Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-20
CHRISTMAS SPENOEAS
LAY OUT A BILLION
Supply Of Money for Gifts Arnaz.
ing. High Cost of Living Is
Laughed At.

New York, Dee. %. amerioa y On
the greatest spcndin bce M hsr history
This Will he a biIlion-doilaE ChristFna4-
From the gift Mcccz. " View for<is
Fifth avenue 10 little Villages fn Cali
fornia reports from wholesale and 70
tail establishments reveal unpres ssdented
buying. By yleadingmsrchants and students
Of economy this looeing 81 Americas
money reservoirs is due baSicaliy ~
three thing:
First. .Wagea ere extraordinary high.
Second. Better wages and saving "a
triotically in vested during the war make
more available for buying at q trne when
there IL growing gVrit 10 crafty 0nr-
stihed desires
Third 4 desire " stone for var suf-
ferings by many families has rtzuited 70
unusually generous gifts On tremrn
doiIsly large scale.
Persona interviews yesterday with Ns-
York retailers and wholesalers and "a h
during the last three NeekB with faer-
chants throughout the Central West a7d
East show an unprecedented supply u
spending money, hearty La1gh fOr The
high cost of living and a Tendency 70
invest in hl5oIries BY the public gensr-
ally that almost passes beLd
House ornaments, brio-a~brie and -
tistic furnishings, such 40 vase, pio-
tures, ribbon faDdangies, etc, have had
a tremendous sale probably straz -
war reaction.
Jewelry has been purchased 70 reS1t
weeks throughout the nation IN pm
noInenal qIantitiez There ls httls 10
mand for plated gtrTG everyone wants
the solid, guaranteed material Wo-iz-
ing people are buying diarnoods, 10th %
enjoy them and as an lnyestpe
Decorative and ornate cl0thTng, lsr1s-
ly forbidden by war eoorsorniZIng. g nsys
IN tremendous demand -siE fDgers-
and brocaded and tlnsebed ribbon aryl
among the luKuriss sought lT5ezs ~
fancy perfurnes IN many p1acss szr7'>1s
the ability TO dll them There = an 70
normal demand FOR stamped b-sttr-
goods of exceptionaliy high grzosa-
IN fart aH forms IF luT7Irira- IN
shirts silk hose, victrolaq, sIrtr~notsias.
reveal dernands f~ IEtEtrpp'-rs
supply.
Thonsands q p>1rpse who swv--1 us~---y
To purchase Liberty honds are n1v rsa-o-
ing. the eUTpCns and ever the hoTds
themseives 70 psrchase -hese and oth~s'
luxuriea. Many stores offer - s1chsrgs
goods for bonds st par vz@ue r7te
Never in brsiness history ~ thersl
Sf1fsD DlFtKtg l-JtLAg II IL
country today" IL vas ststed ~ b.
National Retail Dr- Goods Ae-oclstlonr
here. Reports from ozlr G1~rbersi,rr'
N every part of the country shoz -ra%
the people are pouring money mo ChrI.ss-
mas presents. Il ls probable LOO 001--
600 VIII be spent dHring .he holiday Z
The Buah Terminal Company, c1r ~
the Leading aDply honses n ~ 1orn-
tyy, declared Christmas D1ying aad
shattered al records.
IL is upon this abandoned o~Tyn~ and
disregard of cost % values thaE =nrn.
students of er-Jnonalcs and exa-7tIves
charged with solving he hiEh crzy- 81
living problem today lay blame fnr soas-
/ mg prces.
Still further evidence n The non av-
7 SPENDING .'busr' n America = fnsrrn n
new travel records beng rrn- 10 1aiiv
+ Never nave trans been 80 iamnen VIII
/! PEOPLE cruising about the coun-v Cr
pleasure bent Hotels are hacked
every city from New YORK 70 small An
Z lets In the Dakotas. Rooms Command
unprecedented price everywhere ana.
despite new hotels. additions % 7id
ones and resurrecr on n discarded ones.
7 there still isn room 20 70 around. and
the inconvenience of trsvei these 1avs
are eqttaled only by the amount 81 cravel-
ing beng done