Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-08-05
American Visitors Find Industrial
Conditions Steadily lmprov-
ing in England.
HIGH PRICES EVERYWHERE
But Taxes Are Higher, Too, Than
Elsewhere in the World-London
Hotels Are Crowded-How 1t
Looks to Visitors.

| in these days. Demands for more pay
and shorter hours follow each other
| in quick succession from the various
branches Of organized labor. The trou-
| BILE is that less efficiency seems to fol
| low the granting of each demand. I'm
mediately one of the big industrial
! companies settles with one section Of
| it's employees by increasing wages,
| trouble starts in another section Of the
workers till the change goes all
around. Then it begins again. Rail-
way fares have been increased 80 per
cent in the last three years. Now
| another 80 per cent is to be added
| to meet the increased cost of opera
ton. New rolling stock, however, has
been constructed and service has been
| improved considerably in the last year,
and in spite of the high fares and
dropping of excursion rates the trains
are packed in every direction.
Hotels Are Crowded.
London still has an extra million
population which drifted there during
the war, and the hotels are SO crowd
ed that strangers who have not re-
served rooms frequently have to drive
about for hours seeking accommoda-
ton. Prices are high, especially for
Americans, whom part of the popu-
| latiOn seems to regard as travelling
banks, always ready to hand out large
sums when called upon. The hotel
~ oh0p en-
a day for a room without a bath, and
New Workers staying there assert that
it costs them $24 a day for lodging,
meals and tips.
Women smoke practically every
where since the war. Some of the
more daring now have special brands
of cigars imported from Cuba for their
use, and smoke them publicly in thea
tiers and restaurants. In the streets
Englishmen have become quite ac-
customed to having women ask them
for light.
The emancipated EnglishWOman has
invaded the mems territory to such
an extent that on the golf links and
in hotels you sometimes find notices
have been posted which read: "This
smoking room is reserved for gentle
men only"
One tobacconist asserted recently
that women now purchase three times
as many cigarettes as men and some
are taking to pipes. Since the new tax
has come into force the quality of
cigarette tobacco has deteriOrated, as
has that of cigars, except the very
high priced ones.
Most Heavily Taxed Nation.
English people are probably more
heavily taxed than any other nation in
the world at the present time. They
do not complain of this, but protests
are heard against arbitrary methods
adopted by the government in dealing
with excess profits and against the
waste which still goes on in many de-
partments. Food is very dear and
| there is still scarcity of butter and
| sugar. Many people have become so
| accustomed to going without the lat
, ter during the war that they now dis
pense with it altogether, which is well
from the point of view Of economy, as
sugar costs 80 cents pound now and
threatens to go higher. On June Is
| the bakers were instructed not to
make any more white bread, and it
is considered possible that bread cards
will again be issued before Christmas,
the big supplies of grain from Russia,
promised by the soviet government to
Lloyd George having proved to be
] purely mythical.
The housing problem in London,
| and in fact i'll all the large cities in
| England. is very serious and the sug-
gestion that the authorities take over
all empty houses, as they did in some
towns during the war, is being agitat-
ed.
Shoes, hats and wearing apparel
generally are very dear.
The Defense of the Realm Act -
called Dora for SHORTS still in force
in England, so 1t is impossible to buy
candy. cigars, tobacco, matches, books
and great many other things after 8
p. m.
Public houses (saloens) are per-
mitted to sell intoxicating liquors be-
tween Il and 2 80 p. m., and between
6 and 10 o. M, which is two hours
after the closing time for selling
| chocolate. These hours are strictly
observed, yet those engaged in the
retail liquor trade are making more
money than they ever did before on
account of the high prices and the
short drinking hours
Khaki uniforms have disappeared
from the streets and manned eX-sOl
diers can no longer be seen or
crutches. Most of these have beer
furnished with artificial arms anc
legs and provided with jobs in gov
eminent offices and banks. The women
have left their war jobs on the motor
buses and street cars, but there are
still few in the booking offices Oh
the railways. England gradually II
beginning to look normal.