Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-12-01
WORK AND SAVE

"Work and Save is the motto that has been adopted by.
The Thrift Citizens Movement under the auspices of which a
luncheon was held in Newark last week. This, truly, is the slo-
gan that should be adopted by everyone. While there is much
complaint about the high cost Of living, til a fact that never
has there been such an orgy of money spending as at the pres
ent time.
At the luncheon referred 10, the speaker, Charming Rudd,
comptroller of the government loan organization for the Sec
ond Federal Reserve District, cited an example of the way
money was being lavished by those who have never possessed
so much money before.
He says the price of milk has just been raised in New
York. The raise was caused to a certain extent, by the demand
of the drivers of The milk wagons who went on strike for a
substantial. increase. These drivers of milk wagons are now re-
ceiving over fifty dollars a week. Three years ago these same
men received fifteen dollars a week for the same service.
Curious to know what the men were doing with their IN
/creased income, Mr.. Rudd said he went out one morning to
speak to The man who delivered milk at his house. He asked
him what he was doing with his money these days. An evansiye
answer being given, the question was put more directly and
the milkman was asked to tell what he did with the ffty-two
dollars he received last Saturday. And the millman said that
last weeks salary had been spent for four silk shirts at twelve
dollars each.
Some may argue what this man does with his wages is
nobody's business but his own. If he has the money to buy silk
alirts he has as much right to wear silk shirts as anyone else.
But it is other peoples business when this mans enjoy
ment of the luxury of silk shirts means prohibitive prices for
milk for babies that are under-nouished because OF The fam
ilys inability 10 buy as much milk as IS necessary to properly
feed it.
1t is other peoples business when men receiving such
wages proceed to blow it in in riotous living not saving a
cent or contributing anything toward helping to solve the pres
ent economic problem that the country is facing.
1t is other peoples business when the wages paid any in-
dividual or set Of individuals tends 10 entirely mbalanee the
whole economic life of the country.
Times are not going to always remain as prosperous as
they are at present. Hard times are coming and then these men
who are receiving fifty dollars a week for driving a milk wagon
and who can sport silk shirts at twelve dollars each, and buy
other Injuries, will be asking for bread.
Men who have made a life study of economic affairs pre-
dict the panic that will bring hard times and cause everything
to fall back to rock bottom is due sometime within the next
five years. Some predict that it will arrive within the next two
or three years.
1t is because thinking men realize that conditions cannot
continue as they are indefinitely that they are urging the peo-
pie to work and save. Work in order to increase production
which alone can solve the present situation, and save in order
that there may be something put by out of the present great
prosperity for the proverbial rainy day.
The warning is given now for everybody in order that
when the crash does come those who have been spending their
money so lavlShy and without any regard for the future may
not say that they were not given the information that they
should have had when they were receiving such high wages.
They cannot say that they did not have the opportunity to save
when they had money to save.
The shop girl who saves her money only long enough to
accumulate one or two hundred dollars and then spends it all
for o set of furs is doing nothing to meet the present situation.
She is only encouraging the present high prices OF everything.
If she can save a good portion of her wages and still afford her
furs, all well and good, but to spend the last penny and even
mortgage the future for the Injuries of today is ~foolhardy.
Now is the time to save money. tits surprising how a lit
tie put aside each week or month mounts up by the end of the
year and when the interest itself begins to count the saving
grows rapidly until, in the course of five years, there is a tidy
sum laid by for the emergency that is bound to come, as it al
ways has come.
The awful price of everything found in the stores today
Is largely due to the Willingness of the people to pay anything
that is asked and they insist in having only the most expensive
and luxurious. The cheaper grades and qualities will not do.
although what is now considered the cheaper grades were the
most expensive a few years ago.
Work and save is the only answer to our present unrest.
The crash is going to come sooner or later anyway, but unless
we begin to work and save with all earnestness it is going to
come much sooner than we expect. Then those who are
spending their inflated incomes on silk shirts, expensive furs
and other luXuries will not be able to say that they were not
warned by those who could foresee what was going to happen.
The duty Of the hour for the American people is to work
and save while the working is good and the saving is possible.