The Dominion THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1916. A THRIFT CAMPAIGN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2673, 20 January 1916, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1916. A THRIFT CAMPAIGN

For months past British Cabinet Ministers and other public men have been preaching thrift to the nation. From time to time they have been delivering general exhortations regarding the sin of waste and extravagant at a time when the cost of a gigantic war is putting the economic resources of the Empire to 'a severe test. This demand for public and private economy has recently become more insistent, and a cablegram which wo publish this morning in another column indicates that it is now taking a more definite form. It is stated that a vast economy campaign is to be inaugurated. There aro many conflicting opinions regarding the methods to bo adopted. Some people favour persuasion, while others feel that some form of compulsion is required. Britain's outlays have reached the enormous total of £1,600,000,000 a yon.r, This includes advances to her Allies and

the Oversea Dominions. The fact that this total is about three 'times as large as the National Debt previous to the- war win give some idea of its magnitude. It is about equivalent to eight times the ordinary expenditure. "And yet-," says the Morning Post, "so curious are, the ways of war finance, and go great is the power of crcdit, that even this colossal expenditure is scarcely brought homo at- present to the people ; partly, no doubt, because in so many directions the war expenditure in itself has induced an even greater growth in wages than that which has taken place either in taxation or in the cost of living, though in both directions tho expansion has been considerable." The Government is now endeavouring to devise measures with the object of making citizens realise that, vast as is tho financial power of the Empire, it is not absolutely limitless, and that systematic economy is a very desirable form of practical patriotism. There is a strong feeling abroad that the Government might well give the country a stronger lead in this matter than it has hitherto done. There is some ground for the contention that tho cost of government might easily be lessened -without any loss in efficiency. People aro asking whether it is really neccssary to have twenty-one Ministers, and whether their salaries, representing a total of £119,000 a year, could not be reduced without causing any hardship. