More comfort, less work: Coal is scarce, don't waste it!
Instruction poster with a cutaway drawing of a coal-fired heater and arrowed tips on damper, draft, fuel level, ash bed and ash pit, under the headline more comfort less work. The technique is faint: the sheet offers one benefit (comfort for less effort) beside a plain scarcity statement, Coal is scarce, don't waste it.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1944
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Army, Office of the Chief of Engineers, Army Conservation Project
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- Home front, Economy and finance
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Army, Office of the Chief of Engineers, Army Conservation Project. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1363 (NAID 515017).
Text on the object
more COMFORT less WORK FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE RULES Barometric Damper should operate freely, prevents overheating and saves coal. Open draft register just enough to keep the room warm. Do not fill above top of fire brick flues. BURN THE COAL . . . don't shake it through the grate. Keep a DEEP bed of ashes when the weather is mild. . . and a THIN bed of ashes when the weather is cold. KEEP ASH PIT CLEAN. KEEP ASH PIT DOOR CLOSED. Avoid admitting too much air at base of heater. COAL IS SCARCE · DON'T WASTE IT! [seal:] U.S. ARMY SAVE CONSERVATION PROGRAM ARMY CONSERVATION PROJECT 108-E-23 [imprint:] U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1944 O-603835 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS
