Republican farmer., 1918-10-18
REGULATIONS TO
 CONTROL XMAS
 PRESENTS URGED
Council of Defense Says Only Essential Gifts
 Should Be Bought.

Hartford. Oct. 14-So that Christ mas this year may be observed by the Connecticut public in a manner that will permit business in such de- gree as will not endanger the wartime interests of the nation, the Connec- 1 ticut State Council of Defense urges certain regulations concerning Christi mas buying.
 At the suggestion of the commer- cial economy divison of it's commit tee on commercial relations, the State l Council will seek in the campaign to convert Christmas giving this year to essential articles and government | securities, and to spread the idea en- 1 bodied in the slogan Make this a win the war Christmas" There will be an effort to secure thl early mail- ing and shipping of Christmas par cels, and the policy of personally de- | livering all Christmas gifts possible will be encouraged. This will help eliminate within the city limits, store | deliveries and special messenger de- 1 liveries. It will also be urged that as far as possible Christmas gifts mailed or sent by express be of such nature that they can be shipped | in small parcels. A further recom- mendation will be that all Christmas gift business be put on a cash basis. | These recommendations are similar in substance to those recently pro- mulgated by the Council of National Defense following a conference with retail interests. The Council of Ma | finno1 with retail interests. The Council of National Defense, however, further 1 recommends, as result of this confer. ence, that working forces be not in- creased by reason of holiday business | over the average force employed by retailers throughout the year, and that retailers refrain from increasing the normal working hours of their | force during the Christmas season. IT carrying out the latter two recon
 mendations the Connecticut State Council of Defense will act as the agent of the Council of Nationa Defense.
 The resolutions adopted by the Council of National Defense author ize limited Christmas buying by bott
 the retailers and the public early moderate and common sense purchas
 ing is emphasized. In the conference 1 with the Council of National Defense
 the retail interests agreed, in addition
 to the limitations on help and hours
 to use their utmost efforts to confint
 Christmas giving, except to young
 children, to useful articles and tt
 spread the period for holiday pur
 chases over the months of October
 November and December. In order tt
 relieve the transportation facilities O.
 the country from injurious conges
 tion in the latter half of December
 the retail interests agreed also to co
 operate further in the campaign here
 tofore and now being carried on un
 der the auspices of the War Industrie
 Board at Washington to restrict de
 liveries and to induce their customer
 to carry their own packages when
 ever possible. The retail interest l further agreed to make weekly an ! nouncements to the above substantia
 effect in their advertisements.
 The Council of National Defens } has asked all State Councils of De fense to point out to merchants with in their jurisdiction the obligation which the retail interests thus as 5 sumed.