The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-10-14
ULATIONS 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 manner
 that will permit business in such de-
 gree as will not endanger the wartime
 interests of the nation, the Connec-
 ticut State Council of Defense urges
 certain regulations concerning Christ
 mas buying.
 At the suggestion of the commer-
 cial economy divison of it's commit
 tee on commercial relations, the State
 Council will seek in the campaign
 to convert Christmas giving this year
 to essential articles and government
 securities, and to spread the idea em- bodied in the slogan Make this
 win the war Christmas" There will
 be an effort to secure the early mail ing and shipping of Christmas par
 cels, and the policy of personally de- lvering 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 recommendation 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 tional Defense following a conference with retail interests. The Council of National Defense, however, further 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. In
 carrying out the latter two recom- ! mendations the Connecticut State
 Council of Defense will act as the
 agent of the Council of National | Defense.
 The resolutions adopted by the | Council of National Defense author 1 ize limited Christmas buying by both the retailers and the public early moderate and common sense purchas- | Ing IS empnaSlZed. In the conference with the Council of National Defense
 the retail interests agreed, in addition 1 to the limitations on help and hours, | to use their utmost efforts to confine | Christmas giving, except to young i children. to useful articles and to l spread the period for holiday pur- | chases over the months of October, | November and December. In order to
 relieve the transportation facilities of the country from injurious conges- | tion in the latter half of December, | the retail interests agreed also to CO., 1 operate further in the campaign here | tofore and now being carried on un- ! der the auspices of the War Industries | Board at Washington to restrict de- i liveries and to. induce their customers
 to carry their own packages when
 ever possible. The retail interests further agreed to make weekly an nouncements to the above substantial effect in their advertisements.
 The Council of National Defense 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 sumed.