Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1921-06-03

Chicago, Ill.--We are advised daily by the economists that by thrift we must restore the capital destroyed by the war.
 If thrifty, we are assufed, we can make good, in twelve years, the total destruction of the great European con- flict.
 Only by thrift, we are warned, can we get the abundant capital which means permanently easy money and credit; permanently prosperous busi- ness and national welfare.
 The opportunity for thrift is here. The cost of living has gone down 30 to 40 per cent-certainly onethird - in the last year.
 The man who lived through war times, and still is in business, may now save part of his income-if he wishes.
 He may buy the same things he bought year ago, and at the end of the month have surplus to put in the bank. Or, he may buy more things than he bought year ago, and at the end of the month have nothing but receipted bills. It is his choice.
 How is he choosing? Often sen sibly; that is one reason why there are some signs of business improvement; sometimes foolishly; that is one reason why the improvement is not more gen. eral.
 The lesson of thrift is still to. be learned in many cases.
 For example: Tabulations of household budgets, family expendi- lures, come to hand every week. From reading them, one often gets the inn pression that such things as potroast, leg of mutton, side meat, spare ribs and hens are as much out of style as cabbages and kings, and that only sliced ham at 50 cents a pound, DOT terhouse steak, rib chops, rib roasts and broilers are fit food for any American family.
 Even Government statisticians seem to hold this point of view. They still figure out health and decency "stan- dards", which one must spend $2,6OO or $3,OOO year to live up to, and which would condemn four-fifths of the head and hand workers in the United States-ministers, doctors and teachers, among others-to an inde- cent life, and not distant death. 7
 But there are plenty of signs in daily life to the same effect. One does not have to read books, or cir culars, to find them.
 A young woman earning $25 week, pays SIS for pair of suede shoes. There are thousands like her and so such shoes still stand at SIS in the shops.
 A man pays $16 for pair of shoes although by walking few blocks he can get equally good ones for $9. And so, with the raw materials for shoes costing less than ten years ago, the $16 shoe is still priced, and sold as readily to some men, as in 1918. A few miles from Chicago, the pro- prietor of drug store drives medium priced motor car; he owns the business. His delivery "boy" also drives a car which, new, cost only few hundred dollars less than the pro- prietor's.
 The other evening a seven-passen- ger motor car. drove up to house where the writer was to dine. A young woman got out, who afterward appeared in the dining room as wait ress. Her father, who was not over paid as small town employe, had brought her in his machine to do her bit of work and he called for her later when the bit was done.
 Very good, lucky father and forum ate daughter; perhaps it is captious to mention it-only, if motor cars, cord tires and gasoline are to continue to be necessary to the "health and de- cency" standard of living, the read justment is certainly complicated, and the reconstruction will have to be not ably revised and prolonged.
 How many persons have heard the