The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-01-22
Down Under
Australia Turns Out
To Fight Tough War
Entire Nation joins
"Austerity" Program
Grow Vegetables or
De Without Them
Business as Usual
Out Long Ago
BY BETTY GREAToREx
Sidney Daily Mirror Correspond
ent in United States

By BETTY GREAToREx
Sidney Daily Mirror Correspond
ent in United STATES
Many people have asked me
since came to the United states
inst what does AuStrahs's Aus
terity Program mean.
II means growing vegetables in
your yard. front or back or In
tubs or window boxes if yoa have
no yard, because there is no man
power left for truck farming on
bag scale. and what manpower
there is has to grow vegetables
Tor two armies-American and
Australian. 1t means having no
canned goods, except a few meat
products, because all the steel
and tin and the canning labor
Is needed for the two armies. II
means having no fancy bread or
Jellies or jams. only two-thirds
Of the usual beer supply and four
gallons Of gasoline a month for
your car.
AuSterity means only half the
pre-war bus service, no matted
milk because there is no malt. no
chocolate candy and very little
Of evening clothes or loose COW
ers or curtains, laundry service
only once every two weeks and
then only if the package is worth
50 cents, or what would cost a
dollar in the United States. II
means only one package of ten
cigarettes a day when you can
get theml, only a few matches.
no spices, mustard or olive oil
and small rations of tea, sugar
and clothing.
II means that the horserace-
loving Australian can 20 to only
one race meeting for every five
before the war; il is being an
Australian who loves to 60 where
he likes but not being able to
buy a railroad ticket without a
war service permit flew of them
are issued). II means the Aus
trahan who is used to an occa-
sional celebration meal finds the
prices of meals AT all public
places pegged. You can get only
a few courses at fixed price,
and when that is served, you can
buy no more.
Under the Austerity plan the
Australian who likes an occa-
sional drink goes into the cock
tail lounge of any hotel and is
told by the waiter: I'D better
tell you first what we haven't
got. We haven't got beer and
we haven't got whisky or rum or
sherry. But we have some gin.
We haven't any ginger ale or
tonic water but we have some
lime juice and soda" So you
drink gin.
1t means Australia didn't have
its usual Christmas. There were
no window displays or Christmas
ads in the papers. There was no
giving of presents on the accus-
toned scale and no greeting
cards because you couldn't buy
such things. 1t means you take
your lunch to work with you and
If the weather's nice you eat in
the park or under any handy tree
because restaurants have neither
the men nor the women to serve
you. All of them are serving the
armies. II means the most meat
minded people on earth are not
able sometimes TO buy beef for
even one meal a DAY.
Austerity has made movie-go-
ing less frequent and costher.
1t means counting your wardrobe
in coupons-not being able to buy
more than one pair Of shoes, one
pair Of gloves, one nightgown,
one summer frock, one coat or
one sweater year. II your clock
or watch gets out of order it's too
bad. because you can't have 1t
fixed. All the delicate instrument
men are working in munitions
plants or in the army.
Summing up, Austerity means
you do not buy a single thing
you can do without. But the
money you save buys War bonds.
Strangely enough, so many
DON'TS have added up TO q ire
mendous DO. We now think like
a fighting people We are con-
scious Of action and closer 10 the
soldiers and sailors than ever be-
fore. We used 20 criticize the sol
der and sailor for the unshapely
cut and unglamorous material OF
their uniforms. Now. looking at
our own Austerity gsrb. we feel
a kinship with them. We are
glad civilians are having a bad
time. We had il too soft too long.
There must be occasions when
no paratrooper Is available for