The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-01-22
MANIFOLD BENEFITS
OF WAR SAVINGS
STAMPS EXPLAINED
.BABY BONDS" BEST INVEST
MENT GOVERNMENT EVER Of
FERED IN RAISING MONEY.

government appropriated $21, 600, 00O,-
900 to be used for goods and services
necessary to support our army at the
front. 1t is very difficult to visual
ize what $21, 900, 100000 means. 1t
has been said it is equal in amount
to three times all of the money In the
United States. In 1875 years in which
our government has been in operation
it has cost only SIC, 900, 900, 900 for all
the expenses of conducting our gov
eminent This includes all of our
wars, pensions, Panama canal, and all
expenses of any nature In the run
ming Of affairs.
The value of the manufactured pro-
ducts of this nation during the year
1915, when the nation was speeded up
in production of materials for Eng
land and France, amounted TO $24,-
000,000,000. 1t can be readily seen
from this fact that it was a physical
100000 worth of goods and service
plus the $4,000, 100000 of products
normally used in peace times. 1t,
therefore, became imperative that we
eliminate every possible non-essential
in order to release three essential
commodities, namely capital, labor
and material for the use of the gov
eminent, and only insofar as we did
eliminate the purchase of non-essen-
tials did we refrain from competing
directly with the government. This
il the fundamental principle which
underlies the War Savings Stamp
plan.
The government took two means of
obtaining these results. In the first
place the government requested the
manufacturer to curtail his output OF
non-essentials and convert that part
of his plant which was set free to the
production of war supplies. In the
second place, and the part which has
to do with the War Savings Stamp
plan, was an appeal to the people of
every class to refrain from the use Of
on-essentials and thus to further
liberate capital, labor and material
for the use of the government in the
prosecution of the great war. On
the face of it, it might appear this
plan would hurt business, but as
matter of actual fact, based upon the
experience of France and England,
business during the war was increas-
ed. The extra demand for war ma
terials caused fuller employment Of
labor and a more active distribution
Of capital.
H. Gordon Selfridge, formerly a
Chicago merchant, is now the pro-
prietor of the largest store in London.
OF his $500 employees, a thousand
were called to colors. The others
have bought $1,0O0,000 worth of War
Savings certificates. In spite of the
fact that Mr.. Selfridge has been a
leader in promoting the thrift cam
paign in England and has persistent
ly advocated the elimination of nom
essentials, he increased his business
in the year 1917 two and one-half mil
lion dollars.
With the war over, but the bill not
paid, War Savings Stamp society
will be organized in every institution
In this state. The schools were part
ly organized year ago. The factor
les are being appealed to, and are
very largely organized. The office
building and retail stores are next,
and the organization work among the
stores and office buildings is well un-
der way, and will continue during
1919. The idea of the Thrift club is
simply this: A person joining that
club pledges himself to refrain from
the purchase Of non-essentials and
divert that capital into War Savings
Stamps and encourage others to do
the same.
In each club organized there is one
member appointed, generally known
asthe secretary, who. makes a weekly
canvass Of each person in that club,
for the purpose of selling War Saw
ings and Thrift stamps. 1t is well
known that the people of Michigan
are the most responsive people in the
md al .xr,A. l.
Thrift club is serving the purpose of
making known to the people the War
Savings stamp plan. AS soon as the
details of the War Savings Stamp plan
are known there is the most active
interest displayed in them, and the
buying of stamps begins.
It Is interesting to know shat the
Thrift club originated in England and
that today more than 10000 of these
Thrift clubs are operating with clock
like precision in the British Isles.
In the early part of the war saw
ings stamp campaign, because Of the
fact that the schools and children
were the first to be organized the
general impression prevailed that
they were designed for theVchildren,
but when we stop to realize the states
quota for these stamps, it is quite
clear that they are not only for the
children, but are for everyone, and
unless every person purchases War
Savings Stamps in 1919 according to
his or her ability to do so, this stamp
plan must necessarily fail.
The War Savings Stamp method Of
financing our war is the most demo-
cratic and efficient method yet de-
vised. When Germany defeated
France in the year of 1870, she i'm
posed so severe an indemnity upon
her that the nations Of the world felt
that 1t would be impossible for France
to ever recover from the burden, and
German herself declared she had tied
a milestone about the neck of France
from which she should not free her
self. 1t was this incident which
brought to light the War Savings
Stamp plan worked out by the French
financiers to meet the emergency of
the hour. By means of this system
France paid off her indemnity in an