Mexico Missouri message., 1918-09-05
Many Of So-CaIIed Necessities
Should Also Be Used Spar
ingly as Possible.
WOULD EFFECT Big SAVING
Money Could Be Turned Into Liberty
Bonds and Thrift Stamps, and
Labor Into Essential
Industries.
BY MORTIMER L. scHIFF.

BY MORTIMER l.. SCHIFF.
So o'much has been said and written
In recent months on the subject OF
thrift, that 1t must by this time be
the self-evident fact that unless the
strictest economy is practiced by the
people of this country, the enormous
sums and the mass of goods which the
war requires cannot be Forthcoming.
The most important contribution which
the civilian population can make to-
wards the winning of the war is to so
order its daily life as to prevent waste
and thus make available for military
purposes the goods and labor which
would otherwise be dlsslpated in pro-
ductiOn for unnecessary purposes. Not
only must the spending Of money for
luxuries be discouraged, but even So
called necessities must be used as
sparingly as possible. 1t is only In
that way that the growing need Of our
army and navy can be met.
The amount which the individual
can thus contribute may seem small,
but If all pursue such course con-
scientiously, the resultant saving is
enormous. Surely 1t is due to our
brave boys at the front that our mill
tary operations be not hampered by
a lack of supplies due to production
at home being diverted into non-essen-
tial channels. 1t must always be borne
In mind and cannot be stated too often,
that doing without something results
in q double advantage to the govern
ment. The money thus saved Is made
available for the purchase of Liberty.
bonds and War Savings stamps and in
addition a corresponding amount OF
labor and goods is released for war
purposes.
To illustrate by a concrete exam
pie, II man does not buy q new over
coat, but makes his old one do for an
other season. he not only can place at
the disposal Of the government the
money which he would have used for
that purpose, but the manufacturers
can use that cloth and the labor for
making the overcoat in manufacturing
military or naval overcoat for one Of
our soldiers or sailors.
Thrift Will Help Win War.
Fuel and food conservation work in
a similar way and everything which we
as individuals do without means just
so much more for our allies or for
ourselves for war purposes. The gos-
pei of thrift cannot be preached too
often or too strongly, not only for its
direct bearing on the war, but also for
It's effect on the future Of this coun-,
try. We have been so blessed with
natural resources and facilities for
production, that we have been an ex-
travagant people, and 1t is certain
to be of incalculable advantage If we
learn the value of saving. We have
been extravagant not only in the ex-
penditure of money, but also in what
is even more important, in the use OF
our raw material and of our land. In
tensive farming and full use Of buy
ing products are examples of this kind
of thrift, which IL intelligently prac-
ticed will tremendously increase our
production.
Saving to be effective must be sys-
tematic and not haphazard in charac-
ter. The greatest advantage of War
Savings associations or the purchase
of Liberty bonds on the installment
| plan is that they require the setting
aside Of a definite sum each week or
each month and the making of the do
mestic budget accordingly. And the
remainder of the money thus set aside
IS saved and invested in the premier
security of the world, in the OblIga-
ton of the United States OF America.
FrusaIity Great Asset.
The problems of peace are going TO
be no less serious than those Of war,
but we face them with confidence, y,
as a result of the habits we have ac-
quired during war time, we shall have
become thrifty and economical peo-
pie and nation of savers. "Waste
not, want not" is a true old saying,
but its application was never more Inn.
portant than now. Frances greatest
asset has been the thrift and frugality
of her people and we can do no better
than to emulate her in this, as in so
many other things. To do so each
must do his or her share and by so do
Ing divert production from nOn-essen-.
tiais into essentials and make avail
able the labor and goods needed for
military purposes. In the same way,
1t is only by thrift and economy that
we can speed up our production and
make participation In the war more
and more effective.