The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-19

merchant, is now the proprietor of
 the largest retail store in London.
 Of his 35oO employees, 1000 have been called to the colors. The others have
 bought sloo,0oo of war savings certt-
 ficates.
 English business has been entirely re- adjusted to a war basis. England tried to muddle through in the first year of war on "business as usual' programme, but we soon found that snch a blind poll icy would not win the war. The govern ment's demands on our industrial re- sources were so enormous that we could not meet them and at the same time continue to produce all the things we were accustomed to have before the war
 The business of the English people is now the business of war All the pro- ductive energies of the nation are ai- rected. first, to supplying the war needs of the government; second, the necessi- ties of the people, third. the necessities of the export trade.
 Everyone in England is at work-in- cluding many men and women who never worked before. To be idle in Eng land today is not good form" Every one Is working; wages are the highest ever recorded; the whole scale of living has been raised; domestic trade is good, despite nation wide economy and say ing. England is doing her big job cheer fully, despite the terrific cost of the war in blood and treasure; and the reason for this. I believe. is that everybody, rich and poor. is woroking for the na- tion with determination to see it through.
 MONEY WILL NOT WIN WAR
 War is not a money making business. and money will not win this great strug. gle between democracy and autocracy English merchants and manufacturers now see that it isn't merely money that a nation at war needs, but the product of human labor, While we pay war taxes in money and pay for government bonds in money, what Is really happen ing is that the government is taking a large share of our industrial production -our labor and material-and consuin- ing 1t in warfare.
 No business man in England today ad- vocates liberal individual spending. be- cause it is now realized that such spend ing for personal needs means one ot two things-either an exhaustion of the necessities of life at time of threat ened famine, or else the selfish employ ment of labor in luxury production when it ought to be devoted to necessity pro- duction.
 Spending for one's self in such a time of national need Is now recognized as a distinctly unsocial act, and treasona ble if carried to excess. What difference is there between having cargoes of needed materials sunk by enemy submarines or having them consumed at home for mere personal qualification? It took us some time to see the truth of this. but every manufacturer and merchant in England today knows the gospel of goods and services" and the curtailment of dom|s- tice spending is everywhere advocated. SAVING FOR NATIONAL NEEDS Every thinking Enghshman. before spending for himself or his family, stops to consider. not whether he can afford t. but whether the nation can afford to have him spend. Economy is being |constantly urged by the newspapers. even though for the time it means less ad- vertising revenue. But they realize, as do the merchants, that the war cannot be prcvisioned, munitioned or financed from personal profits in business not es- sentiai to the war.
 Luxury business has ceased in England The women no longer buy elaborate gowns. There hasn't been big social function in London since the Germans Invaded Belgium. Motor riding for pleasure was long ago abandoned be- cause the gasoline is needed in Flanders and the chauneurs are wanted at the front or in the factories. For nearly two years not a single new automobile has been made in England. excepting for war work. We do not consume our labor and materials in new private build ipg-no one can expend as much as $25Oo on building without government sanc- ton. We make our clothes last longer because we know the boys in the trepches lQaed the wool for their backs. Wool js
 it would be criminal to waite