Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-03-20

OF Chicago. now proprietor OF the
ore in London.]
This drastic curtailment OF certain
lines of production to make way
for war business has not hurt bust
ness. 1t has merely resulted in shift
ing Of labor and business activity from
the less essential to the vitality essen
tial industries. To give few Illus
trations: Photograph factories are
now turning ont delicate shell parts,
jewelry makers are producing peri
scopes. watchr1akers are ADJUSTING
fuses, music-roll makers have turned
to guage making, a baking machinery
plant Is manufacturing high-eXplosiVe
shells. a cream separator factory Is
making shell primers. glaciers are
making cartridge clips. baby-food
factory is producing plugs for shells,
the output Of a textile machinery
plant is now field kitchens. and an ad-'
vertising agency is making shell
adapters. Everybody is at wor pro-
ducing more and earning more than
ever before, but the output is war ne
cessities.
Retail Trade Lives.
No great ration can go thru this
war without paying Its snare. Profits
ard patriotism do not mix. When Eng
land entered the war. the London mer-
chants expected to see their ordinary
trade disappear, and they were ready
to shoulder any burden the war I'M
posed. But trade has not been wiped
out. The strange thing is that 1t has
grown. My own business has paid
the British treasury IN two years
100000 in excess-profts taxes: the
government takes so pc. cent OF the
increased profits over the pre-war
standard.
The reason for this growth IN re-
tail trade Is that the workers are get
ting very high wages, and they are
now raising their standard of living
But the more prosperous middle-class
people have greatly curtailed their
scale Of living They are giving up
what the munition workers are gain
ing. Their incomes and profits have
been reduced, their taxes have been
increased, and they are feeling the
cost of the war. There has been
great leveling in England, and this
surely is a distinct social gain.
store we are selling great many
pianos to families who nave dreamed
for years of being able to buy them.
But these are not new pianos. we
can not spare labor and materials 1or
making new pianos any more than we
can for building new houses. These
are secondhand pianos coming from
the middle-class homes, often sold to
provide funds for buying war bonds
and war savings certificates.
II the merchants did a business OF
millions of pounds sterling in moving
these pianos from the homes Of the
more prosperous middle c:ass to those
Of the highly paid munition workers
there would tie no loss to the country.
No labor or material would be con-
sumed, excepting in the moving OF the
instrument. In fact. the treasury
would gain in the operation, because
what is really happening IS that the
workers are transferring some OF their
spending power to the middle class,
and the latter are transferring 1t TO
the government. The moving of the
pianos simply is a way of getting
part OF the munition workers spend
ing power turned over 10 the ma
ton.
Merchants Preach. Thrift.
London merchants are not only aid
ing the government in spreading the
gospel OF war economy but they are
doing their part in diverting the wages
Of munition workers FROM careless
spending to treasury financing.
own employees have put 100000 OF