Evening star., 1949-08-16
This and That
Bv Charles E. Trace,ceU

. Ihere Is, as DlSCrlcC residents are Sadly
! finding out. no way to beat the sales tax.
Once it is enacted, you pay it-and like
it. OF you don't like it, it makes no differ
ence. You pay it just the same)
For few philosophically minded persons,
there is still one out. .
Stop buying so much.
In spending America, this will never be
popular solution.
So merchants of all kinds need not worry
about it.
Americans like to spend. and as long as
they have money they probably will spend
it, At least. until the increasing tax level
begins to worry even the least thinking
persons.
It is still possible not to spend so much,
nor to buy as many things, not as many
of each.
Take paper books, and our friend.
Templeton Jones.
For years, Jones purchased every paper
pocket book, in every brand, that came on
the market.
1t got to be sort of game with him.
Mrs. Jones cautiously inquired just what
he was going to do with them, since by no
possibility would he ever be able to READ
them.
Templeton Jones subconsciously wondered
himself, but he was not able to resist pick
ing up the new ones, in tWos threes and
fours as they came on the market.
He took many Of his good books up to
the attic (Where there is less or no humidity
and put the gayly colored paper ones in
some of his cases.
They looked well.
Even visitors admired them.
Have you read them alp" was the nrst
question asked.
Jones admitted he had not. said he prob
ablv never would but still he liked them.
Well, Jones is not buying as many now
that he has to fork over penny extra.
Somehow, it just goes against the grain
of this former free spender.
Maybe the lack of space has something
to do with it.
After he had piled them up all around
the porch, he finally tied them up in big
bundles with stout twine, and tried to give
them away.
Nobody would take them. He finally
turned them over to hospital, where he
hopes they help.
But the affair gave him an idea.
He recalled the maxim Of some famous
old Greek Old Greeks had way with
them. This one whatever his name was,
once said, as he watched the shops of Athens,
What number Of things there are do
not want!'
or American, would declare.
But to Templeton Jones, irked (and he
thinks properly by the imposition OF the
sales tax, the sentence has real meaning
Life has a way of rolling around, and
with it slackening of desires of all kinds.
The desire to buy things-well, that is one
of them.
Folks can still buy but not so much Of
the things they like.
If they like paper books. they can over
look the less likely ones, instead of grabbing
all they see.
Just wait for real one to come UP.
1t is simply substituting discrimination
| for indiscriminate buying.
| Even sales authorities would say this is a
| good thing.
"And," chortles Templeton Jones, econo-
| mist, you won't pay SO much sales tax
We meA Jones the other day on the
| corner, and asked him how his campaign
was coming out.
whats that you got under your arm.
| Temp" we asked. It was well-known Is
cent magazine.
"You paid l cent on that" we accused.
| "And that book in your right hand, cents
| on that, at minimum
And cent more on this cake of soap in
my pocket" groaned Templeton Jones.
crusader. But one must read and keep
clean, at whatever cost"