Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-31
a cAAprER ON WASTE
Why Americans Are the Greatest
MASTERS In the World---Enormous
Sums Lost Daily In Food and To-
bacoo--chsnaIne Fashions
DEGREES
BY GEORGE NOx MCCAIN


A N ENGLISH millionaire manufacturer
a Of mustard once remarked that he made
his fortune out of the mustard that the
people had not eaten.
= A large part Of this universal condiment
Of the home and the hotel, when permitted
to stand after preparation, dries up, turns
black in the container and is thrown away
IL was the constant replenishing of the
mustard thus wasted that built the fortune
OF the Englishman.
Many articles Of daily use. particularly
manufacturers for the same reason.
The American people are the most prodi-
gal wasters In the world.
Some food is carelessly prepared and
thrown away as unfit for use. More Of 1t
is permitted to spoil or deteriorate. The
great bulk Of the loss finds It's way to the
garbage can az scraps and kitchen rem
nants.
Careful investigation by the Food Ad-
ministration in Philadelphia during the war
confirmed this fact.
1t was pointed out at the time as n crimi-
nal destruction Of food supplies.
The money value of all the foods spoiled
or thrown away in this country in one
month would save the life of every starving
soul in the famine districts in China and
restore 1t to vigorous health.
DBNNSYLyANIA's bill for wasted to-
L bacco exceeds 500, 900 a day.
cigarettes and smoking tobacco.
Few men, particularly business and pro-
fessional men, burn a cigar to the end.
This extravaganza was utilized in unique
fashion in this city some years ago. There
were small reclamation shops where half
burned cigars or 'dumps and butts col
lected by old men and boys from the streets
were bought at 80 much per pound
They were trimmed of their blackened
edges treated to various baths and dope
nd bp Sh IN mA1p
into a cheap grade of cigarettes. The fill
ers'' were minced, or dried and crumbled,
and converted into Il doubtful kind of filler
for pipes.
The tobacco scavengers have about dis
appeared from the streets. Now and then
q down and outer, or some hopeless and
homeless vagrant may be seen pouncing
hawk like on a half f-consumed cigar lying
near the curb.
TT is estimated that the daily waste in
half burned cigarettes in this State
amounts to $4,000.
This largely represents the cigarette that
Is lighted for a moment. the smoke inhaled
the street with a snap Of the finger.
One third of the 3,5000OO cigarettes
daily retailed in prosperous times In Penn
sylvania.are thus wasted.
The higher the ratio of non employment
the lower the ratio of this improvident de-
struction of tobacco.
The returned veteran from overseas is the
most careful and conscientious cigarette
smoker. He learned economy Of flags
through his experience on the other side.
The fellow with the saffron stained fingers
is the real economist though. He smokes
'em till there Is nothing left.
Hence the stained fingers. the sign man
ual of the goddess Nicotine.
LNARM and garden products form the
l. greatest item in our national bill of
reckless improvidence
I know personally of hundreds of bushels
Of fruit that were permitted to rot on the
ground last summer and autumn for lack
of adequate transportation facilities and in
telligent distribution.
1t is not so much an over supply OF any
one crop as it is of careless and unstudicd
placing of the product to avoid Cutting of
markets and dscouraging loss to the pro-
ducer.
Surgery. chemical research, aviation and
war arpaments have made marvellous strides
in the last decade in this country.
The science of domestic economy as ap
piled to the prevention of waste has about
remained at Standstil.
HERE is another slant to this question
of waste.
At meeting Of economists recently one
of the speakers claimed that the constantly
changing fashions in the clothing of men
and women entailed millions of useless eI
penditure.
That every year measureless quantities
Of perfectly good clothes were cast aside be-
cause some quip of fashion ordained the use
Of little more or little less Cloth or
drapery, the change of a curve, the addition
Of n button. founce or bit of lace.
That particular economist evidently had
not analyzed his subject.
WHAT might be termed waste as result
! w of the whms of the goddess of fashion
| is not waste in the sense employed of food
| products.
| are not lost They simply enter a new field
| of usefulness.
They become marketable commodity.
! They pass from hand to hand for a price.
| Somebody is benefited in every transaction.
Somebody's vanity Is tickled in the pos
| session of good clothes but little the worse
for wear, obtained at fraction of their
| original cost.
In the last analysis these victims of fash =
ions frown may do a world OF good after
| running the gamut of the social scale.
They may clothe the innocent victims of
| fire, food. earthquake. famine or war in
some distant land.
AS an expression of a charity that might
! otherwise go uncxpressed they may accom-.
! plish great good.
| r ONCE had rare experience which car
| / rird never to be forgotten lesson
| traVeleu TOT Guys III lne company OF one
| of the wealthiest men in this State. II was
| during n political campaign in which We
| were members Of State wide campaign np
| party.
| Az is usually the case, the members
being congenal souls, became chummy and
| intimate.
A member of the coterie. now one Of th'
most distinguished jurists in the Common
wealth. appeared one night in brand new
fashionable suit of clothes, He was the sub
ject of good natured raillery.
| He was assailed as dude. BY common
consent he was requested to explain wha
| he meant by thus Distinguishing himself
I'D nil