The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-05-29
HAVE LEARNED THRIFT.

In a recent issue or the American
Magazine, Charles W. Patterson,
president of the biggest grocery con-
Germ in the world, makes the state
ment that the tonnage in groceries IN
actual pounds sold for consumption in
America is not nearly as great as 1t
was before the war. Mr.. Patterson
attributes this directly to lessons OF
food conservation learned during the
war. He says. 81 believe this is the
direct consequence of the habits
brought about by food conservation.
People waste far less than they did be-
fore they learned how little they need
ed to waste; and they also found out in
many cases that they could get along
by eating less, and many of them are
doing it. The saving of an individual
may be infinitesimal; but the grocery
business knows the saving of the peo-
pie as a whole, and it is big one"
Mr.. Patterson says that whenever he
makes this statement, someone at
once assumes that the decrease Is due
to home gardens and home canning,
but he does not agree with them. He
says that homecoming educates the
people to eat canned goods.
1t is reasonable to suppose, however
that homecoming and gardening
would have something to do with the
reduction in tonnage of groceries SOLD,
and there is another reason, which is
probably very considerable one; and
that is the American housewife, nine
times out of ten, is doing much OF her
own cooking today. 1t is more diff
cult to get cooks than ever before, and
so there is less waste in the kitchen.
The cook has TO be still counted in, 1t
it true, but she is not SO apt to waste
her own materials as she is to waste
what she does not have to pay for.
Another very possible reason is that
1t is becoming something more than
fad for people to eat less. The Cos
pei of lighter meals has been found
to be a good one, and many more
people are also patronizing market gar
dens and trucksters than ever before.
But there is: still another and per-
haps the most cogent reason Of all,
and that is that the American people
cannot afford TO spread the lavish
tables of former days. The prices are
so high, it is impossible to do so. 1t
would be interesting to find out from
Mr.. Patterson, or some other statisti-
clan, if the profits in the grocery bust
the tonnage.
An interesting point is brought out
in Mr.. Patterson's article, which house
wives might well take note of. Mr..
Patterson says: Package goods have
had to make their way and to justi-
fly their expense by proving their
Olives are at this moment
expensive because the public has
learned to like them packed in tall
jars. where they show up nicely on
the sides. To get them that way every
olive is hand packed by girls, who
handle the fruit by means of long
tongs."
In other words, housekeepers have to
pay for the containers. This is true
not only of olives but of all fancy
groceries. II housekeepers would learn
TO discriminate more carefully in their
buying, and il a campaign could be
waged to inaugurate simpler package
and canned goods, IL would mean a
great saving OF expense to the grocery
trade. and a reduction in price on the
products. which would be quite as good,
without so many fancy "do-dabs."