The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-08-12
SLOWLY GETTING
BACK TO NORMAL
American Visitors Find Industrial
Conditions Steadily Improv-
ing in England.
HIGH PRICES EVERYWHERE
But Taxes Are Higher, Too, Than
Elsewhere in the WorId-London
Hotels Are Crowded-How Il
Looks to Visitors.

AOuuOH.- EcOnOnllc, HHancldl ana IN
dustrial conditions are steadily i'm
: proving in England, but are still .
very long way from being NORMAL
Strikes aIe the lane Of pf6gress her.
Il these days: Demands Tor mi;5fe pay
end SHORTER hours foll0w Zach 9ths.
!, IN quick succession from the various
: branches OF organized labor. The tr0u
Bile Is that less efficiency seems to fol-
low. The granting Of each demand. I'm
diediately one Of the big industrial
companies settles With one section q
its. 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 accommodate
ton. Prices are high, especially for
Americans, whom a part of the popu-
Iation seems TO regard as travelling
banks always ready to hand out large
sums when called Ipon. The hotel
best known to Americans charges $40
a day for room without bath, and
New Workers staying there assert that
1t costs them $24 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
ters and restaurants. In the streets
Engl1shmen have become quite &C.
customed to having women ask them
for light.
L LC iHdiNikdtS d AIia6s''Sh w OAHad 'i~'
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: 'sThis
smoking room Is reserved for gentle
men only"
One tobacconist asserted recently
that women now purchase three times
k.;o
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
10 not complain of this, but protests
ire heard against arbitrary methods
adopted by the government in dealing
With excess profits and against the
waste which still goes on In many de-
,artments. Food is very dear and
here Is still scarcity Of butter and
ugar. Many people have become so
ccustomed to going without the lat
er during the war thai they now dis
ense with it altogether, which is well
rom the point of view of economy, as
ugar costs 30 cents a pound now and
hreatens to go higher. On June 10
he bakers were instructed not to
lake any more white bread, and 1t
considered possible that bread cards
i'll again be issued before Christmas.
le big supplies Of grain from Russia.
rOmised by the soviet government to
lloyd George having proved to be
lrely mythical.
The housing problem in London,
I'd in fact in all the large cities In
ngland Is very serious and the sug-
.stion that the authorities take over
] empty houses. as they did in some ;
WINS during the war, Is being agitat- >
Shoes. hats and wearing apparel
morally are very dear.
The Defense OF the Realm Act - =
he'd Dora for SHORTS still in force i
England, so II is impossible to buy III
ndy, cigars, tobacco. matches, books j
d great many other things after III
m. III
public houses (saloons) are per
tied TO sell intoxicating liquors be-
cen II and 2 80 p. m, and between III
md 10 p. m, which is two hours
or the closing time for selling
These hours are strictly
erved. yet those engaged in the
all liquor trade are making more
ney than they ever did before on
ount of the high prices and the
ri drinking hours.
.llaki uniforms have disappeared
n the streets and manned ex-sol-
s can no longer be seen on
-ches Most of these have been |
lished with artificial arms and |
and provided with jobs in gov |
nent Offices and banks. The women |