SHARING THE SACRIFICES

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4814, 11 March 1918, Page 3

SHARING THE SACRIFICES

'EFFECTS OF THE WAR AT HOME

(London correspondent of the Age.) LONDON, Dec. 11. It is only in the fourth year of the war that the people of Great Britain have begun to realise that victory depends on their capacity to stand the increasing'strain of the 'struggle, and to endure the discomforts and privations which will continue to extend in scope, and to increase in sevj erity, until the war ends. Victory depends mainly and finally on the achievements of the armies, but victory cannot be achieved unless the nation- as a whole is prepared to shoulder a share of the sacrifices and hardships. Housewives have been officially warned to expect the entire disappearance from the shops of all prepared foods, because no more supplies will be imported from abroad or manufactured in Great Britain after Diestocks in hand arc used up. There are to he no more tinned meats, tin-, ned fish, potted meats, fish pastes, meat extracts, tinned or packed soups, fruits in syrup, jellies, tinned vegetables, chutneys, pickles, sauces, essences and flavorings. It has been announced that the Food Controller intends to issue an order prohibiting luxurious displays of foodstuffs in shop windows. This order will apply particularly to grocers, bakers, pastry cooks and confectioners. The bakers and pastry cooks are already working under stringent regulations which prevent them using flour made entirely of wheat, which prevent them making fancy bread and fancy cakes and pastry. Bread must not be sold until after it is twelve hours old. Jam tarts, cream puffs and other things of that kind are forbidden luxuries. But. tarts and puffs can be sold without jam or cream. No icing is allowed on cakes owing to the fact that sugar is scarce. The fact that people co'uld not obtain the weekly allowance of slb of sugar per head to which they are 1 nominally entitled, in accordance with the supplies of sugar issued to the trade bv the Government Com- I mission which controls the importa- ' tion and distribution of sugar, lead to an outcry some months ago against : the lavish display of sweets in the > confectioners who were given a hint to dress their stop windows less plentifully. As a.result the window dress- I ing of confectioners’ shops, underwent an artistic change. It is easier for , a housewife, to purchase 501 b of sweets j if she wanted them than it is to purchase Mb of sugar. It is expected that [ the Sugar Commission will have to 1 reduce drastically the supply of sugar j to the. confectionery manufacturers, | and that- in a few months most of the •' sweet shops will have to close because they cannot get supplies. The balance sheets of the largo drapery firms show that their shops ; are enjoying a degree of prosperity j far beyond the level of the most pros- j porous days of peace. • It has been ' proposed that the Government should appoint a dress controller, and that j women should be limited to an expenditure of £SO a year on dress, and . that the clothes allowance for the j male sex should be £3O a year. These suggested restrictions on "the liberty • of the public seem fantastic, but anything can happen in war time. In j order to conserve leather a regula- ; ..tion has been issued prohibiting the \ manufacture and sale of the high j boots which have become so fashionable among women. The order fixes the maximum height of the uppers of I ladies’ boots at 7 inches from the j scat of the heel. The fashionable boots harm hadjuppers of twice that height. Women have threatened to retaliate on the Government by lengthening their skirts, and so increasing the demand for dress mat- . erial. I

The Government is placing on the market, through the ordinary trade channels, standard boots for men, women and children. The .output of these standard boots will bo 2,000,000 pairs a month. The object of standardising boots is to give the public a good article, and to check the continuous increase in the prices of boots. The retail prices at which standard hoots will be sold have been officially fixed. The boots for men will be in three grades of quality, at15s to 21s a pair. Women’s standard hoots will be sold in three grades, at 13s 6d to 18s 6d. For boys there will be only one grade, and the price will be 12s 6d. The Board of Control of "Wool Textile Production, which is a department of the War Office, has arranged for the manufacture of a standard cloth for men’s wear. It will not be cloth of the highest quality, -as most of the wool available is required for the use of the army and navy, but it will not be a shoddy article. The cloth, which will be manufactured at various mills, will be of the one quality. but it will be possible to introduce a variety of patterns. It is intended that the cloth shall be used for ready made suits for men and bovs, which will bo sold at fixed prices. But if the war continues much longer all the male population of Great Britain will be wearing this standard cloth, for the tailors find it increasingly difficult to get materials, and in spite of the fact that the prices of measured suits have risen 50 per cent, the quality of the materials available is far from good. Matches, tobacco, whisky and beer ■will probably have to be rationed. Tlie prices of matches and tobacco to the consumer are fixed, but fixing prices does not increase supplies. No matches are being imported and the present output, of British factories is restricted by the limited supply °f materials, most of which have to be imported. The Board of Iraeje has appealed to the public to restrict its use of matches. Smokers are urged to use paper spills in their homes and in their offices. Even in the most exclusive clubs in the W est End a supply of spills is kept on hand, the output of matches is to he maintained at one box per week for each adult. Allowing for a percentage of “duds” in each box, this means that no one can use more than six matches a day without robbing someone of his share. , , The tobacconists predict an early shortage of tobacco. The date (•> the shortage is being hastened by the fact that'smokers have become alarmed, and are purchasing tobacco m pounds instead of in ounces, so as to l)e prepared for the days of famine. Sad to say, it is the ladv smokers who have taken to the cigarette habit since the war began who are the worst offenders in -this respect. Some wealthy lady smokers are said to be purchasing cigarettes in thousands.