Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-14
SURFACE PROSPERITY
SWEEPS OVER ENGLAND
Noted Financiers Sound Strong
Warnings Against Extravngnnt
Living Of Nation.
MASSES LARGELY BENEFITEr
Wealthy Glasses Accept Enormous
War Taxes With Remarkable Pa
triotism, While People Usually
Economical Squandcr Money.

LONDON. November i3.-How com
pletely tho war has bnfticd the fore
sight or economic experts is shown by
the remarkable wave OF surface pros
pcrity which the masses Of Great Brit
ain are cNpcricncing..., Only little
more than a year ago political cconom
ists were discussing seriously the need
Tor organizing public works OH "A great
I scale for the tens or thousands who
would be thrown out OF employment.
Now fnancicrs like Sir George Paish
editor OF tho Economist. and Edwin
Montagu. the Financial Secretary to
the Treasury. are sounding strong
warnings against the cxtravaEant
living of the nation az whole.
Money is being squandered on all
sides" declared Sir George Paish IN
a recent speech. and the newspapers
arc taking up the same cry.
The conditions which the war has
developed have settled the problem Of
public works on lines which apparent
~ were not forcsecn. The enormous
increase OF the British army TO 5000,
40 o'en. and the demand for workers
=. ~ public and private munitions
works, has absorbed all the available
manhood OF the country procurable Oh
basis OF voluntary service. and given
great surplus of employment 10 the
I'-ited states. Money is being dis
charged freely and even laviShly and
@StravaEantly to contractors and TO
woTkingmeu aud for the support Of the
families of soldiers. according 10 the
economists. aud II Is being spent by the
people a, large with equal lavishness
and eItraranancr.
These conditions cause excited debate
h$ all classes. In the enormous re
distribution Of wealth. the general
drift would appear 10 be from the
hands OF the rich and tho middle classes
into thc pockets OF the workin9men
and the families Or soldiers While the
workers furnish 4 majority , the men
under arms the people with large es-
tatcs and those with savings and mid
d!e-class Incomes believe that they fur
rish. through taxation and war loans
the bulk OF the money which is carry
ing on the war, and which hnds it's way
down through tho government and con-
tractors 10 the small merchants and
workmen. This results in the enforce
mcnt OF unusual economy upon the
wealthy and tho middle classes Except
those concerned in war work. who are
many. and encourages unusually free
spending IL ;rc stratum usually most
economical. WAN. the Covcnt Garden
Opera has been suspended during the
war time, tho iheatcr. OF the masses
and the picture shows arc prospcring
The hotels and restaurants supported
~ the wealthy pass their dividends:
the popular resorts arc doing good
business. Tnilor> ard fashionable
drcssmakcrs claim to he suffering
great depression. but the, wives and
daughters o. workinrmen are dressed
better than ever before in their lives.
Wine merchants arc putting up their
shutters. hut the public houses where
beer and Gin are consumed are crowded.
MONTAGI COMPLAINS or GREAT
SPENDING On LIIuRIES
Nh NontaEu complained OF great
spending on luAurics, and cited the fact
that tho sale OF pianos has Increased.
He called upon every citizen TO be pre-
pared 20 put At least ouc-half his eur
rent income at The disposal OF the state.
The wealthy classes OF England would
not agree that the luxury and cAtraNa-
Eancc charge is pragtIccd by them. No
observer could fail 10 credit them witt,
accepting the enormous war taxes inn
posed upon incomes with u remarkable
patriottsin and resignation.
Speaking for the other side OF the
ease, Sir Alfred Moud. a wealthy manu-
facturcr told the House OF Commons
that men from the agricultural dis
tricts who formerly earned 81 a week
arc getting sl5 and SO from the gov
eminent, and men are being paid 81
a day for putting up huts for the sol
diers Amman Bryce. brother OF the
former ambassador TO America. testi-
fed that boys who formerly worked FOR
So week arc being paid by the gov
crnment more than SO for carrying
the bags OF government carpenters.
\ writer in the Daily Mail says: II
met "A man who. without any previous
experience as craftsman. was earn
ing from Sc 10 IS week $50 TO S4O)
making shell cases III Il certain govern
ment munitions factory. am told that
work,ncn in Birmingham now drive up
10 their daily task III taXicabs, and
that in that fortunate city the shops
arc doing n trade in expensive Injuries
such as has never been known before
EXtravagant payments TO contractors
and to buyers and experts who have
been taken into government employ is
complaint against the government
ton Is not charged, but high and
wastcful disbursements, due TO ignor-
ancc Of business affairs on the part Of
officials and the necessity for making
hurried contracts. The country would
not suffer so much from these condi-