The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-13

| troubles is to induce the servants to
cooperate In any system of volun-
i tary rationing. Meals in the dining
room may be cut down, but they BRAN
dish the threat Of "giving notice" over
| the head of the housewife who at
tempts to enforce a similar curta1l-
ment In the kitchen. The shortage
of domestic labor is just now so great
that some mistresses are even using
the Food Controllers appeal as a bait
to secure help. Advertisements for
cooks and housemaids are appearing
with the attraction, mo food restric-
lions until compulsory" Some one
has suggested that the best solution
of the problem would be for servants
to take their meals with the family,
but so revolutionary change is hard
" likely to be adopted except under
the most urgent pressure.
One result Of Lord Devonport's ap-
peal has been a considerable rush for
articles of food that are not on his
list. There has been no panic buying
4 such q scale as was common du-
ring the first few days of the war,
when many grocery stores were al
most swept clear Of their stocks. Still
it is matter for comment when the
occupants of ordinary private houses
buy lentils and rice by hundredweight
at time. The motive is, no doubt
to secure plentiful supplies against
a time when rationing will be COM
pulsory and when purchases not only
Of bread, meat, and sugar, but Of any
articles Of food, will be prohibited
beyond a certain amount. What these
people forget is that, should such a
drastic order be issued, it would GER
tainly include q compulsory declara-
ton of existing stocks, with heavy
penalties for any attempt at conceal
ment, and that the stores already in
larders and cupboards would be taken
into account in Nthe allowance of food
to the families concerned.
Appeal for War Service.
The third appeal is addressed to all
male persons between the ages of
eighteen and sixty-one. They are
asked to place themselves at the dis
posai Of Neville Chamberlain. the d.
Director 0eneral Of National Ser
vice., for any work to which he may
allot them. An applicant has to I'LL
up blank with particulars of his oc-
cupation, average weekly earnings,
name and business Of present employ
er. etc. He Is informed that volun-
teers are specially wanted for agricul
ture, aeroplanes construction, build
ing construction, coal mining, coke
workers, engineering, explosives fac
tories, flour millers, general laborers.
iron and steel workers, motor me-
chanics. munition works, national shell
factories, national filing factories, ore
mining, quarry workers, shipbuild-
ing, transport service, and other Gov
eminent work. He Is asked to men,
ton any work for which he considers
himself specially qualified. but the ac-'
ceptance of his offer will not by any
means bind the authorities to give him
the kind Of occupation he desires. He
may be set to any JOB, whether under
the Government or under any employ
err named by the Director General in
any part Of the country. He is to re-
ceive the standard rate of wages for
the job upon which he is to be en-
ployed, but with a minimum of TWEEN
supplemented by subsistence allow
ance at a rate not exceeding half
crown a day for seven days a week.
If his work necessitates his living away
from home His offer is to hold
good for the duration Of the war.
The first and most obvious COM
ment on this scheme is that the ma
tional register, taken eighteen months
-, a,& -,
labor, ought to have made it quite SUI
perfluous. Every one was then re-
quired to state what kinds of work
he had done and could do, and to say
whether he was willing to undertake
other work than that upon which he
was employed at the time Thou
sands Of offers of service were then
made. OF which no notice whatever
has been taken by the Government
from that day to this.
Many Criticise Plan.
The present idea Of inducing men
to put themselves under the control
Of the Director-Genera for any kind
of work anywhere is roundly con-
demned by it's critics as foredoomed
to failure. The London Nation at
tacks it unsparingly. "The root-fal-
lacy Of the whole proceeding" 1t says,
''is the notion that labor is a fluid
homogeneous stuff, to be poured from
superfluous into necessary industries,
without any economic or human
waste" The case is not at all COM
parable to the early recruiting ap-
pea1s for military service. The call
to soldering appealed to the spirit Of
patriotism mad self-sacriflce in very
different fashion. It had a glamour
and fascination about it which are
entirely absent from the request to
migrate from relatively unessential
to an essential industry. If the re-
Spouse is considerable, its first result
will be the still further demoraliza-
ton Of the economic and commercial
life Of the country.
Businesses against which no author
ity has issued any writ of condem-
nation will be virtually killed by the
loss of the necessary labor. 1t would
have been simpler, and In the end
fairer, to divide the industries Of the
country into the two classes OF per-