"VICTORY YEAR"

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 156, 30 December 1940, Page 5

"VICTORY YEAR"

BRITISH OPTIMISM

LONDON FIRM'S GREETINGS

A reference to 1941 as victory year, made by Mr. G. J. Donnelly, the export manager of a London firm of fabric manufacturers, in a letter of greetings to the firm's friends in Mew Zealand, serves as an indication of the optimistic outlook of the British business man.

"A Christmas message in wartime seems like a contradiction in terms, but we think that our friends in New Zealand may like to know how this house and its staff at London are getting along in the second year of the war," stated the letter.

"With the exception of a few keymen our younger staff has joined the forces. The home trade is cut down by Government orders but export demand has increased and important sections of our production are needed for service supplies. Part of the staff has evacuated, that dealing with records and accounts, but the remainder is still here and is adjusting itself to new conditions.

"In common with other large business houses we have a large and specially reinforced basement shelter with first-aid equipment, air-raid wardens, and fire-fighters. In the early days of air raids, and in accordance with Government instructions, we took shelter when the warning was sounded, but this interfered too much with work. Now we take shelter only when our roof spotters sound a special hooter, which is an indication that raiding bombers haye got top- near.

"Most of the lawns and gardens in Hanover Square have been sacrificed for building public air-raid shelters in brick and concrete," continued the letter. "Expressed as a percentage the buildings hit by bombing at London must be very small. Night bombing has, however, caused a few scars on well-known houses within a radius of 150 yards of us.

"So far as "export trade is concerned sales continue to rise steadily. Occasionally transport and shipping have been interrupted and the lost merchandise has had to be replaced. These are misfortunes beyond our control, but we believe that little or no inconvenience has been caused as we have special arrangements for dealing quickly with such incidents.

"We send you Christmas greetings md best wishes for the year 1941 —Vic;ory Yearl'"