The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-08-15

service
London, Aug. Shopkeepers
or London are now organizing their
clerks into fighting forces. Every
evening in the streets Of the bust
ness district may be seen companies
of shop employees, earnestly drilling
to be soldiers. They are getting
ready to change the yardstick for a
musket and the counter for the
trench. In the big department stores
where there are many employees,
whole regiments have been organic
ed. In lesser establishments, com
panies are being formed, and where
there are small stores with only a
few clerks, two or three employers
are putting their men together TO
form a company.
Apparently all the clerks are en-
thusiastic over the possibility of go
ing to war. They seem TO take to
drilling with interest and when they
are being put thru their PAGES, the
streets ring with good natured
shouts and laughter.
This military organization of the
clerks is not haphazard move
ment. 1t is being supervised by the
government and the men thus en-
listed will form a fifth line of de-
Tense. The companies thus formed
are in addition to the thousands be-
ing recruited for regular army and
the military organizations in the
various cities.
From the appearance of the re-
cruiting stations, it would appear
that all England is trying to get to
grees besiege the officers, standing
half the day long in long lines in
the street, silk-hatted peers rubbing
elbows with grimy laborers. The
enlistment Is proceeding at the rate
aos thousands a day.
Food Problem Isn't Fierce
It is an undoubted benefit to the
British consumer that the war was
delayed as long as possible. It did
not come until the first sheaves of
while so much wheat land was ripe
for the harvester that scarcity of
food could be at least but matter
of days. Had war broken out in
June, the matter Of harvesting the
grain would have been far more
serious problem.
The days when British ports held
a months supply of wheat and am
pie reserve of feeding stuff for stock
appear to be past and trade profits
that there is now no longer margin
for carrying charges, for paying for
the warehousing.
That -four and wheat have risen
even slightly in price since the war
scare became apparent, shows what
might have been expected had war
come when the harvest was two
months off instead of two weeks.
The first, but least important is
sue of the war is that of the British
markets being cut off from certain
articles much in demand, but not
absolutely necessary. Austrian rolls
have already disappeared from the
dinner table and the fine Hungarian
flour, so much in demand for pas
tries, has gone up 100 per cent. 1t
is doubtful if Austria-Hungary will
continue to export -four, for the
wheat crop of the Dual Monarchy
even had there been no war, is very
short this year. The eastern part of
the Empire, that nearest to the seat
of war, will barely be self-support-
ing.
The hard wheat from Servia, Bull
garia and Roumania, also will he
missing from England for some time,
but happily there is no reason to
fear that confectionery will disap-
pear for chief London millers and
those of other British cities are now
making excellent pastry -four by
Hungarian processes, no longer the
jealousy guarded secret of the mills
of Budapest.
Servian exports of silk cocoons.
plumes, prunes. cherries and liquors
have already been stopped by the
war, but such things are regarded
as luxuries and the British consum-
ers are doing without them without
complaint.
Thru England, the people of every
class regard the war with one mind.
They approve Of it because they be
lieve there was no honorable way
for England to stay out of the con-
flict. Not a man but wants to go to
the front and all the people, high
and low, are accepting the privations
Of war, slight as yet, but apt to be-
come heavy before long, with great
good humor and grace