The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-01-22
OdaV
AND
Tomorrow
BY
Frank Parker Stochridge
HOARDERS

Aside from the unpatriotic, self
centered motives behind hoard
ing, I doubt if any hoarder is act
ually going to get satisfaction
from having little supply of
goods tucked away when those
goods have become unobtainable
by her neighbors.
There are thousands of house.
wives throughout our country
who are busy as squirrels stock
ing up for the bleak days ahead.
They hear humors of shortage
Of stockings and rush to town to
buy all they can afford. They hear
about a threatened curb on SUI
gar and hurry out to get a bar
rel of it.
The other day neighbor took
me down in her cellar where she
proudly displayed her hoard
big bags of sugar, row upon row
of canned goods, a set of automo-
bile tires, and a varied assort-
ment of knick-knacks which pro-
baby won't be available a few
months hence.
My reaction was this: if your
friends are later unable to buy
sugar, you are going to be en-
barrassed to serve them sugar in
your home if certain foods be-
come scarce, you are going to feel
like a fifth columnist to have
that food available for your fam
lily; when you put on those new
automobile tires, after most Of
your friends have had to stop
driving because their tires are
worn out, you are going to be in
tensely ashamed of yourself
whenever you pass them. You're
not going to like being dubbed a
hoarder.
SHORTAGES created
One of the greatest faults with
boarding is that it actually creates
the shortages which the hoarders
fear. "a,
There wouldn't be a shortage
of sugar today if it weren't for
the women who have been drain
ing the source of supply by pur-
chasing more sugar than they
need.
The tire problem wouldn't
have become actue so suddenly if
it hadn't been for the thousands
of motorists who heard of an i'm
minent shortage and bought up
every tire they could lay their
hands on.
The silk and nylon stocking
supply would have lasted a lot
longer than it now will if it were
not for those dozens of pairs
which thousands of panicky wo-
men snapped up when they first
heard rumors of scarcity.
Faced with priorities and raw
problems in so many in
dustries, the problem is supply
the normal needs of the people
of the United States is acute. but
the men and women who COM
plicate the situation by buying
far above their normal demands
are making it almost impossible
to solve. ......, -. ~j.GD
UNITY -. Sacrifice
Before this war is over, every
one of us will be made to realize
that the little things we do, which
are contrary to the interests of
the majority of the people, are a
help to the enemy.
We talk about the great unity
of action which suddenly has
swept over this country, but we
haven't even approached the un-
ity which we will probably need
before we can attain victory.
boarding of foods and luxuries
may not appear to have much to
do with this unity we are all TAX
ing about, but actually it is an ex-
cellent example of the unwilling
ness of many of us to work to-
gether and sacrifice together.
Any hoarders knows that when
she buys a quantity Of something
because it is likely to be scarce,
she is hoping to get the jump on
other families. She knows that if
there is a shortage Of canned
goods and she buys enough to
last a year there will be many
others who will have to 60 with
out. o
You can call that se1fishness or
family protection, whichever you
like, but it all adds up to that
age-old policy: each for himself
and the devil take the hindmost.
And that isn't the attitude that
wins wars.