ECONOMICS OF WAR

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 36, 10 August 1918, Page 9

ECONOMICS OF WAR

RACE SUICIDE

STANDARD CLOTHES

;fhoji our own corbespondbst.)

LONDON, 14th June.

In a paper before tho Institute of Public Health, the Registrar-General (Sir Bernard Mallet) said that the births in England and Wales in 1913 numbered 881,890. In 1915 they fell to 814,614. In 1916 there was a further fall to 780,520, the slightness of the fall from the previous year being due to the boom in marriages in 1915, when, the number celebrated reached the record figure of 360,885. In 1917 the births registered fell to 668,346. a decline from the 1913 figure of twenty-four per cent. Up to the present we had lost in England and Wales in potential lives, on the standard of 1913, 650,000. He thought that it would be long before the birth-rate reached the figure that obtained before the war. Serious as this loss is, there is reason to believe that we have suffered less ill this, direction than the other belligerent nations. We may assume that Germany has lost in potential Jives the equivalent of 4.5 por cent, of its total pre-war population, Austria 5 per cent., and Hungary 7 per cent. "I think I may safely hazard tho statement that the present war, by the fall of births it has occasioned, cost the belligerent countries of Europe not less than 12£ millions of potential lives. While the war has filled the graves it has emptied the cradles. At the present time, every day that the war continues means the lass of /7.000 potential lives to the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and the Central Empires. Race suicide among European peoples on the most colossal scale has been the outstanding result of German militarism."

WAR BOND RE-INVESTMENT.

During thirty-six weeks the total amount subscribed to War Jjoans in the various provincial towns in England were as follows : Liverpool £29,696.205, Glasgow £28,483.815, Manchester 20,563,535, .Birmingham £15,680,815. Edinburgh £13,720,002, Newcastle-on-Tyno £10.447,----150, Bradford £9,394,525, Leeds £8,090,----655, Cardiff £7,350,015, Bristol £6,862,----240, Sheffield £6,327,060.

The Fresh Water Fish Committee states that before the war 7,000 tons of eels were consumed annually in England, of which 6000 tons were imported. At the same time 3,000,000 elvers were exported annually from Great Britain to Germany. The committee has this year distributed in home waters 1,200, • 000 elvers, and hopes to distribute more next year.

STANDARD CLOTHES,

■ Civilian clothes and goods to the value of about fifteen million sterling have been arranged for. No public money is involved, the woollen trade financing the whole scheme. It is estimated that the consumer will be saved at least a third of the cost to which he would be put in buying the clothes under the ordinary commercial, conditions prevailing to-day. The prices to be charged, according to the grade of cloth, are as follow :—Men's suits, 84s and 57s 6d; youths' suits, 70s and 50s; boys' suits, 45s and 40s; men's, youths', and boys' overcoats, respectively, 635, 455, and 355. Something like 70 per cent, of the total wool now consumed in the country was for official purposes alone, and in addition there were considerable quantities of cloth wanted for our Allies, including the Americans. Owing to circumstances the prices for civilian clothes had been forced up to an unprecedented level. In Bradford standard cloth has.been manufactured for 250,000 juvenile suits and 750,000 youths' and men's suits; For the youths' and men's suits there are 24 Cheviot patterns, eight fancy worsted, and a black and blue serge

DESTRUCTION OF FOOD,

During the month of May the quantity of food destroyed at Liverpool as unfit for human consumption was as follows:— Fish, poultry, rabbits, 20 tons; fruit and vegetables, 101 tons; beef and mutton, 13 tons; cheese, 87841b. The fish, poultry, and rabbits had suffered through delay in railway transit; of the fruit and vegetables 86 tons were old carrots, which had been in store; 75 per cent, of the beef and mutton was diseased, and the remainder putrified or damaged, principally by sea water, as was the cheese. . ' , '

PEDIGREE STOCK.

In response to representations made by the Agriculture Society of England ana the Breed Societies, the War Trade Department has intimated that it will abandon its proposal to "ration" the export of pedigree live stock.

REGISTRATION FOR TEA,

Tho Ministry of Food" announces that from 14th July every person in Great Britain must register for tea with a retailer, and the supplies to retailers will be made upon a basis of 2ozs weekly for each customer, including children. It' is not definitely stated that tea will be rationed, but the provisions evidently point towards that.

The scheme for rationing foodstuffs for poultry goes into force this week. Preferential treatment will be given to birds under 2J,- years of age. Tt is believed that this is tho forerunnervof a general scheme for rationing live stock. There has been considerable uproar through the last week or two about the restricted allowance of dog biscuits. It is stated in explanation that many manufacturers are. fully occupied on army work, and cannot spare the labour for making dog biscuits.

NO NEWSPAPER "RETURNS."

Next week the order forbidding the distribution of newspapers or magazines on sale or "return" will come into force. "Tho order," says the Paper Controller, "may bo described' as art attempt to crystallise the demand and permit of an adequate, but not a wasteful, supply. Readers will serve their own convenience and avoid certain disappointment by ordering beforehand what, they .require. They will also help the retail newsagents, whose business would otherwise be disturbed.' Lastly, they will contribute to economy in the consumption of 1 paper, which is essential in the national interests, in view of the shipping situation."

CATERPILLAR -PLAGUE,

The fruit crop throughout England is expected this summer to be exceptionally poor. There "was a, good show of blossom at the right time, but blights of one Kind-or another seem to have destroyed most of the young fruit. The caterpillar plague, which was local last year, seems likely to be more widespread this year. The Times states that some of the fields and stone walls in, Staffordshire are black with them. Not only,do they do very great harm to the pasture, but cattle refuse to feed on meadows over which they have passed.