The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-04-20
No Such Thing in the United
States as N0nesSential
Plants.
EVIL OF NEGATIVE ECONOMY.
Preparation for After War Competl-
ton Necessary - Give Munitions
Shops and Military Supplies Prefer
ence, but Don't Cause Involuntary
~ldleness, Which viii Demoralize
Prosperity.

No factory should be closed and no
person should be deprived of work as
long as the products can find a market
unless other work can be found for the
plant and the ~toilers, which is of more
Importance to the nation. There are
no sue hthings as nonessentials In our
industries. Some are needed more
than others, but all serve some pur-
pose, If no more than to please the eye.
If work can be found for all in produc-
ing foods, clothing, munitions of war,
ships and other things of prime neces-
sity which help win the war let them
have precedence, but avoid causing in
voluntary idleness.
To hold and increase Jul foreign
trade the industries that supply goods
%forexport must not be ~disorganized or
we shall be at the mercy of our COM
petitors when peace is restored. Eng
land, wisest of nations in trade affairs,
is doing all that is possible to maintain
her foreign trade and supplant her
enemies In international markets and
while doing so is looking after her W
interests without taking others into ac-
count. This policy is not conflicting
with her efforts to win the war.
When a workman is die the commu-
nifty loses his value as a producer and
the cost of supporting him. 1t makes
no difference whether he is fed by rela-
tives or friends or in a public instftu-
ton or by u~norganized charity or by
his spending part or all of his Savings,
the double loss is the same. Idleness
is the worst waste. We must practice
economy, but, as President McGarrah
of the Mechanics and Metals Bank of
New York says: "Ill advised and i'm
petuous economy, meaning unemploy-
ment and closed factories, would be
demoralizing. 1t is evident to every
thinking man that business must be
sustained and the conversion of indus
try carefully brought about whereby
the nations energies are transferred
from the satisfaction of the needs of
the army and navy" Some of our i'm
portant industries have already been
hurt by the negative economy which
he criticises. We must not weaken our
bodies and our finances by abstinence
born of panic.
If a man boards a dollar or a bag of
sugar it benefits no one while he holds
it. If he lends a dollar or gives or
sells the sugar to the government for
the prosecution of the war he helps the
nation. The hoarder is worse than the
s%pendthrift. We must economiZe, but
we must neither hoard nor remain idle.
Money wisely spent is not wasted
money spent for n~onessentials is put
to poor use, but remains in circulation.
Money boarded is valueless while in
that condition. Let us keep money in
circulation and labor at wo- K. Let us
give preference to the requirements of
the nation, but keep labor employed in
some way until the government can
find work for all. 1t is unlikely that
the government can do that, so we
shall have surplus labor, including an
army of women, who can produce real
wealth for export and domestic trade.
The panic which obsesses the minds of
some officials, If allowed to spread, can
do more harm than an invading host
Industrial Conservation, New York.