"BUY BRITISH"

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 100, 2 May 1929, Page 10

"BUY BRITISH"

EMPIRE HOUSEWIVES

WELL-TIMED APPEAL

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

LONDON, Sth March,

Mrs. L. S. Amei'y and Dame Margaret Lloyd George are signatories to a letter, issued by the League o£ Empire Housewives, urging people to purchase British goods. Since the publication of their appe.il, the secretary of the Association o£ British Chambers of Commerce has made public a letter which he has sent to all the affiliated chambers. In this he says:— "The Fellowship, of the British Umpire Exhibition (of which the Prince of Wales, K.G., is president) and the Empire Day Medal Association (of which the Marquess of Londonderry, K.G., is president) have decided to co-operate in founding a "League of Empire Housewives," the members of which will be pledged to give preference in their shopping purchases, first to British manufactures and British food products, and secondly to Empire manufactures and Empire food products. The League of Empire Housewives has appealed to this association for our help and sympathy, and my council has agreed to assist the work, which should be of great practical advantage to Empire trade and create a further interest in Chamber of Commerce work." The system of organisation of the League of Empire Housewives is to form in every centre a local group, aud they wish that | the head of this local group should be allowed to consult the local Chamber of ; Commerce on two classes of questions:— (a) As to what are genuine Empire products. (b) As to whether steps can be taken to secure a local supply in retail, shops of some particular Empire product which is nut on sale in a particular locality. Under Class (a) such questions might arise as to whether a brand of cutlery or of crockery is a British product. Under class (b) such questions jnight arise as to whether it was possible to secure in local shops supplies of British toys or of Empire dvird fruits or Empire butter. The Association of British Chambers of Commerce has been assured that the plan of organisation of the League of Empire Housewives is such that a local Chamber of Commerce would not be troubled with inquiries from a great' number of people. There would be in each centre one head of the league who alone would communicate with the local Chamber of Commerce. GROWING DEMAND FOR BRITISH GOODS. Sirs. Amery and Dame Margaret advocate the slogan "Buy British" iv all daily purchases, and add:— "It would bo difficult to estimate how much that slogan has already done for the trade of this 1 and the other countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Every shopkeeper will testify to the general and growing demand for British poods among their customers. If we all make it a point of honour to ask to be shown British articles, it then becomes a point of honour with the shopkeeper to find out if the suitable British article can be found nt the price, and, if so, to stock it. "If each of us helps the retailer to carry British lines in the sure confidence that they will be the first to be purchased, tho retailer in his turn will help the British manufacturer to produce the maximum capacity in the equal confidence that his goods will sell. Homo production on this scale will ensure not only full and constant employment, but lower prices all round."

"The Times" comments: "The appeal whs singularly well timed. The persistent educative work of the Empire Marketing Board has unquestionably made a deep impression on the buying public, who are bogiuuing to realise as never before that the advantages of 'Buying British' arc mutual. On one hand the assistance to producers in these islands and in the Empire overseas is direct and most valuable; 'on the other hand the greater prosperity of our fcllowcitizens resulting therefrom means a wider market for the manufactures of the United Kingdom and increased employment for its inhabitants. ... It would be a mistake to under-estirnate the difficulties 6T the work, but the women of our generation have shown such amazing powers of organisation that it would be rash to regard this task as beyond their capacity \t any rate, they have secured powerful allies in the Chambers of Commerce, and, strong in the knowledge that their efforts havei the sympathy and practical support of the Pnnce of Wales, it may confidently be expected that the work will not fail for want of willing and able helpers."