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Show THE OUTLOOK FOB 1918, (By Wm. H. Rankin.) A reviow of the work done in 1917 brings forth the fact that advertising, and especially newspaper advertising, has done more than its share to help win the war. While the government has not found it possible to use an advertising campaign cam-paign to reach the people of this country, coun-try, tho business men, bankers, and clergymen have all placed their unqualified un-qualified endorsement on the economic as well as the educational value of full page newspaper advertising. Results have proven that their judgment judg-ment was good. These men showed not only their faith in newspaper advertising adver-tising to bring tho desired results, but they backed their faith with their own dollars Ik payment for this advertising as a patriotic contribution tu our gov., ernment. While this plan of advertising originated orig-inated In Chicago last April and May during the original Red Cross Membership Mem-bership campaign, nearly every city and town of any size in the United States have been furnished this plan and have used it successfully. In Chicago business men, bankers and advertising men have bought and paid for half a million lines of advertising adver-tising In the Chicago daily newspapers from May 1 to date first for the Red Cross campaigns, then the Liberty loan campaigns, the Knights of Columbus, Co-lumbus, the War Savings stamps. In New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles and other cities business men have done just as well if not better. It is estimated that nearly five million mil-lion dollars of advertising space has been bought and paid for by business men or contributed by tho newspapers, magazines, farm papera, bill boards, painted and electric signs, street cars, and trado papers of the United States all to help win the war and bring the people of this country to tho realization reali-zation of their own responsibilities during the war. Tho Treasury department at Washington, Wash-ington, the officers of tho Red Cross, and tho president himself, all have expressed ex-pressed their approval and have thanked the bankers, business men, nowspaper men and advertising men for their patriotic work in planning and securing this advertising for the government. Tho business outlook for 1918, on the whole, 1b very encouraging. Millions of people will have more money to spend by far than during any provious year; tho great masses of people, tho worklngmen and tho farmers the vast majority, will have much more to spend; tho minority those who have been accustomed to buying nearly overythlng they want, will have less Ao spend, because of the many ways In which these men will have to sacrifice to help pay for the war. They arc making these sacrifices cheerfully and this means much for the success of our war efforts abroad. There is no question In my mind that business conditions during the next two or three years, whether wo continue con-tinue to have war or not, will be very-prosperous. very-prosperous. Money will be spent for desirable necessary things. It will be spent more carefully, more advisedly, more wisely than over. Every dollar we havo will be spent whore the dollar dol-lar counts most. Our per capita of wealth is now 2136: that of Great Britain $1751; that of France, $1750; of Germany, $1338. Our present national debt is $15 per capita; that of Great Britain. $370; of France, $260; of Germany, $290. We could pay our debt 142 times over without being broke. We have eighteen billions of liquid money in our bank deposit subject to checks. Our trade balance In 1916 was over two billion In our favor. It's a bigger balance now. Wo may all take a lesson from London Lon-don in this respect, whero business all has increased during the war. At the annual meeting of Selfridge's Limited department store, held in London last February, the earnings for the last five years were given as follows: Year ending January 31, 1913, $520,-000. $520,-000. Y'ear ending January 31, 1914, $G50,-000. $G50,-000. Year ending January 31, 1915, after six months of war, $670,000. Year ending January 31, 1916, $750,-000. $750,-000. And In the year just ended, $1,125,-000. $1,125,-000. Harrod's, Ltd., another London department de-partment store, Increased its earnings during 1916 to $20,000 over the previous pre-vious year. Hope Bros., Ltd., John Barker & Co., Dickens Jones and other stores selling general merchandise ail report similar increase. Sir George Paish. Great Britain's trado representative represen-tative to the United States says "American merchants will enjoy great- lli-ll ill i in... -iiu er sales than they ever expected to deal with. War means trado activity, not depression." Onp thing is certain and that Is this: Business for tho manufacturers or merchants who sense the situation and plan to reach the people who havo the money to buy necessities and even, the luxuries, will bo exceedingly good In 191S. Newspapors will play an even more important part in reaching such consumers than ever before. There will be large new advertising substitutes for articles that the Food Administration or the government wish the people of this country to use or eat less or eat plenty of. For instance, in-stance, through advertising people could bo told that there arc plenty of potatoes, cabbage, onions, apples and root vegetables at prices as cheap, if not cheaper than before the war. Newspapers are the logical medium for advertisers to use to influence our people in tho advertising columns to watch the unusual and superlative cooperation co-operation newspapers havo already given the government In all its branches. branch-es. Then 191S will be our best year, and in making it the best year for all business, we will do our part to help President Wilson and our Allies win the war. nrv , |