New Britain herald., 1930-07-05

and in the public print.
 One case in point which undoubt- edly is typical of the situation re- ferred to, became known this week. A man 50 years of age lost his job in factory and was unable to find another, which brought him face to face with the problem of supporting his wife and six children. Fortu- nately he was not obliged to buy coal, and his children, being out of school for the summer vacation, found no discomfort or embarrass- ment in going without shoes. Plain clthes and more than a day or two of wear before laundering them were also in his favor. yet the food ques- tion was as pressing as ever and certain other necessities stood out as urgently as they would have at any time.
 This mans income in ordinary times was between $50 and s34 a week. He owns his home, but he never had an automobile or radio. His wife has always managed the household duties without outside help and the family has had few. if any, luxuries. At home he had a
 few hundred dollars. besides a bank
 account and a modest amount in vested in stock in the concern which
 employed him. Barring extraordi-
 nary expenses, such as would be brought on by sickness or accident, he will continue to live without
 want, he estimates, for a year or
 two and possibly more, without earning another dollar. yet, if he had
 been thrown out of work ten or dozen years ago he would not have
 known which way to turn, for he had not learned to put away at least
 small percentage of his earnings
 week in and week out. Of course, as he readily admitted in conversation
 on the subject, he had better time" spending his money a decade ago, and there have been times since when he felt himself longing for the thrill of tossing out a sl0 bill with ] out caring whether he spent all or | half of it, but he ventured the guess that the feeling of security he ex- perienced as he rolled up his over alls and punched the clock on his
 last day of employment was worth
 more from any viewpoint than all the joys he ever derived from free | spending.
 On the other hand, hundreds of
 men who would not be advised when
 they were comfortably situated, |
 chance to save a few dollars now.
 Many of them met every wage in- crease with a corresponding luxury,
 apparently binding themselves to ! the possibility of the approach of the storm of industrial depression.
 They lived from hand to mouth and let the future take care Of itself. but today they are learning the bitter lesson that the mouth is ever present
 although the hand may be unable to lift itself.
 But there are many cases which do not fall into either of the classes mentioned. Men who work the skin
 off their knuckles are held back on every side by adyersities over which they have no control. If they man. age 10 put aside $50 after weeks of struggle, someone in the family falls prey to illness and the savings are eaten up in a few days. Let them | have the good fortune to live through the summer without strain ing themselves in the eternal battle for existence. and the winter months overwhelm them in one way or an- i other. Often, after fighting for | years to row their own boat. they
 are forced to pocket their pride and
 appeal for lift. Their plight some 1 times becomes known outside their own neighborhood, but as rule
 they grit their teeth and silently
 plug along, hoping for the silver
 lining that never appears. For them, of course thrift lessons do not regis
 ter. They simply cannot save what they never get.