The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-09-07
What II Means II 105,OOO,OOO
People Refuse to Economic
On Clothing.
NATION HURT IN MANY WAYS
One of Numerous Cases in Point Wv
idly illustrates the Vital Necessi-
ty of Saving to Save the
Country" in War Time.
BY PAUL M. WARBURG,
Vice Governor of the Federal Reserve
Board.

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
I contribute to the cause of the coun-
try, I may expect to see done-each in
his own way-by 105. 100000 people.
Let us suppose for the purpose of
illustration that I decide that I shall
effect a saving on clothes. I might Sc
lect boots, automobiles, umbrellas. or
any other article for which I regularly
spend my money, as I have no desire
TO single out any one commodity, but
clothes lend themselves to my thought,
so I name them. IF I make up my
mind, then, at this juncture that to
wear old clothes is more respectable
than to be seen in new ones; if I de-
eide TO buy one new suit of clothes
less than I usually purchase each
year, and if I figure that suit to cost
no more than S10-the country as a
whole, should we all pull together and
act OIL the anne lines, would save
thereby over one billion dollars. It is
true that in dealing with our 105, 1000
900 population we include children
and many poor people that could not
save ten dollars each because they
naunr cnapd f0~ oIafhoc +hon
they absolutely must. But on the other
hand, $40 is a much smaller amount
than the average mar or woman
spends for a new suit of clothes. The
assumption that a billion dollars could
easily be saved on clothes may, there
fore, be accepted as conservative.
The first thought that occurs to us
in this connection is, that by this a
ing in clothes over one billion dollars
would be freed to be invested in Lib
arty loan bonds. That is the first i'm
portant and most obvious result. But
there are other economic results in
volved in this saving that are of far
greater Importance than the mere saw
ing of money.
Economic Results Are Vast.
Let us consider first what one bill
lion dollars worth of clothes means.
Suppose they were half-wool and half
cotton and that the value of the raw
material constituted only so per cent
of the price paid by the ultimate con
sumner, that would, at the present
price of 60 cents per pound for wool
and 80 cents per pound for cotton re
spectively. represent 20S,334 tons of
wool and 416,667 tons of cotton. Can
YOU imagine how much freight space
would be required on water and on
-erial? Do you realize that if these
bales were put into freight cars, as
suming a loading capacity of 16 tons
per car for wool and 10 tons per car
for cotton, this would represent 1902
box cars loaded with wool and 32.056
box cars loaded with cotton? Assum-
ing Is cars per train, there would be
about 600 trains; the total length of
these trains would be approximately
314 miles, and these trains, hauled by
500 engines, when standing in line
would approximately V the dis
lance from Baltimore to Pittsburgh?
Can you imagine the amount of coal
consumed in first transporting and
hen weaving this raw material into
cloth? Can you imagine the number
, . bayJ. On,n1arO1 w tlocO npaaoecNe .
And then consider that more coal,
more labor and more transportation
are required in distributing the cloth
and again more labor and more ma
+erial in converting it into clothes. and
again more labor and transportation
in retailing the finished product to the
final consumer.
Let us be mindful that all the time
these processes are being carried on.
Uncle Sam is short of the men neceS-
sary to dispatch his war work, and
Furthermore that shortage Of coal aud
the clogging of the wheels of transpor-
tation have stopped his progress at
most critical moments and in the pres
ent emergency continue to remain a
menace to the country.
May Cost Your Sons Life.
Nv new suit of clothes means, there
fore. delay for u military opera
tons delay in transporting and equip
ping men, and in sending to them, and
to our allies, the supplies they need;
means increased losses and a longer
duration of the war. My new suit of
clothes may cost, therefore, the life
Of my son.
The supply of goods, Of labor and
of transportation is limited. 1t is a
of common agreement that this
supply is not sufficient freely