White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-12-19

| Santaclaustown, Somewhere, De-
cember Father Santa Claus looked
worried.
Whats the matter, Father Santa
Claus, aren't you coming to see us
this year," asked.
OF course, Of course, barring acct
DENTS" exclaimed the old man, nerv-
ously pulling the icicles out Of his
shaggy beard, "have ever failed
yet?"
There's good mystery story here,
thought, for he looked much less
jolly than the last time saw him.
Il admit I'm worried" he went on,
taking out his pencil There's the
high cost of material and labor. There
are, let me see, something like two
hundred million children this year
|, for me to look after. More and more
: each year, and so many are so poor.
In Europe, fathers and mothers just
can't get along, and that's so much
J more for me to do.
20, that dreadful war! That messed
J up foreign markets in way nobody
knows as 1 do"
saw the story coming and let
him talk.
/ had come to see him, told him,
| on behalf of many uncles, fathers and
grandfathers, and members OF the
, National Foreign Trade Council, who
knew Of Santa Claus but were not
personally acquainted with his bust.
! ness, and wanted some additional In
7 formation about how foreign trade at
fected presents this year.
: ,"You know l have to buy things in
j, every country in the world" he ram.
r bled on, as If talking to himself, "Pve
3 always done it. Children don't know
: where their presents come from, OF
4 course. Some of them say don't make
!, them anymore, that 1t is all make-be
3 lieve.
j. "But I'll tell you. I've just got to
J tell somebody. I've now got the larg
est import and export business in the
:, world! And l make all those presents
}, in my own factory! I'm busy from
a one Christmas to another. just don't
D get any rest anymore"
D IT can see why you are worried"
, said.
g eyes, yes" he kept on, "times have
t changed. Children nowadays have go
r to have something different. I'm al
a old-fashioned fellow myself, but w
q got to keep up, or got out Of bust
IS ness"
Don't do that" gasped, al
d scared.
q But do tell me about that factory
it must be great place." ventured
e ut u.s." he declared, miles AM
miles square. Its just like thos
3. American plants for making ma
a chinery and automobiles, only nine
bigger. l take raw material from al
l. over the world, and I make up doll
and machines, and all sorts Of toys
t and then l distribute them to ever,
country if the children are good. JUS
II think, even stop at Christmas Is
3 lands, sometimes, out in the Pacific.
d did you make the bells on you
It sleigh?" l asked.
q "Of course, that's nothing. They'r
made of copper, tin and zinc. Coz
l. per comes from the United States O
D. Spain, tin from the Straits Settle
., ments, and zinc from everywhere.
6 ''It's these new toys that puzzle M
e sometimes. There's the mechanical
d building sets that make mostly ou
It of American steel, and brass, wit
alloys from Europe, including man
& ganese for the steel from Brazil O
British India. l make the sets shin,
Is with tin, or nickel from Canada o
q New Caledonia in the South Pacific.
"In the old days when present
d were ssimplier, l used molasses from
down South, or got my raw suga
l. from Cuba or Central America AM
n made everybody happy with heaps o
candy. My dolls weren't the least hi
It of trouble. filled them with sawdust
s and stuck on some rope yarn for hair
a cotton skirt and there you were."
/" He scratched his head, thinking,
>. still make up the candy, mountains o
). it, with sugar imports from Cuba
y Java, Porto Rico, and the Philippines
t. But nowadays I've got to get crud
; rubber from the Dutch East Indies t.
d make up some kinds of dolls and rub
Der balls and games and put tires OF
toy automobiles and aeroplanes. Why
it's amazing! I must use rubber fol
Q hundreds of things. I make phono
Q graph discs with it, and fountain
9 waterproofs, and all sorts of things
|, pens, and telephones, and boots ant
t Its an awful job, tell you. Why
\ the very paper for wrapping up pres
: ents is made from wood pulp from the
: trees cut down in the forests Of Can
) ada and Scandinavia, beat up with old
| waste paper. There's never enough
80 get rags, old clothes, old dresses
old stockings, from all over the world
to make book paper, and my glue is