The Springdale news., 1918-01-18
NEWS ITEMS
By Clio Harper.

Little Rock, Jan. 14.-If there re- mains in the mind of any citizen of Ar kansas any lingering doubt about his being personally involved in the great est war of all history. he need only look about him to be disillusioned.
 Entering upon a new year, the fourth year of war that many said could not last longer than six months. We find all the world at death grap- pie, and Arkansas just as much a part ot the general debacle as though a foreign foe were knocking at our gates at Texarkana, or the Mississip- pi river ports.
 All about us, and inextricably in volved in it, are evidences of the part We are playing in the worlds supreme tragedy.
 So far-reaehing is it, that the hum blest home in the remotest corner of the state is touched at some point by its influences. Aad even more in timately will these homes be touched and saddened later when the casualty lists begin to come back from 5he bloody shambles of Flanders.
 There are nearly 25,000 of the best young men of Arkansas under arms or enlisted in some branch of the gov efnment service that is charged with the winning of the war.
 And more are being called for, in- clUding the Fourth Regiment of vol Hunteers now being organized
 They are in every branch of the ser vice, and there are some already at the front facing the shrapnel and liquid flames and poison gases of the >Madman of Potsdam, ana some of them wear upon their breasts the French CroiX de Guerre
 The people of Arkansas, in common with the rest of the world, are learn ing the lesson of giving, and they are learning it well.
 They are learning that money Is needed to win this war, as well as men and munitions, and that we must not only give our idle surplus, but give aa- al it means genuine sacrifice.
 They are investing liberaily in Lib erty Bonds and War Savings Stamps, and guaging their investments by seven figures in the aggregate.
 It would have been thought impos- sible few years ago to raise q mil lion dollars for any purpose among the people of Arkansas.
 It is no longer measure of aristoe- raey to own government bonds-ev- erybody owns them, millionaires and ditch-digeers, bankers and school boys rich planters and ribbon=eounter clerks.
 "A year ago the state banks held only $2,o4o worth, now they have more than ten million.
 The people are giving generously to the Red Cross, the Y. M. C. A. War Work, the Salvation Army War Work, the Fatherless Children of France, the Belgian, Jewish and Ar menian relief. and other funds, and they realize that many other demands are inevitable.
 There are many war activities Tn Arkansas, aside from those mention ed. that are engaging the attention Of our people,-the State Council of De- fense with it's county auXiliaries, the Food Administration which is at tempting to fix the price for staple food products and prevent profiteer- ing. the Fuel Administration, which IS assisting in a solution of the fuel shortage, and the various govern ment agencies, all of which are inti- mately concerned in the conservation of resources to help win the war.
 Industrial plants have been rcqulsl- toned far more than most people know for the manufacture of things needed in the equipment of our armies.
 Labor, and especially skilled labor of all kinds, was never so scarce, and it js impossible to secure enough even to carry on the average volume m some lines of business.
 Women are being employed in vo- cations heretofore confined to men inc Little Rock Street Railway Com pany seriously considers employmg them as conductors, some of the rail roads are already using them as yard and office clerks, they are doing some of the lighter work about the saw mills and in many other ways they are taking the place of men gone to war
 The increased cost of all eommo- dities, everything we eat and wear is too familiar to everyone to require renetition-all due to the war.
 Cotton has gone to higher price