New-York tribune., 1917-07-29
Economy in England

AZ Lord Crewe remarked at the open
ing of the National Welfare and Economy
Exhibition in London few weeks ago, be-
fore the war the people living south OF
the Tweed were not a saving nation. Inc
great war. now completing its third year
and with as yet the end not in sight, has
changed all this, and personal and munic-
ipal economy in England is now carried,
in some cases at least, to what Americans,
who have still to go through wars eX-
periences, probably regard as an unrea-
sonable and occasionally humorous eX-
tent.
In America everybody is talking econ
omy and but few really practising It, and
Americans would probably be inclined TO
smile to read news item in "The London
Times" stating that "as war economy
Margate Council have decided to destroy
the peacock in the park unless some one
will take charge of it during the war
The Town Council of Ealing, also, is not
behind that of Margate in the matter OF
economy, but it takes broader view
Warned by past experiences of eXtortion-
ate prices for coal in winter time, the
council has purchased 1000 tons OF coal
for sale to the inhabitants next winter
at prices but little, if any, above cost. AS
q further measure of economy, it did not
light the towns street lamps during June
or the present month, ercept in the prin-
cipal thoroughfare of the town.
Another instance of economy is SHOWN
in the changes war exigencies are making
even in the picturesqueness of the country,
as in the case of Kings Wood, between
Totteridge and Penn, where 1s5 acres OF
beeches, constituting one OF the Sho"
features of the County of Bucks, have been
sold to be cut down, owing to the scarcity
of wood. Whether even the famous Burn
ham beeches will not meet like fate
remains to be seen. Nothing but sense
of patriotism could impel English land
owners to such sacrifices as these.
Not only is England addressing herself
to food conservation and food control, but
her botanists and food purveyors are cl-
recting public attention to unutilized food
resources, natural foods, the use of which
has either been unknown or overlooked
in times of peace and plenty In book
entitled "The Wild Foods of Great Brit
ain" it is set forth that there are over
26O articles of diet in field and forest,
nearly all of which have heretofore been
neglected. Some of the better known OF
these are snails and frogs, long utilized in.
France; hedgehogs, nettles, whortleber-
ries. avrons and the edible fungus known
as blewitz, while on the coast are to be
found dulse and laver or samphre. In
the streams also are many fish not hereto
fore used as food, but which are a valuable
resource in times like the present. The
government is not content with merely
setting forth these new food resources, but
demonstrators are showing the people how
to distinguish them and how also to pre-
mare them for the table. To add conf
dence. also, the demonstrators themselves
sartake of these new dishes and samples
are given to those present. Germany has
long been compelled to practise similar
food economies, and while England is not
in danger of starvation, it is evidently the
part of wisdom to teach the people how, IN
emergencies, to use all the resources with
which nature has supplied him.