The Hayti herald. (Hayti, Mo.) 1908-1922, 1919-10-23
GIRLS WITH s15
A WEEK WEARING
$500 FUR COATS
INVESTIGATORS FIND VALID REA-
SON FOR THE HIGH COST
OF LIVING.
sENSELEsS SPENDING HURTS
Economy and Increased Production 10
Hope of Nation, Says Ambassa-
dor D. r. Francis.


earning less than SIS per week were
buying coats costing all the way from
$125 to $500 each, paying down and
pledging their meagre incomes for
months and years to come, economists
gasped.
1t was while a committee from the
Connecticut War Savings Organiza-
tion, working in cooperation with
Robert Scoville, state food admins
traitor, in an attempt to track the high
cost of living to its lair, made the
discovery.
"a woman representative of one Of
the stores in Hartford is reported to
have taken orders for $50 fur coats
from girl employees of one insurance
company, on 81 week basis" says
statement issued by the committee.
'These coats cost from $125 to $500
each, but in this insurance office they
were purchased by girls earning prob
ably SIS per week or less. Some Of
the girls will be paying on their coats
for three or four years. BY such reck-
less extravaganza as this the prices
of luxuries are made to soar, and to
some extent the prices of necessities
follow"
The statement also declared that
the owner of the department store has
told other merchants of Hartford that
the spreading of the gospel of thrift
among the people would be bad busi-
ness"
The statement also cites the in
cfa oP o
the American Thread Mills at viii.
limantic who, when they We're work
ing only SO hours per week, sold their
Liberty Bonds and War Savings
Stamps to buy expensive clothing.
Last winter, it is estimated by the
committee, % per cent of the bonds
sold were by girl employees in various
factories to make initial payments on
fur coats.
The committee points out there is
profiteering, undoubtedly, but that
profiteering is by no means the whole
story.
The work of the Connecticut thrift
campaigners might we'll be emulated
by War Savings committees in other
states. The American people are not
likely to persist in foolish policy as
regards their individual spending il
the obvious foolishness of that policy
is pointed out to them.
Mr.. Scoville says that even the poor
people judge the quality Of the goods
they buy by the price rather than by
common sense. What merchant, in
such case, would not charge high
prices for goods that would otherwise
be left on his shelves?
Every large city could stand an in
vestigation along these lines. The peo
pie got the thrift lesson during the
war. They got it very quickly and they
adhered to 1t admirably. But the end
ing of hostilities seemed to them, also,
TO be the ending of their responsible
ity. 1t was not the end-not by any
means. And the people will respond
to the appeal II the sound common
sense Of 1t is made clear to them.
David r. Francis of st. Louis, Am.
bassador to Russia, in recent addresses
IN his home city, has taken occasion
TO point out the fact that Germany is
certain to recover quickly from the
oCbboNh Va ehp anu ~ FthiCi tbuho
do not guard themselves Germany will
surpass this country and gain COM
mercial supremacy.
On all hands 1t Is conceded that the
high prices prevalent everywhere may
be attributed more to lack of produc-
tion than any one thing. Ambassadors
Francis shows that the thrifty Ger
mans are now asking that they be
permitted TO work 10 hours day In
stead of eight hours, and the first
thing the German does is to begin to
save and accumulate fund TO pay of
the debt and rehabilitate himself in
a commercial way.
The U. S. government plan to save
is ideal, and is made to reach all
classes. The child saver is provided
with the 25 cent Thrift Stamp. Then
in successive steps come the s5 War
Savings Stamp and the 800 and 81 ,OOG
Treasury Savings Certificate. These
securities pay 4,27 per cent if held
until maturity, on January I, 1924, a
more profitable investment than the
government of any other nation car
offer its people.
And no investment on earth can bG
safer, as the entire wealth of every
state in the Union is behind these
Stamps and Certificates.
A 500 Certificate may be bought il
October for sS4,20, and any bankel
viii be glad to give any person all thu
information necessary to Thorough
understanding if he really wants u
invest and save.