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The influence of Diogenes Smith and his counterfeiting business lingers on in Pine Ridge. Lum has put the printing press to good use by cranking out some flyers for the store. The gents discuss the call from the government to pay up old bills, and get out of debt.
In order to write up their own bills to send to people, Lum and Abner go over their ledger books to see who owes them money. It soon becomes evident that some of the folks who owe them the most are also the most in need. Lum not only cancels their debts, but tells Abner to box up more groceries to send out to them.
Grandpap enters with news about the latest demand from government. To help the war effort, and control inflation, salaries are to be limited to making $25k per year. Grandpap is worried he may have to cut back on some of his various jobs to keep under the limit. Will he be so concerned at making too much after Lum and Abner tell him how much his grocery bill is?
PS: Wow, a bill of a whole 31 cents. Though that, and that $25k limit seem mighty low, Prices today are easily ten times that, and more. The same for most things that the dollar had the buying power to purchase. With that in mind, that ceiling on the salary would limit it to $250k today. Not a shabby income. Somehow, I don’t think grandpap would have had much to worry about in going over it.
