Help 'Em Keep'Em Up

By Jack Dionne

I know a man who for years has been engaged strictly in the business of repairing homes and other small buildings. He did some remodeling also, but his pork is chiefly repairing. He employs a small crew of skilled workers, and they have made a good living using their hammers, saws, and paint brushes in their own home town. Mostly small jobs.

When the first building restrictions were announced early last fall, this man thought the world had come to an end. Misunderstanding the situation-as did millions of others-several people who had arranged with him to do repair jobs for them, cancelled. My friend thought his little business goose was certainly cooked. IIe wondered what he and his crew could turn to for a livelihood. But the thing proved very temporary. Soon he found himself overrun with people who wanted repair work, and today he and his men are busier than they ever were before in their lives, with jobs scheduled for weeks ahead. He finds that people now think it their duty to get their houses in order, literally speaking, so his repair business is booming. Nothing stands in his way. Critical materials affect his business very little. When they do, he makes substitutions, and so far he hasn't had to turn down a single job for want of materials.