ECONOMICS OF WAR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 22 November 1918, Page 5

ECONOMICS OF WAR.

(Correspondent^ of Otago Daily Times.V

LONDON, Aug. 23

The scarcity of paper and the necessity of tonnage economy in its use have been brought -home to the public generally by the rise in price not only of newspapers but also of stationery, which is, moreover, not always easy to obtain. The prices of stationery are at least six times higher than they were before the war. That the situation may be eased to some extent by 1 saving every scrap of waste paper for repulping has come to be generally recognised. It is stated at the offices of the Paper Controller that by this means extra supplies have been released for commercial and private correspondence. Home-grown materials are also being employed in the making of pulp. The country has had to depend on its outside sources, foreign and dominion, for two-thirds of its paper materials. Owing to the demands on shipping for war purposes it became necessary in 1916 to ration manufacturers, and through them the retailers, to one-half their pre-war supplies.' An additional 10 per cent has now bee» added by the use not only of warte paper, but of home-grown timber, straw, and reeds, in the making of pulp. It i s hoped that in time improved methods of making paper from native materials may be devised. So far they have not proved the most economical form of production. An enterprising firm has brought out some Save-tun" labels, which enable the envelope to be used many times over

OATS v. GOLF. The first of the, Surrey golf links to come under the reaper is the Blackdown course, near Woking, where harvesting has begun The course, about 200 acres, was taken over by the Working Wa r Agricultural Committee late last autumn and was let to two farmers, and so successfully have they farmed it that it is yielding a splendid harvest. Work began on 45 acres of oats of fine quality which stood sft Bin high, with with Bh°? 5 Ut Stl"dW ' h is abo it 15 sacks. In gathering the haivest assistance is being given by neighboring farmers. The policy of .hXg labor and teams., if generally adopted would go far towards solving the labor

DISOBEYING AN ORDER. The first prosecution for refusing *> plough up grass land was heard at Spalding when a farmer was summoned, at the instance of the Board of Agriculture, for failing to plough up 19 fined £rf Uttr St" m^ds» and -- fined £oO and costs. Defendant's plea obeyed later, when prospects of getting good crops would have been better

NATIONAL KITCHENS. The National Kitchen movement is growing rapidly, and there are now estabJisned in various partd-io* the country 623 national or voluntary kitchens many with restaurants attached. Mr C. F. Spencer, the director is urging local authorities, in view ot the coal position, seriously to consider the question Q f providing hot meals to the public during the winter It i* certain that there will be less coaL and gas f or household cooking, and it will not always be possible to provide at home the hot food necessary during the cold weather. The deficiency caS be supphed by the national kitchSs and restaurants, where cooking is earned on in the most scientific and SL nomical fashion, and a general use^f a^ihr^lTf, Itis^imatedLt a ban 1 JS^T &nd "•*»«"«*» dai?lv wi^T pOi Ttl°ns of food «• «*M

EMPIRE'S MAN-POWER. Dm^P ident im Portan <^ say s the Emtee h?f SoUr t r Devel( *™*t Committee, has m the. past been attached to po:-er° nSew "I 10" °V he EmP"o'*-an-selfv'itl ? aYe allowed this vital as - S; lo h ti imEienSe -^uctive obu committee has in view (berid^i dv '■ Jr an. Empire farm overseas, i. the rer-i turn withm the Empire, as well as Vw attractions back thereto, of tMs , A* man-power, with an incalculable nt,;ment of the Empire's wealth value. ■*■

IN SEVEN TONGUES. British manufacturers are ('eteruiinoj to clear away old reproaches. They have awakened to the necessity of developing our own resources and rendering us independent of enemy countries. Too little has been done in the past t© make British goods familiar to foreign peoples, but this need is being met to .some extent by certain commercial publications. The Association of British Chemical Manufacturers, which .has amongst its members many of the 4art ost firms in the country, is preparing a. directory of British chemical products and the manufacturers from whom thecan be procured. It i s expected that whs will be printed before the end of tiie year, and., when ready, will prov'dformation for comprehensive circu^ of the directory is indicated by tL ISTS an?," agef <™P%ed in its pages-^ English, iretxek, Italian. Spanish Portuguese, Russian, and Japanese^-Ger-man being omitted. Another publicof°% <rf \«maar kind., though printed 1 E-^ glifh and French only. is that rf th© British Engineers' Association This was first brought out in 1916, and h.-rs passed into a second edition.

OUR NEGLECT OF SCIENCE. A. Keith, speaking f.x: j King's College, in connection with tV.o i British Scientific Products Exhibition. j said that not only \vn,s *cif*noe helpt::a" j to save life in the war, lint it was r\ri vising the instruments of destruction ; that would win the war. Tt used to l;o

eaid that wars were won on the playing fields of Eton, but in future they would be won in the laboratories of the country. "I hope the war hag taught us," he added, "that the.most valuable assets a country can have are strong laboratories with strong men in them." Politicians and public men would have to realise that fact, and it was the duty of the enfranchised millions to see that they did. What provision was England making to-day for scientific training in the universities? When one saw how inadequate the means of scientific work was in a great centre like London, one felt ashamed. In Germany 13 out of every thousand of the population went to universities for scientific training, and in England only five. England, the wealthiest country of the world, was the worst in her neglect of science. That, fact required to be impressed on the Tjolitioiane.