Evening star., 1943-01-24
BY MRS. p. c. ELLETT,


President D. c. Congress of Parents and
Teachers.
Few, If any of us, are unfamiliar
with the word salvage" but I'm
AFRAID few, If any Of us, apply the
word in its preSent-day sense to
ourselves. Webster's definition ties
the word to the sea-salvaging of
ships or cargoes and also states that
it refers to the saving of property
from destruction, such as might be
caused by fire, or wind or food.
But in the sense In which we are
using Salvage" today, we are link
ing it to all sorts of everyday ma
terials, with the idea of reclaim
ing. We are thinking of wool and
silk and nylon; of rubber scrap
and copper and aluminium, brass
and paper. Last, but not least,
to tin and the steel that is used
with tin in the making of tin cans.
Housewives, especially, have been
paying attention to the word in
this respect, for there are few
households that don't rely on timed
foods as a respectable part of their
daily requirements. Unfortunately
there has been considerable con-
fusion in the minds of many house
wives as to the manner in which
tin cans should be salvaged. They
have learned of the method of
preparation, but disposal of the cans
has sometimes been another story.
Here's How 1t Is Done.
However, we have it now. on the
authority of the District Salvage
Committee that tin cans, properly
prepared, will be collected by gar
bage men on regular garbage col
lection days. This plan is being
tried experimentally in Washing
ton, with towns in other parts of
the Nation watching to see what
the outcome will be.
We are also told by the District
Salvage Committee that the collec-
ton has fallen far below the ton
mage estimated, and the members
OF the committee believe it is be-
cause housewives, who after all will
carry the biggest share of this bur-
den, are unfamiliar with the proper
procedure
AS the directions for preparation
OF the cans are given, it sounds like
tedious process, and one that is
quite time consuming. In reality.
tin can may be properly prepared
in few seconds, once the knack is
acquired.
First, after the contents are emp
tied from the can, it should be
washed under the spigot, and the
wrapper removed. Then the other
end should be cut out with the can
opener, the two loose ends placed
inside the can, and the whole
pressed fiat. The simplest way to
accomplish this latter step in prepa-
ration is to put the can on the floor,
and step on it with enough weight
to crush 1t. So prepared, the can
Will pack easily into a box and
many can be condensed into a small
space.
Small Amounts Mean Much.
1 honestly believe that much of
the reason for failure of this partic-
ular part of the salvage program
may be attributed to a lack of un-
derstanding by housewives as to the
vital Importance of reclaiming the
steel and tin used in tin cans. To
quote a few figures, released by the
District Salvage Committee, I might
state that on the average, 1000
people will use ton of tin cans
month. For every ton of tin re-
covered, SO tons of No. 2 steel scrap
is saved
What We perhaps fail to see is
that each small quantity of cans
contributed by each family group
Will soon mount into huge and salts
Tying figures. And since mo Jour-
ney was begun except by the first
STEP" SO no program of conserva-
tion can be successful without the
smallest as we'll as the largest con-
tributionS.
women OF Washington! This Is a.
direct challenge to u.s. We, as house
Keepers, are charged with the re-
sponsibility OF salvaging tin cans
and as We discharge this responsible
lty. so will the program prosper or
fail. But it must not fail. Tin and
steel are vitality needed in war in
dustries. Tin and steel may be the
f1nal answer to complete victory.
Tin and steel, in salvageable quanti-
ties, are reposing in every kitchen, in
every pantry, in every trash pile.
This is job We women must do
This is something we cannot push
aside. No matter how small your
contribution is, prepare it properly
and place it in a box beside your
garbage pail, on your next-and
every-garbage collection day. Let it
not be said that the war effort was
slowed up by even so much as one
moment by the failure Of women to
do this job.
Blair Hayes.
Members will meet at the Golden
berg Center on Tuesday from s:20