Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-01

gong 10 save tne
coal required to Lowell Mellett.
make the electricity that has here
tofore lighted up the nightspots
after midnight.
That probably does not mean q
great deal of coal. If I am properly
informed they do not use very many
kilowatts in these drinking places
The bright lights are all on the out
side, or were until Director Byrnes
issued his earlier 'brown-out" order
Indoors one finds the dim lights
made fashionable during the speak
easy days and retained since for
some reason, possibly to prevent
ones being recognized by ones
neighbor or possibly to prevent too
close inspection of the stuff being
served.
A friend of mine in the public
utility business says that as matter
of fact the brown-out, reducing
street lighting in American cities,
dimming display windows and dark
ening neon signs, has not saved
Wei y IlhSli IOdls VI 40 3lC poOo Az
'all the coal we save at the gener-
ating plants we can put in our hats. "
This public utility friend, strangely
enough, is Democrat and he wrote
to me in the hope that I would pass
on to Director Byrnes the suggestion
that such restrictions merely make
people disconnected and inclined to
vote against the present administra-
ton.
Believes Public Willing.
Maybe he's right. Maybe the
American people are not in the
mood and are never going to get into
the mood to say that if the saving
of one kilowatt hour of electricity
will save the life of one American
soldier, then they are going to save
that kilowatt hour even if they have
to give up the wishful joys of window
shopping. But I don't believe it.
I believe the people are ready to give
up much more than that. L believe,
however, as I have from the begin
ming, that in wartime, in time of
national danger, people like to be
told what to do: not to be asked,
but to be told They like to be
told even that it Is time to turn out
tie lights and go to bed. If I'm
trent, End 1Ssuming that switching
VT the hgats goes save few
f4ekets Of soal, Che order should be
<iiYcsced anyway and let the votes
Sail where they may.
However, there may be better
reason for putting the populace to
bed at seasonable hour than the
saving of fuel, and that is the saving
of nanpower. The indirect saving
should amount to good deal. The
boys who don't go home till morning
don't have a lot to contribute when
they get down to work later in the
day, If they do get down to work.
Our national efficiency may be
stepped up a little if all the hired
hands and their bosses begin troop
ing into the factories, stores and
off7es With bright eyes and clear
heads.
Cotlj Use Bonncers.
Ant, LII IllS case VI JIlC lllSlll Ciub
stats, there may be direct trencfer
of vancouver INTO work little more
essential than that they've been
doing. We are told that in New
York alone this industry" engages
the physical and other talents of
thousands, including walters, hat
check girls, musicians and bouncers,
all needing to be physically fit to
perform their arduous duties Take
that last category, for example, the
bouncers. I don't know that ! ever
saw bouncer; I certainly never
saw one when he was engaged in
bouncing. But, If 1 can believe what
see in the movies, these are pretty
stout fellows. They should be able
to hold their own on the production
line, able to toss shells and ammu-
milton around like nobody's business
So the curfew order goes into