Ashtrays, old pianos, broken radios, and old clothes are among the items listed by the war Service Committee as Harvard opens its first scrap drive today and Thursday. Entry representatives will canvass every inhabitant of the Houses, Dudley Commuters' Center and Wigglesworth, except Winthrop House, which is holding a mid-week dance tonight. Winthrop will conduct its drive on Thursday and Friday.
Scrap rubber and metal are particularly needed by industry. Out of one piano can be made three or four machine guns. Andirons, unusable inner tubes, old shoes, and galoshes are of extreme value. Students are also urged to give up their softsponge rubber cushions because of the large amount of firsthand rubber contained in them. Sponge rubber is considered A-1 materiel.
Campaign Continuous
Whether the article is synthetic or real, however, makes no difference to the canvasser, but paper and tin cans are not wanted. Old paper is useless, and no facilities have been arranged to take care of the tin cans. The University has made an agreement with local bottling companies whereby all its tin is being turned into bottle caps. Before the government will accept old tin cans the donators must have them pressed into solid packs to facilitate shipment.
The committee wholeheartedly requests students always to keep on the alert for anything which they can contribute in order to make this campaign a success. Collections can be made at all times. Whenever an entry representative is notified of an article to be salvaged, he will come around for it and take it to the scrap room in the House.
Drive Benefits Students
Through this drive the War service Committee is aiming to help both industry through an accumulation of actual material, and to boost morale in the armed forces by providing diversion for the soldiers and sailors through phonograph records and musical instruments. Contribution to the drive will also benefit students by making their living quarters more livable.
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