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Show CAMPAIGN AGAINST SUPERSTITION ("The war production board proposes s a camMinn to overcome the superstition I anainst lihtinn three ciarettes on the ! tame match. It would save mutches." ) News item.) j The seine is the W'I'lt office. The characters are a If I'll chief and I two advertising experts. Chief Now what we want to do i to overcome this aversion to three on a match. It is a ridiculous superstition, su-perstition, don't you think? First Advertising Expert (nervously-watching (nervously-watching the chief light a second riga-1 riga-1 rette u ith the same mah h) Absolute-! Absolute-! ly. And thank you for blowing that j one out! ' Chief You'd be surprised how : many Americans are wasting ; matches. j First Advertising Expert (lighting I his own and carefully throwing the match awtnl It's really startling. Second Advertising Expert And all so silly. I Chief (secretly rubbing a rabbits j f(;,,)What we've got to do is to stnrt a campaign against supersti- tion. First Advertising Expert We could try it out in the 13 original states as a starter. Second Advertising Expert (uneas-ily) (uneas-ily) Let's make it twelve or fourteen. four-teen. I don't believe in such things, but on the other hand, why go out of your way? Chief Nonsense. Thirteen is no more unlucky than any other num. ber. Ahem. Still, let's make it 13 states. ' -T- First Advertising Expert Suppose we take a few days and whip up a few suggestions for an anti-superstition campaign? Second Advertising Expert We could get something ready by Friday. Fri-day. First Advertising Expert (wincing) Not Friday, please! Chief Make it Monday. I'd feel better, too. Now, have you any suggestions sug-gestions in a general way? fTAcy take another cigarette. He lights his own and holds the match for the First Advertising Expert.) First Advertising Expert Lefa each light our own. Second Advertising Expert Maybe May-be we had better call it off for today. Come to think of it, I got out of bed on the wrong side this morning. Chief We want to be in the right mood when we start this war on superstitions. su-perstitions. I'm willing to forget it for today. (The two advertising men start to fem e, but return and sit down at once after opening the door.) First Advertising Expert We can't leave now. Chief Why not? First Advertising Expert Somebody Some-body put a ladder in the hall right over the doorwayl THE TELEPHONE TAX Of all the new taxes the increase in those on telephone calls seem the hardest to understand. From now on you will pay 25 per cent on every out-of-town call and 15 per cent on every local call. That runs Into folding money. And we can't see the logic. Docs Washington hold that telephoning la an amusement? Would anybody claim it's a pleasure under war conditions? . And no matter how ornamental 1 those telephone instruments may be manufactured, you can't classify them as costume jewelry, can you? Maybe the tax framers hold that conversation Is a luxury. Perhaps Washington feels we are all talking too much. We had come to think the telephone tele-phone was a household necessity, almost like water and gas. We used to possess a phone in the belief it was an economical convenience. Now we just sit around worrying over a fear that somebody may use it for an outside call. 0 The old-time light-hearted manner man-ner of the average telephone user is shrinking up. There used to be laughter and gay chatter on the wire. Now it's a business venture. A 25 per cent tax on out-of-town calls is terrific, even if you refuse to pay it. It is almost as expensive to go out of town by telephone as it is by auto. And if she is a slow talker you're slated for bankruptcy. And a tax of 15 per cent on yonr bill for local calls from your own bungalow is disturbing. You're losing los-ing money the minute you take ofl the receiver and give central the number. By the time you've said "Is this you, honey?" you're in debt over I your head. "Call me up some time," used t be accepted as a friendly expressioi ef regard. It now becomes an Invitation Invita-tion to extravagance. |