CHINA MAIL Britain "Goes To It" As
WINDSOR HOUSE
FOOD AND WASTE
Wasting food is to-day in Eng- land a punishable offence. In bosoms the
A True Democracy
not a few elderly shock of the news must have caused what the psycho-analysts call a reversion to the infantile: They are back at the nursery table. Long-dead voices spent
There is nothing of the fine long-unheard but never forgotten |
phrase or formal facade about the words. "Master Osbert, if you new National Unity. It is a fact, don't eat all that fat before Ias never before. The people march count ten, you'll go in the corner," shoulder to shoulder.
+
*
Mr. Herbert. Morrison, speaking, measure was. to take supremefore there can be any change of um. This often involves Govern- for the new National Government, power over wealth and labour, and rank.
ment subsidy, but that is a form has told Britain to “go to it," Bri- | the; nation welcomed this enor-
of equalisation. What happens is tain has "gone to it in step. mous assumption of rights be-
that the taxpayer has to assist the cause it believed that it made for Profits Down: Wages Up poorer purchaser by contributing equity as well as despatch in the
a ha'penny or so to the price of conduct of the war.
Profits are being stringently the loaf. The price of bread has restricted while wages of sections not been allowed to rise at all of workers who have been since the war began, relatively badly off in the past, have been increased. The farm labourers have had increases of about 33 per cent, in recent weeks.
A visitor returning to London The labourer that was
earning to-day after a year of absence' and 30s, or even less, at the outbreak remembering the discreditable dis- of war will now draw 48s, or tinctions between rich and poor more.
would find much to note in the Railway workers have just been spectacle of the West End. stepped up another three shill- ings.
Real Equality Now
Miss Millicent, you know the National Governments in' the rule-o cabbage, no pudding!" past have rarely, if ever, had total
agreeinent. There was an inde And then, inevitably: "Wilful! pendent Liberal Opposition to Mr. Let us see how the new equality vaste brings woeful want," and, Lloyd George's Government in the is being achieved. In the last Many a poor child would be Inst war and a vigorous. Labour war, admittedly, there was much glad of the good food you're turn-Opposition to thu MacDonald-profiteering and many social dis- ing your nose up at'; and the Baldwin National Coalition formed tinctions, whịch active warfare submissive children of those days to light the economic consequences should and often does abolish on the field, wore increased at home f discipline were sorely tempt of the slump nine years age.
by the emergence of a new, pluto- ed for the moment to hate what
In the country, one may be certain there is even less dissi- tience than that.
*
**
*
Taxation and the ending of lei- sured luxury have brought their Now, if there were inflation and changes to Mayfair. Great town But to Mr. Churchill's. newcracy. vas usually one of their favourite Government there is no Opposi
prices were rising giddily all the houses have been closed in many time, as they did in the last, war, j'a famous street and square, storics-Miss Edgeworth's "Waste tion in Parlament, save Mr. Max- But it cannot happen again. The such gains would be illusory. Not, Want Not, or, Two Strings.on's tiny party of three L.L.P.'ers, | Excess Profits. Duty hus been.
Many country mansions, -no 10 your Bow," in which, by aand a single Cominunist.
slapped on immediately and not But there has been no inflation, longer supportable by men once miracle of skill, saving Ben, not
after long delays. It affects, every and prices have been efficiently rich, have been turned into
offices vasteful Hal, becomes the child-
industry and trade. It stands, al-kept in hand by Government con- schools, hospitals,
of reader's hero as well as the-au-
trols. During the last war the evacuated firms and Government thor's. Under the new Order the
Government borrowed at 5 per departments and homes for re- cent.; now it is borrowing at 3 fugees. penalties are, on summary con-
Labour has not only come in; it
or even less. Considering that the viction this and that of fine and holds such vitally important
basic rate of income tax is seven- The "blood and sweat and mprisonment, on conviction on Ministries as those of Labour and
and-sixpence, this gives the ren- tears" are being shared. Never in ndictment this and that much | Supply. On the industrial side
tier less than 2 per cent. net on hundreds of years has Great Bri- In the nursery conviction Traa Un.onem cooperues
his loan. No great booty there! tain been so equalitarian as now. While the war-effort is, as they was always summary; the penal-victory to the full.
