EXTRAVAGANCE IN WAR TIME

Evening Star, Issue 16629, 11 January 1918, Page 5

EXTRAVAGANCE IN WAR TIME

' BRITISH WOMEN BLAMED. War-timo prosperity, according, to manv expert observers, has been the cause of serious deterioration in health and character in hundreds of thousands of English women of various classes of society, says Mr F. ’A. Wray, writing in the ‘ New York Tribune.’ Extravagance is the chief charge levelled in this respect, and three distinct classes of women are said to be offenders. In order °f. merit they are the- wives of “ profiteers ” i.e., men who have made great fortunes out of war profits—girl munition workers, and a certain proportion of soldiers’ wives All buying luxuries. Money has been flowing there like water. Theatres, concerts, movies, whatever the prices, are nacked to suffocation at all times. The shops are doing a record trade, especially those selling any kind of apparel, and only the highest-priced goods are demanded. Latest Par’s fashions ” are everywhere displayed, expensive fur coats in endless supplies are apparent, and jewellers enjoy a prosperity hitherto unknown, In fact, any shop selling any kind of luxury seems able to do all the business it wishes. Restaurants, especially those whore food is dear are crowded at all times of tho day. . At tire same time, as tho result 'of many inquiries, it appears that there is practically ” n * n the-stories oirculated of the fancy inflation ot munitions workers’ wages in the «°rthof England. In fact, considering tho work done, tho wages cannot ha said to be more than adequate In London it is commonly reported that ■women in Lancashire are making £7, £B, and even £.lO weekly on war work These figures are absurd exonerations. I find that women engaged in shell-making rarely average more than £2 10s to —3 a week In numbers of cases they never exceed £2 a week. The normal peace rate of wages for this class of worker would be £1 to £1 10s weekly. In York,.,re > A P at 'k' cl daiiy Sheffield, rates are generally 10 to 15 per cent, higher. Taking into account the increase in the cost of living, these women have made very little profit out of their tremendous work in the making ° T * l ? riiird class that of the soldier s wife—against whom the charge of extravagance is made, is nob a very important quantity. Any opportunity, except in two cases, is out of the question. There is tho case of the wife of the farmhand whose normal wages are about 18s a week, but who, it sho has six children, will receive an army separation allowance of about £2 a week, and thus be better off. And there is the instance of the soldier’s wife who, apart irom her separation allowance, is enraged m war work herself. Neither of these instances gives opportunity for wild burets of extravagance. But there are two other counts in the present-day indictment of women. One is on account of drinking, and the other of smoking. In both cases sociologists see grave danger to the future of tne race. DRINK TWICE AS MUCH. the former, there is ho doubt i the point. Any Englishman able to judge for himself will state that women in Britain are drinking to ttrice a iTd three times tho extent that was common before the war. Formerly it was exceedingly rare to find a woman seated in a saloon, unlessot the lowest class, and even then she was almost invariably accompanied by a man. But nowadays it is almost impossible to to into a saloon without finding young women from the age of 15 upward boldly entering and ordering drinks. The other charge made against, English women is that of excessive smoking. This is another habit that has grown to such proportions that a mcmoer ot the House of Commons, Mr Arthur Jacobson, has been asking that assembly whether measures cannot be taken to stop the_ practice entirely. Physicians declaim against the practice, but the more they condemn the wider the habit grows. 'Many social investigators and workers declare that there is no-, present serious menace to the character of English women, either in wasteful spending of money or drunkenness or smoking, taken separately; but when the three occur together, then they fear that ened™ 0 ™ Jrc riie nation may he waak-