The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-08-28
YOUR SONS LIFE
OR A new SUIT
What it Means if l05,000,000
People Refuse to Economic
ON Clothing
NATION HURT IN many WAYS
One Of Numerous Cases In Point Vivid
ly Illustrates the Vital Necessity
of Saving to Save the
Country" in War Time.
BY PAUL M. WARBURG,
Vice Governor Of the Federal Reserve
Board

EOdFu.
! 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
contribute to the cause of the couD
try, | may expect to see done-each in
his own way-by 1O5 100000 people
Let us suppose for the purpose OF
illustration that I decide that shall
effect a saving on clothes. might Sc
lect boots, automobiles, umbrellas, or
any other article for which regularly
spend my money, as | have no desire
TO single out any one commodity, but
/ clothes lend themselves to my thought,
so name them. If l make up my
mind, then, at this juncture that to
wear old clothes is more respectable
than to be seen in new ones; if | de-
eide TO buy one new suit OF clothes
less than usually purchase each year,
and II dgure that suit to cost no more
than $40 the country as a whole,
should we all pull together and act on
the same lines, would save thereby
over one billion dollars. II Is true that
IN dealing with our 105 100000 popula-
ton we include children and many
poor people that could not save ten
dollars each because they never spend
more for clothes than they absolutely
must. But on the other hand $40 is q
much smaller amount than the aver
age man or woman spends for a new
salt Of clothes. The assumption that
billion dollars could easily be saved
on clothes may, therefore. be accepted
as conservative.
The Acst thought that occurs to us
in this connection is. that by this saw
ine In clothes over one billion dollars
would be freed TO be invested in Lib
erty loan bonds That is the first inn
portant and most obvious result. But
there are other economic results in
yolyed in this saving that are Of far
greater Importance than the mere say
ing Of money.
Economic Results Are Vast.
Let us consider first what one billion
dqllars worth OF clothes means sup
pose they were halt.wool and half-cot-
ter and that the value Of the raw ma
teriai consltuiet only 90 per cent Of
the p~ico pad by th ultmc g c3nsum-
err That would. al tla rre7an, price OF
60 Goats per pcrul for wool and 80
cents D.r pound for cotton respective
Is. represent 206224 tons Of wool a1d
4lG.cG7 tons OF cotton. Can you mag
inc how much freight space would be
required on water and on land, ia NOV
ing this mass of raw material? Do
you realize that II these bales were
put into freight cars assuming load
ing capacity Of IS tons per car for
wool and IS cents per car for cotton,
This would represent 1891 box cars
loaded with wool and 32,056 box cars
loaded with cotton? Assuming rs cars
per train. here would be about 600
trains; the total length Of these trains
would be approximately 3l4 miles, and
these trains hauled BY 800 engines
when standing in limo would approx
: mately cover the distance from Balti
more to Pittsburgh? Can you imagine
, the amount of coal consumed in arst
Transporting and then weaving this
4 raw material into cloth? Can YOU inn
+ agino the number of hands employed
IN these processes? And then consid
/. or that more coal, more labor and
h more transportation are required in
). distributing the cloth and again more
labor and more material in converting
@ It into clothes, and again more labor
g and transportation in retailing the fin
ished product to the final consumer.
4 Let us be mindful that all the time
4 these processes are being carried or
D, Uncle Sam is short of the men neces
l. sary to dispatch his war work, ant
II furthermore that shortage of coal an'
e the clogging of the wheels of transpor
o tation have stopped his progress a
e most critical moments and in the pres
D ont emergency continue to remain
u constant menace 20 the country.
d May Cost Your Sons Life.
e Ny new suit of clothes means, there
e fore, delay for our military operations
u delay in Transporting and equippinl
men, and in sending to them, and t
cur allies, the supplies they need
means increased losses and a longe
" duration OF the war. My new suit O
" clothes may cost therefore, the liz
~ of my son.
The supply Of goods, of labor and o
transportation Is limited. It Is maj
"a ter OF common agreement that thi
T. limited supply is not sufficient freely &
W satisfy all wants and that unrestriote
=. attempts on the part of each individual
=, TO satisfy his own requirements ma
n lead to wild scramble and destruc
10 tive competition with the government
resulting in fatal delay and endless II
4. crease in prices,
10 The loaf of bread available for OH
.e selves and for our allies is not larg
.e enough to go around" II we all wan
Va 10 eat moro than Is absolutely necos
+. sary for our maintenance u Is ever.
% body's duty, therefore, at this timo Z