"the re- Of course, prices cannot be kept say, on the "up and up,' at pre-war levels, but they can wards and sacrifices are increas- be, and are being kept to a minim-'ingly "on the level."
more.
lies.
by imprisonment in the
an
corner or by fine of pudding or jam or sugar, were tyrannously eavy, and there was а per- manent "Boothby snooper," accuser who was also, like Alice's Fury, judge, jury. and all. And niserable infancy, its gorge rising both at the thing on its plate and at the cruel disregard of its hatural feelings and human rights. vas all the unhappier, without knowing why, because there had been no attempt to define the
meaning of words.
*
*
*
Coats Off, Limits Off
1er
By
Ivor Brown
Restrictions, like coats, are off, Night and day the "go to it" slogan has universal support.
ready at the top limit of 100 per cent. Elaborate safeguards are being built up against evasion. It will be enormously duticult for any firm or factory to "do well out of the war."
Now this unity cannot be sus- į What of the individual? In the tained on enthusiasm and battic- last war Income Tax never rose cries alone. It demands, simliarity above 6s. Already it is 7s. 6d, and of sacrifice as well as of energy, will go higher. As for Sur-Tax, A war for democracy must involve; that now begins at £1,500 a year equality of effort and equality of and rises sharply from 1s. on the suffering. The new British Prime incomes just above that level to Mr. Minister, when he took office and 9s. 6d. on the topmost heights of 'The new Order at least has a invited support, offered his to the big fortunes. That with the hot, at defining focd; it is "every lowers nothing but bloed
and basic
7s. 6d. makes 17s. in the hing used hy man "prod sweat and tears.
pound!' rink, other than water." It says
Equality lso with enough clearness
They accepted, the challenge
is coming in many - Everyone agreed that | ways. Compulsory military ser practical: purposes what it means gladly. by waste. The public and the such a prospect was bitter but vice levels both the obligation and Government will have little dit-bitter things are less sour when the nature of the service.
shared; culty in adjusting any differ-
A, duke's son cannot reckon, .as ences of opinion that may be The Government will continue l'he could of old, to become an offl- Risclosed in practice. In the to command the general support cer at once or ever at all..
ursery. opinions on the matter and enthusiasm.because it is really vere opposed and irreconcilable, levelling things out, with no cant All must spend two months (at Its Limat least), in, training as a private, be- Food food, according to author-or nonsense. about it.
for
ty, was whatever happened to,
be sent up; and there were, sure
o be days in the week when xtraneous assistance was ab- olutely necessary to make the ompany truly thankful for what
To The Conscience
Of The World
How America Would Suffer
Otto D. Tolischus, writing in agreement between governments, the "New York Times" on the, whose relative position, in turn, is economic results in America if: determined by their relative Great Britain was defeated, might. Bays:-
"Germany as the mightiest "The result would be a complete country in the world could her, change in the political and eco-self determine how much foreign nomic control of Europe and goods her first marks would buy Africa, much of Asia and Oceania and how much German goods the
currencies of other and presumably Australia.
countries should buy in return.. Germany. "The economic consequences to living standards in countries that could determine employment and America of such an upheaval are
obvious. It would put America's must trade with her. entire foreign trade, not only with Europe but also. with the rest of 'the world, completely under the control of Germany, and `her allies.
"For America the more or less world-wide adoption of this sy- stem would entall, a further de- "That trade, it, may be argued, velopment of still immeasurable amounts to less than 10 per cent. of consequences-namely, damoniti- America's total production; but sation of gold. With such a de- under America's methods. of pro-velopment the 19,000,000,000.dol- duction that 10 per cent, often de- lars gold hoard in Kentucky would termines profit or loss. True, be reduced to trinket value. In America produces many things such a case it might be doubted which even a totalitarian world whether America's foreign invest- would still need. But the things ments would be worth the paper that world would need would be they are written on. Difficulties of American raw materials, such as America's 'financial imperialism' already are the subject of mocking oil and cotton.
comment in the German Press.
