WAR'S AFTERMATH.

Northern Advocate, 20 December 1919, Page 4

WAR'S AFTERMATH.

CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND

"MATERIAL FOR A REVOLUTION."

Some idea of the discontent pre vailing in England, particularly amongst the working classes, as a result of the war aftermath, is contain ed in letters which arrived by 'the lat est English mail.

A london business man, writing on October l&th, shortly after the great railway strike states that many demobilised men, being unable to secure work, have had to re enlist. They went away boys, but came back men, and wanted men's wages; but employers did not care about giving these salaries. "I can tell you it is pretty hard to see all these fellows at a loose end after what they have had to put up with in the Army,"he" remarks. "Everything seems to be in a terrible muddle here; the demobilised soldiers are disillusioned, the working classes are discontented, the cost of living is still rising, and this winter 'is going to be the hardest we have 'as yet experienced; in fact, there is all the material ready for a revolution. This sound s very pessimistic, Ibut I am afraid it is so. NO TRAINS. "We are just recovering from a railway strike. Can you imagine what it was like? No trains- People holiday making stranded, and those going to work had to manage as best they could. Exerybody took to the road, a s it were; some business men slept in their offices; others who were fortunate enough to possess motor cars took their typists and office boys home. The Army motor lorries were brought out fom their dumpinggrounds, and the streets became one mass of seething and congested traf fie. The distribution of foodstuffs was the first consideration; this was done by the motor lorries, some bear ing the legend/Grub for the Women and Kids.' Hyde Park was closed to the public, and became a huge milk distributing centre ( the lorries bring ing the milk up from the farms, and the retailers going to the Park from all parts of London to secure it. Crowds of volunteers came forward to help, and some trains were run having duke s for drivers, lords for stokers, belted earls for guards, medical students and undergraduates for porters, and so on, ad lilb. The special constables were called up again and a citizen guard was 'being enrolled when, at the end of nine days, the strike was settled. The railway men gained their point to a certain extent, and although things looked very black for a time, the public managed to preserve its good humour, the weather helping by keeping bright and dry."

With regard to the cost of living the writer refers to the "terrible prices" of woollen goods. Coal, he quotes at 53s a ton, butter at 2s 6d per lb, eggs hi each (controlled price). Butter was still rationed at the rate of loz per head per week, and also meat and sugar (Boz per head per week).