Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-05-24
"WILlFUl WASTE!"

"A young man entered local haber
dashery a few days ago and inquired
for some silk shirts.
To look at him one would not have
expected to hear him ask for that
class OF garment and those who have
known him for years would have been
more than surprised.
Until recently the young man sell
dom, il ever. would have found him
self in a position to buy silk shirt
At least in one installment
But since the closing OF his old
"hang outs" in which he had become
habituated to loaf away the usual
hours of labor, time has hung heavily
on his hands and thru the sheer hui
sgoAe to work.
Rather unkempt. not recently shay
en-, soled as to raiment and husky as
Z" voice he appeared a good deal of
the trough neck" as he asked for silk
shirts
"Ten dollars each, said the clerk.
"G'wan don't want no $40 rags, ]
want good ones" replied the pros
pective purchaser
THE clerk didn't hesitate. He reach
ed up the counter and pulled down
another box with exactly the same
quality shirts at exactly the same
price as shown by the private mark.
Fifteen dollars" he said.
That's more like it," said the Gus
toner selecting three and peeled off
more than half the roll that repre-
scented his two weeks pay.
The episoded actually occurred. 1t
stands out as plain illustration of
present day conditions well worth a
little study and perhaps worth balanc
ing. on the debit and credit sides Of
Uur social ledger as Robinson Crusoe
balanced good and evil.
In the first place conditions have
put the young man al work and prob
ably saved him from becoming a com
mon barrel house bum
Certainly that is to the good and it
ais better that he should spend his un-
i, accustomed wealth as he did than as
he would have spent it a few weeks
y sas9 e, course he didn't need three silk
shirts even if he bought with ordinary
: sense and caution. His money might
much better have gone into the bank
OR towards some investmnt against
the time when he shall have a fami- |
ly and the years whom work will be
Harder than now,
But he cannot learn sense and wis |
dom at once-time possibly will rem
edy his ignorance.
The young man however committed |
a, sg8ayious offense. He furnished 4
K EtriHng example Of the real cause OF
"profiteering."
Can the clerk be blamed for selling
a $40 shirt for SIS? Probably if the
salesman had been more strictly hon
est the customer would have walked
out to some other store that kept
first class stuff"
The proverbail drunken sailor" has
no trouble to find some one to take his
money.
And of course If a large portion of
the community Is going to spend its
income as reckless prices are going
higher. not only on silk shirts but on
everything else as the standard raises,
Our entire system of living Is found
Z ed on the system of barter and ex
change and reasonable levels will
never be reached as long as the pur-
CHdbHT Is SO luuolctl, DodoiluI VI Is
norant as to refuse to do his share In
bargaining.
80 A fair margin Of profit by the seller
can be insisted upon by the intelligent
careful buyer. The wasteful, pitiable
example given by the possessor of un-
accustomed wealth. like the shirt
buyer, points out the first step to be
taken in reducing the high cost of liv
ing.
1t is step that can be taken by