FEWER FRIVOLITIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19811, 1 December 1919, Page 6

FEWER FRIVOLITIES.

THE TURN OF THE TIDE. MUNITION - WORKERS RETURN TO SANE SPENDING. Tlic London “ Daily Telegraph ” has been making inquiries in many of the great, industrial centres of Great Britain as to the financial difficiiltie.s being experienced by munition-workers and others who, alter being suddenly lifted from penury to comparative opulence during the war, now find themselves confronted witii peace conditions complicated by the uncertainties of employment during the transition era. A very significant fact is that in the live months from .March to August of this year no less a sum than £'2OU,()OO was withdrawn from the Birmingham Municipal Savings Bank, mainly no doubt to assist in tiding over hard limes. Those, however, who deposited money in savings banks are not ot the order of the recklessly extravagant. It is these latter who are. most feeling the pinch, lor they have wasted all the money they made, and have nothing to show lor it save some slirods ol finery. It, is not sufficiently recognised that among the munition womens there were the two classes, the savers and the spenders. The latter made so much splash and attracted so much attention that the existence of tho oilier class was scarcely noticed. •Many ol the features of t.iio orgy of extravagance winch prevailed are so remarkable that readers may well find them almost incredible. Tliousands and thousands of workers, wo are told, insisted always and in every shop on having " Hu; best,'’ and nothing hut tho best. To the great profit of the shopkeeper, “tho best” meant the most expensive, NOT VALUE, BUT COST One of tho great munition manufacturing centres was Woolwich, and some of the experiences related bv shopkeepers make entertaining road'ing. Dining tho war it was no unusual thing for a working gir’ to walk out ol ii, shop because its goods wore nut expensive enough for her, and the inevitable result was that manv shopkeepers priced their goods far above their value. With customers of this class, value was a minor consideration. What mattered, lor purpose of conversation with, and “scoring off,” their friends, was the cost. The result was that in Woolwich articles of women’s dress wore more costly than in Regent Street. An instance is given of a lady buying in Regent Street and Oxford Street for less than £1 articles that wore priced at Woolwich at nearly £7. It was not alone in dress that the Woolwich artisans went mad; in many other branches of trade tho same reckless extravagance was displayed. I Inis the owner of a music shop related that a man ami woman came to him to purchase a piano for £l2O at ii, time when the most expensive instrument he had in stock was priced host. Hcncp the sixpenny novel had persuaded to take a piano at this price, and then asked on what they could expend the remaining £2O. Tie fulfilled their needs by selling them a harmonium, though lie doubted whether anyone in their household could play cither instrument. That, of course, was a matter of minor concern. Another story told is of a man in Sheffield who bought a piano for the very small house in which lie lived, and afterwards purchased a second one, to put at tho .other .side of the fireplace, to match it. To-day tho advertisement columns of the papers are full of announcements oi pianos and other luxuries for sale. CHEAP EDITIONS IGNORED. Even, in the guild of literature tho expensive tastes of the munition workeis betrayed themselves. They did riot want ciieap editions; they desired tho best. Hence the sixpenny novo, had a much more restricted sale than 4s 6d and 7s fid hound volumes. And the cheap novel is coming into its own again. 11 the munitioner indulges in the same class of reading as during the war, lie does it in cheaper editions. To turn to the realm of art: largo sums wore freely expended in picture shops, oil paintings being bought because the purchaser liked the frames. It was not entirely on . themselves that tho munition workers expended their money. Jeweller# staled that where they might spend a couple of pounds on self-adornment, many would give £2O for jewellery for a present to a. factory foreman moved on to another position. Now jewellers are offering io fake articles back at a reduction of 10 per cent. At least, that is the case in Bradford; but, then, the munitioners in Bradford have been remarkably moderate; and so it comes about that in that city the jewellers' offei lias elicited hul a very meagre response It was very difficult in Sheffield, where a jeweller laid ol a man who mid apparently come straight Ironi work, unwashed, Imt who was accompanied hv us wile m fine silks ami satin and a hat that must have cost pounds. Tho man spent £IOO mi a ring; for her and £oo on a watch for himself. And this the jeweller remarked, was not at all exceptional. TIMES AI MO CHANGING. In-day there is a change. Chemists no longer hare Sarnrdiiy night custom(;rs with ten shillings to spend on perInmery or face, cream. The florists’ trade is languishing. Fur sets at from ogns to lOgns, and ready-made coats up io ilOgns, nro being unsuccessfully olleml hack to the vendors as “almost unused.” -Manchester reports that “ extrava gance in dross among the working women ,s now almost a. thing of the past, expensive rings and brooches are to ho seen for sale in large numbers in nearly every pawnshop in workincclass districts.” Stationery shops no longer have a ready sale for goldoionnted pons and tho most, expensin' .stationery. In Woolwich motor-cycles were on sale in August at from £,'io to £lO less than tho prices they wore bringing three months previously - ami most significant fact of all. , n ’ tho simp wimlods, “ the costly fur coats and slim y hats and hoots of the past few years arc rapidly giving place to clothing which, while in most cases still of Rood quality, is far more practical,” Evidently the munition girl hiu Homonliat tardily learnt sense.