“ALIEN’S” LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3489, 25 January 1921, Page 56

“ALIEN’S” LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Specially Written for the Ladies’ Fage.) MADE IN GERMANY. November 24. It appears that Santa Claus is to oust Father Christmas from the British nursery this year—German toys are to rival the British-made, for 1)2,000,000 worth of these goods have been dumped for sale m this country, and unless parents take special care in their selection the children will receive as Christmas presents toys made by the men who killed their fathers, while the British toymakers are out of work through the Hun crippling o-f the trade. The buyers have no means of detection, except the cheapness in price, for only the cases in which the goods arrive and not the goods themselves are marked “Made in Germany.” Many of the dolls are labeled “British-made clothes,” deceiving the purchaser, who does not reflect tlxat the dolls themselves are German-made. Owing to the influx of German toys, the Primrose League Toy Industry-, started in 1917, which gave wounded men and war widows profitable work, will cease operations next month. The secretary of the industry says the trouble is entirely due to the unmarked German toys, which people buy thinking they- are British. Harrods (Ltd.), of Brmnpton road, S.W., are among the few firms which have refused to handle German toys. Sixty per cent, of their toy stock is British made, 20 per cent, is French, 15 per cent. American, and 5 per cent. Japanese. They were offered German toys last year, and again this year, but they would not touch toys made in Germany. Meanwhile Sir Robert Horne has told the House of Commons that the Dumping Bill cannot be introduced this session, although lie said on November 1 in Parliament that there was undoubtedly- unemployment in this country owing to foreign goods being sold at a price lower than the home manufactured. And so disabled men are put out of work. The Lord Roberts Memorial Workshops for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors employed last June in its toy departments 155 men. The number is now reduced to 32. Two years and as many- months ago the Huns were dropping bombs upon our children, and now- they provide their toys by underselling the British article. There are those who argue that ive must trade with Germany if she is to pay her debt—that is, we are to pay her debt with the money that should go to British workmen. Quite in keeping with the lack o-f sensitiveness and impudence of the Germans, they have named one of the mouthorgans for sale in England “The Lusitania” and another “The Union Jack. Also articles are being made which are a mixture of foreign and British make, like the silver mesh bags, the rim of which is British and stamped with the British hall mark. It is estimated that £7.000,000 worth of German glass has lately come into the country and is being distributed to the shops,* ’wholesale agents offering these o-oods at any- price to drive British firms out of the business. Like the toy-s, these coods are unmarked. Engraved English tumblers, which cannot be offered to the retail dealers under 13s 9d a dozen, are produced bv Germany at 4s, and the retailers can make a big profit if customers are unsuspecting. In the dye industry, which Britain so successfully* developed during the war, Germany is stretching out greedy fingers to recapture it. There are practically no German . dves that are not now British produced but the German method is to find out British prices and to sell at t little less, and are causing a trade “slump.” The feeling against this trade trickerv is very strong, and the public is demanding that all goods be marked with the name of the country that produces them, so that they may buy- with their eyes open; and there are millions who would spurn the German goods, even at low prices, were they given a fair choice. When’ Germany has paid the debt she owes to tho world- it will be soon enough to forgive. At present all her efforts and schemes are to evade payment, .o shield the ex-Kaiser and his willing tools.

