The sun., 1919-03-23
THRIFT CAMPAIGNS
SPUR HOME BUYING
Purchasers Of Stamps Acquire
the Ambition to Become
House Owners.
RETAIN THEIR HOLDINGS
But Put Their Surplus Savings
Into Building and Loan
Associations.
RETAIN THEIR HOLDINGS

Building and Loan Associations are
beginning to feel the effects Of the War
Savings Stamps campaign. Habits Of
frugaiity apd seir-denial have led in
evitably to ambition to own q home.
II five dollars month can be saved
by those who never before knew how to
save the surprised converts to thrift find
that 1t Is comparatively easy to put
aside another Ave dollars for the sake
OF the added enjoyment of family life.
DO not think" said the secretary Of
one Of the largest and most prosperous
Building and Loan Associations In New
Jersey that our new applicants for
shares are sacrificing their stamps. OF
all those who have frankly confessed
that their interest in our organization
has been awakened by lessons they have
learned in buying Thrift and War Saw
ings Stamps not a single one has ever
suggested selling the stamps to acquire
the shares. 1t seems to be a logical
sdvance along lines that the Government
indicated when II organized central COM
mttees to encourage the formation Of
War Savings Societies and perpetuate
the habits OF frusality formed in the
stress Of war times.
"The difficulty in regard to all saving
IN In getting together the first hundred
dollars--in other words, In forming the
habit, in making the beginnings OF thrift.
As Robert Louis Stevenson said to earn
q little and to spend little less is one
of the severe tasks of life.' We have
seen this over and over again in the
Building and Loan Associations. 1t Is
the thing that has been made less severe
by the lessons taught by War Savings
Societies.
For years we have been attempting
to convince people that 1t Is possible TO
save something from the smallest In
come But II has been hard work. NOW
we have evidence piled upon evidence
that the basic principle of saving has
been grasped by scores Of those who
short while ago did not know what 1t
meant.
at has been a matter Of especial in
terest to me TO discover why so many
Of those whoN have learned the lesson
found expression for II In the Joining
of building and loan associations. l have
come to the conclusion that their action
is the logical sequence Of what has
gone before The method Of saving by
means OF Thrift Stamps and War Saw
ing Stamps IL 80 familiar to that OF
putting money into one OF these associa-
tione In order to buy a homo Tor perhaps
10 provide in advance for the college
education of child) that am able now
TO realize the direct influence of the War
Savings Stamp campaign.
1.-THE gradual reduction In the pay
ments OH the stamps follows along the
lines of the building and loan associa-
ton The longer one belongs to one OF
these organizations the easier 1t becomes
TO meet the payments and the larger are
the results obtained.
War Taught Her How 10 Save.
ct once had a stenographer to whom
paid a moderate salary. In the course
of time. having become more proficient
and picked UP some knowledge OF general
Office work as we'll as OF stenography.
she obtained a position with another
concern that paid her almost double the
amount ] could afford. While she was
with me she showed no sign OF wishing
to save. AS she lived at home there was
perhaps no pressing reason why she
should put money away. Apparently.
every dollar she earned went into her
clothes.
Then came the war. In a spirit Of
patriotism she bought a couple of baby
Liberty bonds on the partial payment
plan and later invested in War Savings
Stamps. The habit OF saving became
firmly implanted. One day she stopped
nre on the street to ask whether she
could buy some shares in the Building
and Loan Association. OF course I was
only too glad to sell her, as know she
was earning a considerable amount Of
money and ought to be putting a sub
stantial sum aside. She made pay
ment and later she must have spoken
10 her new employer. because he took
quite a block OF sharea AS he could
not he bothered to make monthly pay
ments. he arranged to pay every six
months in advsnce-an arrangement by
the way that brought him fractional
advantage at the end of his term. The
young woman followed his example,
leaving her book with me.
Just a few days ago l had occasion
to go into her Office and took the book
10 show her where she stood. She could
NOT believe she had actually so much
TO her credit and Immediately bought
some more shares. What she had not
understood and what so many others do
rGl understand Is T.Iat her sa~ .Iss had
been earning compound interest monthly.
Benent to whole Country.
THE point that want to bring out is
that there is a DEFINITE reflection OF the
campaign instituted by the Government
upon such Institutions as the ono with
which | am connected. The young
woman to whom have referred told me
with the utmost frankness that she
would not have thought OF investing In
our shares II she had not discovered by
buying Liberty bonds and War Savings
Stamps how easy II was to save money
and make that money earn more money
for her.
when the Government announced
that its purpose In making the sale o.
war Savings Stamps a permanent in
stitution was that the whole country
should benefit by the more general ac-
ceptance OF the obligation to save which
had to be inculcated. II did one of the
best things for America that could have
been conceived.
''Of course. while we In the building
and loan associations see the next step
as II Is taken we realize that II In after
all only another step along the road Of
economic independence. The man who
will save FIRST for his country and next
10 buy himself home will not be salts
fed Until he has saved for otner things.
] venture to assert, as the result OF con-
adorable observation OF this particular
subject, that those who have been en-
couraged by their employers to save as
: n matter OF patriotism have already be-
gun 10 teach those very employers how
TO save for eniargements Of plant and
other business needs.
take Q look At the same side OF the
situation from another angle. which
brinxs Us back 70 consideration Of home