WORDS TO THE WISE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 75, 25 September 1941, Page 5

WORDS TO THE WISE

CARE IN SPENDING

A CALL TO SAVE

At first glance it would seem against the interests of a large retail firm to urge its customers to economise. The popular idea of successful shopkeeping is large and larger turnovers, crowded counters, and the merr> tinkling of cash registers the whole day long. Not in these times, however. An important New Zealand city retail establishment, in its house journal, urges economy—strict economy in spending and discriminatory buying. To the housewife, as keeper of the privy purse, the journal appeals: — "Don't le' the word 'economic' frighten you. It means good housekeeping, personal, municipal, national. It relates, among other things, to the business of providing food, clothing, shelter, and relaxation for yourself and those dependent on you, and embraces every person in the community and nation. The standard of living in any particular country depends chiefly upon the ability, the industry of the people, ' its natural resources, and the good management b.. the rulers of that country. We are all consumers, and a number of us are producers, who bring or send into the common pool goods or services so that we may obtain goods and services that we need from others —merely a system of exchange." CUT DOWN OR CUT OUT. The unity of every firm or organisation is on trial, states the journal quoted, and it urges all to "Be careful of what you say, what you do, what you buy. Good housekeeping means a carefully prepared list of your necessities; cut down or out the non-essen-tials. "Make the very best use of your purchase; don't waste anything useful, not merely as a gesture for a few days or weeks, but steadily, consistently, in season and out of season. "Save as you never saved before; savings are the result of so many days' labour unexpended, so many joupons that would entitle you to so many articles from the mart which is now becoming so sadly depleted, so that others more needy than yourself may be provided for." The purchaser is reminded that he or she "pays in the price of most articles every cost that has entered into the making, its display, the sale of the article, all wages, interest, rent, overhead, direct and indirect taxation that can possibly or fairly be attached to the article. You foot the bill. If production is inefficient and the price is too high, people may purchase once, but never again." A warning is given to voluntarily reduce purchases of articles in short supply, "otherwise we will be compelled to do so by the issue of ration cards."