Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-12-01
ENGLISH LABORERS
ENJOY new WEALTH
Methods Are Being Devised to
Induce Them to Save Part
of Earnings.

London, (by maiD.-How completely
| the war has baffled the foresight OF
economic experts is shown by the re-
markable wav of surface prosperlty
| which the masses of Great Britain are
experiencing. Only q little more than
a year ago political economists We're
discussing seriously the need for or
ganizing public works on u great scale
for the tens of thousands who would
be thrown out of employment. Now
f%inanciers like Sir George Paish. edi-
tor of the Economist. and Edwin Mon
tagu, the financial secretary of the
treasury, are sounding strong warnings
against the ~xtravagan living of the
nation as a whole. Money is being
squandered on all Sides" declared Sir
George Paish in a recent speech, and
the spa are taking up the
same cry.
The conditions which the war has
developed, have settled the problem of
public works on lines which apparently
were not foreseen. The enormous in
crease of the British army to 100000
men, and the demand for workers in
h public n private munitions works.
has absorbed all the available manhood
Of the country procurable on a basis
of voluntary service, and given q great
surplus of employment to n United
States. Money is being discharged
freely. and even lavishly and extrava-
gently to contractors n to working
men. n for the support of the fam
lilies of soldiers, according to the eco
nomists, and it Is being spent by the
people at large with equal lavishness
and extravaganza.
These conditions cause excited de-
h0 f0 h oil o0ooo0o In tho annYnOl1S
redistribution Of wealth the general
drift would appear to be from the
hands of the rich and the middle clas-
SEES into the pockets of h workingmen
and the families of soldiers. While
the workers furnish a majority Of the
large estates n those with savings
and middle class incomes believe that
they furnish. through taxation and
war loans, the bulk Of the money which
Is carrying on the war, n which finds
Its way down through the government
and contractors to the small merchants
and workmen. This results in the n
forcement of unusual economy upon
n wealthy and the middle classes.
Except those concerned in war work,
who are many), and encourages unus-
ually free spending IN the stratum US
ually most economical. While the Co
vent Garden opera has been suspended
during the war time the theaters Of the
masses and the picture how are pros
pering. The hotels and restaurants
supported by the wealthy pass their
dividends; the popular resorts are do
ionable d~ressmakers claim to be sif-
fering great depression, but the wives
and daughters of WOrkingmen are
dressed better than ever before in their
lives. Wine merchants are putting UP
their shutters, u the public houses
uyhoro hnor and DIN o1.o onnc11rnpG ara
crowded.
Extravagent payments to c%ontrac-
tors. and to buyers and experts who
have been taken into government en-
ploy, is a complaint against the gov
eminent levied by many business men.
and wasteful disbursements due to
ignorance of business affairs on the
part of officials and the necessity for
making hurried contracts. The III
try would not suffer so much from
these conditions If 1t was self contained
like Germany and one merely flowed
in a circle from the government into
the hands of the people pack to the
government in taxes and loans. But
Britain is importing enormous uan
titles of goods for the use of the peo-
pie. beside war supplies, and the eX-
ports do not balance the imports by
many millions.
Advocates of economy in the popular
press take advantage of the opportun-
fly to call upon the government for re-
trenchment. The Office of lord chan
cellOr alone, with almost nominal du-
ties. is costing $125.OOO a year. Lord
Buckmaster, recently the head of the
press bureau. Is drawing the salary Of
$4,000. while his predecessor. Lord
Haldane, and two other former incum-
sions OF $4,000 each. The two law of
fees Of the crown. the ATTORNEY general