Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-07-15
SPEND BILLIONS
FOR LUxUR|ES
Secretary of the Treasury Shows
How Americans Can Save
$22,7O0,000.000.
CLEANED FROM TAX RETURNS
Carpets, Fdrs, Autos and Soap classed
With Gum, Candy and Rouge
$75O,Ooo,0 900 Spent for Perfum-
cry and Cosmetics.

Washington.-Cut out the chewing
gum, lay off the cigarettes, pull the
sweet tooth, drink only water do with
out cosmetics, perfumes, cigars, tobac-
co, snuff, furs, carpets and such cloth
ing luxuries as silk shirts; wash your
face with yellow soap, ride the street
cars instead of the autos and depend
upon your own cultivated or uncul-
tivated voice for music-and you Will
save 500, 7O0,000,000!
That in effect, is the advice recently
handed out by Secretary Of the Treas
ury Houston to the 110,O0O,OOO Amer
leans; in the course of an economy ar
ticle. His figures for expenditures up
on sO-called luXuries are compiled
from federal tax returns and are prob
ably, for that reason, not very far
from the truth. just how many per-
sons might agree with Secretary Hous-
ton concerning his definition OF what
constitutes luXury--for instance car
pets, tobacco, automobiles and tollet
soaps--is prOblematical. 1t is def.
milton similar to that famous ny.
pothetical question-never answered.
when Is man drunk" Likewise
the wartime puzzle Of "what Is an es-
sential industry?"
Here Are Our Luxury Expenditures.
However, the figures are interesting
from the standpoint of knowing ap-
proximately what the American peo-
pie do spend on things that they could
do without and still go on living. The
table of luxury" expenditures ar
ranged by Secretary Houston from the
reports from the present internal rev.
enue system. federal tax returns, and
so on, follows:
Chewing gum ...................$ boooo'""
CANDY l. 600 coo, 00o
Cigarettes ... SOO,OOOO00
Soft drinks. including Ice
cream and soda ................ 35o,Oooooo
Perfumery and cosmetics. 750.oO,oOo
Cigars $40 OO0, 900
Tobacco and snuff ...,. 800 100000
Eurs 300 O00, 900
Carpets and luxurious clothing l,5oO0W
Automobiles and parts ........ 1900 600, 900
Toilet SOAPS ...................... 4COOO0.0OO
Pianos, organs and phono-
graphs NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. IooVo'VV
According to comment in an editori-
al In the New York Journal Of Com
merce, which prints Secretary Hous-
toms table of figures, "few persons
would deny that of those items which
have been specifically enumerated
here, nearly all could be greatly re-
duced in amount without inflicting suf-
fering or even Inconvenience upon the
population.
"The fact that the American public
Is spending such sums as these for the
purposes mentioned gives point to the
often repeated and often disregarded
INJUNCTION to be guided by the policy
Of thrift at least to reasonable ex-
tent in both personal and business ex-
pendlture," says the editorial. ut also
throws glaring light upon the cur
rent complaints concerning the cost Of
living. If the nation can spend ST.
7OO,0O0,OO0 upon articles which In
large part are purely Injuries, 1t evil
IDENTIFY Is not suffering from de-
pressed standard of living. While, on
the other hand, 1t is obviously making
things much harder for itself by draw
ing off the commodities, services and
capital used in the production Of this
great volume of cOnsumable goods
which otherwise would 90 to make
the 'necessaries Of life more plentiful
and hence cheaper"