
which the American i~nfantryman car
ries when he goes into conflict.
These figures were revealed in a
Treasury statement, appealing to the
American public to turn its savings
from abstinence into War Savings
Stamps or set them aside for invest
ment in Liberty Bonds. The Treas
ury statement reminded the public
hat these savings which are being
effected are of no value to the Gov
eminent in its prosecution of the war
unless they are maze available for its
Use.
The Fuel Administration reported
hat the saving of gasoline on just
one gasless Sunday amounted to five
uillion gallons which, valued at %
cents a gallon, meant a saving to
American pocketbooks of %$1,250,000.
In transportation alone this meant n
saving of 625 tank cars for an ave
age haul of two hundred miles.
The rubber saved by giving tires
a days rest would be sufficient to
equip $500 motor trucks for the Amer
lean Army with tires capable of run
ming five thousand miles.
The Treasury reminder called at
tention to the fact that labor and ma
terial essential to the conduct of the
war arise from either of these three
sources:
LIST, released by abstinence of people.
I'd, imported from neutral countries.
Sd, obtained by making inroads on
accumulated supplies or equipment.
To what extent with which, by saw
ing, can we carry on the war by means
of current abstinence, we shall he
better off when the war is over.
Whatever we import we must ulti-
mately pay for through some form of
exports, which will mean that we must
later deny ourselves the things that
we fail now to deny ourselves. To
the extent to which we draw on accu-
mulated supplies or equipment, we are
putting ourselves in n worse condition
to carry OF production when the war
is over and competition is again keen.
Through the effective blockade of
Germany, Germany has been compel
led to pay for the war, to a great ex-
tent, through current abstinence. At
least she has been prevented from i'm
porting commodities to any important
extent. On the other hand, Germany
has been compelled to use up her ac-
cumulated supplies and equipment.
Even after using what she has stolen
from Belgium, Poland and other in
vaded countries, Germany will be
found to have required copper from
her roofs and cutters; her machin-
cry and equipment will be worn out
and run down and she must, when the
wal is over, replenish exhausted CAPT
tai before she can be properly prepar-
ed to turn out any cOnSi(er Me vol
m of current production,
The moral which the Treasury De
partment points out as a result of the
gasless Sunday is that it is important
in our conduct of the war to pay as
we go as far as possible by abstin-
ence from current consumption AM
that abstinence in itself contributes to
the winning of the war only as to that
degree with which the money saved
is made available to the Government
by investment in War Savings Stamps
or Liberty Bonds.