and to whine "with tears in her eyes” for the privileges she abused and the friendship she betrayed. And her latest demand—the restoration of her colonies — is on a par with all the rest. Arrogant and insolent first and last and abnormally conceited! While the Assembly of the League of Nations are talking of world-wide peace dark clouds are gathering on the Eastern horizon again. The restoration of the ex Kaiser’s brother-in-law to the throne of Greece will mean disaster. The financial position of this country is at last attracting the serious attention of the Government. The provincial municipal elections were a sharp warning that the ratepayers are alarmed at the swift rise in the local rates. Pointed attention is drawn to the huge expenditure going on in Mesopotamia, Persia, and Palestine. All this concerns us very closely. In the end it is the women of the nation on whom its debt and trouble falls most heavily. And as the women become more educated in politics, thev are so much the more fitted to vote intelligently. At last the Government are showing signs of alarm, and a special Cabinet committee on economy is at work. Meanwhile unemployment grows. Hign wages and the heavy taxation on industry discourage enterprise. In Islington North alone the relief of distress due to unemployment is costing the borough £12,000 a week. There are 7000 unemployed in the borough, 5000 of whom are married. Ex-service unemployed get £1 a week, and men in insured trades 15s a week It just prevents starvation. Socially the week has been divided be tween weddings and dances and entertainments for the King and Queen of Spain, who, as is usual with them when on a private visit to London, are staying at the Ritz. Lady Ancaster gave a dance a few nights ago, at which the King and Queen of Spain were present, also Princess Mary (who loves dancing), and her two brothers, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. Miss Sonia Keppel’s wedding took all society to the Guard’s Chapel, where she was married to the Hon. Rowland Cubitt, Coldstream Guards. The bride . is the daughter of Lieutenant-colonel the Hon. George and Mrs Keppel ; the bridegroom the eldest surviving son of Lord and Lady Asheombe. The chapel of the Wellington Barracks was beautifully decorated with white flowers and trees of oranges and crowded with guests. The beautiful decorations were carried out by Air Douglas Hope, of the Scots Guards and nephew of Airs Keppel, who lost the sight of both eyes during the war. The bride wore a Florentine gown of silver brocaded velvet, the hem of the dress nearly touching the ground, and a long train of the same material. A plain tulle veil was worn with a wreath of velvet and silver leaves, and she carried a sheaf of Aladonna lilies. The tiny pages wore white satin Greenaway suits, and the six bridesmaid -s (whose ages ranged from four to 12) were a charming group in white Early Victorian dresses and wreaths of white flowers on their hair. While the register was being signed they distributed favours of white heather and rosemary. Among many noticeably pretty women present were Lady Brecknock, Airs Dudly Ward, Airs Rupert Keppel, and Miss Edwina Ashley. Among the presentations to the bridegroom were a grandfather clock and silver dish from the tenants on the Surrey estates, and a silver inkstand and clock from the household and employees at Denbies. A silver bowl from the tenant farmers at Fallapit, South Devon, the farm and cottage tenants and employees there gave a silver centre-piece, and the staff at the estate office in Warwick sqtiare a large silver topped inkstand. The Three Arts Ball was among the successful dances of the week, and everybody who is anybody on the stage put in an appearance, and a good many other folk not on the stage. A weird effect was produced when waltzing to dreamy music in the dark, the dancers carried lighted balloons. Dancing is in full swing again for the winter, but much more refined dancing than a year or so ago. There seems to be no lack of society bridegrooms. There were 287,000 women married last year, it is stated, or 41 out of every thousand marriageable women. Certain districts lean to marriage, just as others unfriendly to it. London holds out far and away the best chance of marrying, and the urban more than the rural. It is, of course, a matter of social intercourse—fresh people meet each other, and in Tural districts most of the young men and women have grown up in juxtaposition and are not attracted. Strangely, some of the English shires are more fertile in marriage than others—Hampshire, Berkshire, Surrey, and Kent are placed among the marrying places. Over 220 women above 70 years of age married last year, and ouite a good proportion were of the middle classes, where it was not a question of convenience, as, say, in the case of two lonely old pensioners, who could make a more comfortable home on their combined pension than alone—one rent, one fire, one light serving for two—and instead of the lonely room, companionship. But, in other cases, old romances had been revived, and sweethearts of youth bad met again after many years ; old ideals had survived the changes of time. On the other band “sweet seventeen” has not the vogue of years ago. Statistics show that 20 years ago twice as many girl brides were registered as last year. But widows, even before the war. were rr marrying in large numbers, and for some reason that- men can perhaps explain the middle-aged widow has a far better chance than an unmarried woman of her age, so the registrar tells. Out of every thousand marriages there were, in this list, only 19 sninster brides of 40, and 132 widows of that age, and only 10 spinsters of 45. as compared with 108 widows of that age. The youngest men usuallv marry young brides : thp older bridegrooms marry women who nTe younger, yet

in those critical years between 30 and 40 the ages are nearly identical. Men are now marrying later, and marrying nearer their own age. Forty-five thousand such marriages took place last year.