The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-27
WEALTHY MEN
 RUN ELEVATORS
By HOLLAND

KUN ELE V AIOhO |
 By HOLLAND
 New York. April 26.-( Special )-When the strike of the elevator operators was hardly an hour under way. the owner of luxurious apartment in upper New York decided that the better way to overcome the strikers was by action rather than by words. He is a man esteemed to be worth $2O,OO0,0o0 He is one of the executive leaders in a very great American industry. But without any hesitation he changed his business clothes put on an old suit. stepped into one of the elevators and began running it. He continued to do so for more than a week, working five or six hours day. Other men of wealth who occupied apart ments in the building took heed of his example and they, too, ran the elevators, even going so far as to fix the number of hours for operating so that there could be an exchange of operators.
 This incident is only one of many which illustrated the willingness of many mon whose hands are not hardened by actual labor to relieve the elevator sit uation of New York City. 1t also illus trates prevailing and rapidly increas- ing feeling not only in New York but apparently throughout the United States that the time has arrivel for the public to reveal it's lurking but very great strength so that interruption of trans portation and of delivery of food supplies by reason of strikes can be met and overcome through voluntary performance by the public.
 Some have called the almost nation wide movement to adopt blue jeans or denim for clothing no more than a mo- mentary fad likely soon to die out But while the use of cheap cloth of this kind for clothing may not be long continued, nevertheless there is undonbted disposi- tion to exercise enforced thrift with in tent to establish silent boycott which will serve to put an end to the excessive cost of many commodities
 X few examples may serve to give an excellent idea of the strength of this disposition and of the probability that it will be continued and increased until at last by a boycott which is in its main feature nothing more than thrA. some of the excessive cost of commodities will be ended.
 $200 FOR AN OVERCOAT
 man of wealth, finding that ne was in need of an .overcoat for early spring wear, called upon his tailor so that he might learn what the charge would be for a garment of this kind. He was told that it would be not less than $175, and if the best quality of goods was used it would be as much as $200. He thereupon said that as a matter of principle he would not buy overcoat if he were compelled to pay as much as the price stated by the tailor He turned to his cas.' off garments, found an early spring overcoat which he proposed giving away, took 1t to small tailoring shop and had It renovated at a cost of $10 And he now shows it with pride to his friends not so much because he saved many dol. lars, but because by his actions there might be, if initiated by others, inevitable reduction in the cost of clothing.
 THE CHICAGO PRICES
 A New Y ork business man who is assQ- ciated with very large commission house has been accustomed for some years to buy his clothes from Chicago house. The travelling salesman of that house called upon him a day or two ago, hoping to secure the usual spring order for suit of clothes. Heretofore this man paid about s60 for a suit. When he asked the salesman what the present price is and was told that suits of the Kind he wore now commanded Sl30 he told the salesman that he would wear his old suit and has begun to do SO
 CITES DAY OF OLD CLOTHES
 The so-caled overalls or blue jeans
 
 protest against the high price of conrno- dities, is likely to result in the es5tab- lishment of thrift of a kind not hitherto practlced by men women of wealth or of comfortable incomes They are having their closets and clothes presses overhauled, so that they may find if possible clothes which have been dis carded with intept to give them to some charity, but which, with moderate and inexpensive tailoring might be made available for wear. In many cases searches of this kind have been successful and We are likely to see through the sum- nor many persons who have heretofore been scrupulous about their wearing ap- parel now appearing in well-repa ire ed garments, looking upon even patches or the evidences Of repairing by thread as taGges of honor.
 WHAT SOME WOMEN ARE DOING
 lew days ago the wife of man who forrner'y was a prominent operat or in the Stock Exchange, but who has re- tired with q comfortable fortune, was on tne pcint of buying new spring hat Then II all of sudden occurred to her that If her husband could afford to have his old clothes repaired and tailored so that he could wear them, it might be the better bart for her to see whether she did not have in her closet some hats which she had discarded She found one. the straw was good the crown had been white, but somewhat disscolored from wear; the brim was black leghorn straw She took this hat to a modest mliiiner and was rejoiced to find that with little treatment so that the crown and brim would be of the same color and with a little trimming. she could secure hat that would be quite as available as' if she had bought a new one and paid $50 or s4o for it The restored nat cost her d little over s, and when she Wore 1t she was complimented bv friends upon her excellent taste in buy- ing q new ha.. In another case a wosn- an who contemplated buying a new hat this spring and who was not driven bv necessity to extreme economy, neverthe less thought it might be worth while to look at some of her discarded hats. Sba found one of leghorn in excellent condi- ton she took it to a little milIiner who. with skill. arranged certain trim 1ings and graceful feather and in this way the woman secured what appeared to be new hat, although the miliner's charge for her service was only 23o