The Press., 1918-08-29

cline of dollar exchange in these neu- tral countries. This shrinkage in the price of the dollar means that it has lost a corresponding part of it's pur- chasing power in neutral countries. The scarcity of goods available for our export trade has thus become 8 serious obstacle in our way in trying to secure at reasonable prices or in ads quate quantities some of the things that we absolutely require from for eign countries.
 My suit of clothes has hurt Uncle Sam, therefore, in several ways: have consumed more wool than neces- sary and thereby forced the United States to import & correspOndingly large quantity of this article; l have consumed more cotton goods than nec- essary and to that extent have de- prived Uncle Sam of the means with which to pay for the minimum of wool which we may have to import
 Clothing But One of Many.
 have used the illustration of new suit of clothes; 1t would be easy. though somewhat tedious, to show that we have been dealing only with one case in point. The country Is short at this time of hides and skins and has to import large quantities from neutral countries because we are ex- travagant in our individual purchases of shoes. Similarly though we are the largest producers of copper, we are tn nnTt0 from hm cause our civilian population has not begun sufficiently to curtail it's use In like manner we might ask ourselves is 1t at all excusable that at this time we still manufacture such articles as silk stockings, when every thread of silk must be imported, while we could use our own cotton?
 It Is impossible and unnecessary to enumerate the many articles that are in similar pos tiOn. Many billions of dollars can easily be saved when once we are capable of realizing the cumulative effect of individual say ing" take the word saving" in it's larger meaning as involving not only money. but also goods and services. If every indivtduaI could be made to see with his own eyes that neglect of saving of this sort means decreased war efficiency. propaganda of the war, and a larger number of casual ties: if every one who has a son or dear relative on the fighting lines across the water could be made to feel that millions of small savings directly affect his boy-there would be no doubt that we could secure the most conscientious and enthusiastic coop eratiOn of all the people. Thus far we must say with regret-0f 1O5, ,0O0.- 900 people, 100 900 900 do not see the connection between the suit of clothes and the life of the boy.
 oermany's Enforced Economy.
 Germany's military success is large ly predicated upon her ability to cen ter the entire national effort upon the business of war. It is safe to say that
 she never would have been able to bear the burdens of the fight as well as she has during these four long years had it not been for the enforced
 savings in material money and men brought about through the British blockade If 1t had not been for the stern necessities created by that block ade the German people would not have been willing to submit to famine ra- tions as to food, clothes, shoes and
 other similar articles. Industries ca tering to the appetites and extrava- gances of tho masses would have kept men and material from the government instead of making everything avail able for the war work of the govern ment, and financially she would have exhausted herself by buying things abroad that she could go without or | for which she had to strain her in, genuity in finding or creating substi- tuteS.
 It is difficult to bring about drastic economy without the cOmpulsiOn ex- | ercised by hard necessity. For us the | problem is whether or not, of our own free will we shall be able to estab- lish our own voluntary blockade against waste and extravaganza. It is
 a prob cm whose solution requires the
 greatest intelligence and the greatest degree of unse fish patriotism. It is a | problem that wi put the spirit of our rennlr to the severest test.
 The government is not devoid of means of pr0m0tirg economy. The war industries board the food and fuel administered ations. the capital issues | committee. the department of labor
 and department of agriculture all move ! in the same direction of increasing necessary production md decreasing unnecessary consumption.
 Full success however may be count co upon only If the whole-hearted co
 operation of every C t.zen of the United l States can be enlisted.