·
+
was going to receive. The ompany was resolute that mut- tapioca on. fat, cabbage, and were not good food, were not ven food in any condition; and, ince authority never troubled to lleviate trouble by explaining, for nstance, that mutton fat was not To the conscience of the world, to consider what this means. We eally so bad if caten at once an appeal has been addressed by ask you to make it clear to the efore it got cold and revolting, forty-five leading English writers, people of your country that we are not fighting here was no chance of agreement among whom are H. G. Wells, J. B. with our allies
Priestley, Walter de la Mare, Ro-only for ourselves, but for the be-
"In markets for finished goods' etween the parties. The mean- bert Lynd and Hugh Walpole. The lef we share with every man of employing profitable labour "Such, in any case, would be g of waste was left equally in appeal says:
every race and religion who holds America would find the competi- some ontention. To childhood nothing
that men should respect each other ton of a consolidated Europe, be- ould be more obvious than that
"At this moment, when the fu- and minds should be free. We are hind whose salesmen stood the was wicked waste to cram cold ture not of our nation alone but fighting for our own lives. We are military might of Germany. hutton fat down a gullet shud- that of all nations is being decid-fighting in the hope of onding this ering, in horror at it when there ed, we, the undersigned English war before more children-inno- as a dog, in the room which writers, ask to be heard by the cent if any one is have been |slaughtered, in their homes and as writers of other countries, ould wolf it down with rapture;
they flee from their homes, But in nd cats, had a stranga liking for
"Our country, has been blamed as much as we are fighting for the limy tapioca, even when luke-in the past for act ons most muni- consciences of our children, we are varm. But authority dully in- festly taken. because we hoped by fighting for the people. of avery isted that anything, on a child's them to avert war. Wo failed. We nation without exception. We late not caten by that particular failed to check the deliberate and you to know this. hild was wasted, although the carefully prepared violence which ery nicest of all the cakes or has invaded and killed in.. one Austria, weet biscuits at tea, had to be country after another
Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, eft for "Mr. Manners,"
Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France. Where the invading armies of Germany have gone, unarmed men and women and children have been mercilessly, killed and free-
It is to be hoped that the new order will not Jand the. Minis-
y of Health and the public in dom of mind and spirit has been imilar conflict; but it would incrushed out.
erest others besides psycho- nalysts to learn, which will oboy.
he, more loyally the oldsters
►
We ask you, with confidence, that you judgo us fairly, to port us as beat. you can struggle which is not ended We do not expect defeat. expost danger, and we are to face it.
ask
of the inevitable con- sequences of 'socialistic planning between nations' and a victory of blood over gold' which the Na- tional Socialist regime has pro- claimed on its banners:
It pro- poses to lead the world into the 'socialistic millennium", - to - be "What that means already is formed In Hitler's words 'not amply illustrated in the case of by the senile forces of a decaying Rumania and other Balkan States, world but by the young and pro Moreover, whatever foreign trade ductive nations to whom belongs. remains to the United States the future would have to be conducted on
terms dictated by Germany, which This would leave the United ropudiates free private multilateral States alternative courses. This the world trade conducted on a gold nation could adopt an autarchic will standard and substitutes for it a planned economy of its own and sup-government controlled bilateral live mainly on its own resources In a barter trade based on an equal within the confines of its own yet, exchange of goods between two borders and militarise itself to the We countries and paid for in labour limit to assure its safety. But abla¦currency,”
there can be little doubt. ' that planned economy goes hand in, "In practice this means, that hond: with, authoritarian, govern- We expect your belief in us. And Germany buys from each countryment, and so this course, might wo pledge ourselves on our part only as much as she sells to it, mean an end of America's politi- to remember that n last peace can and measures the value of goods cal democracy.
be based only on, justice. We do so exchanged not in terms of gold
ith their infantila revulsion "It is not life which is threaten-
It is freedom of conscience not destro and we will set our but in terms of hours of labour, "To adopt the alternative might gainst any such ruling, or the cd Sungsters who were allowed to and if that is lost, as it is lost faces against revenge. We appeal But the value of Hours of labour be to court economie catastrophe wherever the Nazi power extends, to each one of you individually to in each country is determined of still inconceivable dimensions, at whatever they liked and have life itselt is not worth a breath pass our words on, by every through the mechanism of a man with social and political up- ever been put in the corper. for. We ask all those, who, have still means, to the nations, of the aged flat currency; the exchange heavals, and possibly make aving what they did not like, the liberty to speak and to think, world."
•~(Associated Press). value is adjusted arbitrarily, by America ripo for the invader.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.