Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-08

bribery to Iot the masses zee the value Of
| their hand. and Immediately they demand
ed more and more
The Government therefore instituted
along with the bribes variety Of rules
and restrictions. promptly made law, to
combine coercion with bribery. In connec-
| tion with dockyard Iaborers, for instance,
II was made Illegal for any man employed
IN a dockyard in Government work to
leave that dockyard and apply elsewhere
for a similar job at higher salary.
The British working man is slow az ur-
derstanding a situation. Nor did he under
stand this one at first. Very gently Il was
put into operation But when Lloyd
George. Minister OF Munitions. held his big
meeting in a certain great northern town
the men had to be paid full-time wages
before they would attend, and the Cabinet
Minister was severely 'heckled." we are
slaves--you have made slaves OF US 90 were
the shouts that greeted him.
MAKING MILLIONS.
Fifty per cent Of war profits Of all
kinds have now been taken from the
owner, the man who makes the profit
This seems a fair adjustment Of things.
Shipyard owners, mill owners. manufac-
turers have yielded up immense sums.
From Glasgow alone this tax is caicu-
lated 10 produce in the first year a gum
Of $3.50 100000.
Who would not be ship owner In
these times Freight charges are tremen-
douE. Coal valued at 50 a ton and shipped
from England TO Rome cost $40 a ton 10
italian buyers Although the ship owner
certainly had TO pay a heavy Insurance
policy, his profit was enormous.
The Communicating Of merchant ships
for naval purposes and the sinking Of
scores Of others by the Germans puts an
immense premium on The small number
left
The Government has decided that in
order TO keep big freiEhts down ships
shall be forbidden to carry luxuries. Gas
ollne and petrol for pleasure automo-
biles" Is barred. and I understand that
shortly no American cars will be allowed
into England. The present taxation is
probably only the fret step 10 complete
exclusion.
BUYING PIANOS GALORE
In big industrial centres II is astonish-
ing to note the present affluence OF the
lowest classes In most instances they
still cling TO their slum-cottages, be-
lievlng that after all there's no place like
home, even though it's a hovel unfit for
habitation and the rain drips from the /.
leaky roof onto the grand piano they 7.
have Just purchased with the profits Of .
making
A piano dealer In a dirty northern /
mining town informed me that he mad .
got SO many orders from these working
people that he could rot possibly cope
with them all.
"The other day woman came in here"
ne said. and ordered $500 piano. She
'ouid neither read nor write and her ap-
'earance betokened great poverty So I
limited that cash payment would be nee
,ssary. Immediately she counted out the
.ul sum in notes. and ordered that the
piano should be delivered as soon as pos
,ible at her home"
My men found that the placa was
'egular hovel. with practically no furni-
.ure and miserably dirty 1t seemed
however, that all the family were en-
1loyed in making munitions at high
'alary, and that although not one, mem
Der could play note, they had all yearned
or plano.
A vExING PROBLEM.
Instead Of investing their money in
var loan, as all good partiots should do,
hereby also saving up for the rainy day
which is assuredly coming for everybody
.fter the war is over, these working peo-
lie spent their unaccustomed wealth on
and 1t reached such a pitch that
egal restrictions had to be made on the
of pianos and other unneces-
aries.
The British Government then. is up
gainst a difficult proposition in dealing
With certain large section Of the British
aboring classes and those who are likely
o censure both sides as stupid and mud
lle-headed,' should carefully study the
Ilficulties OF the case"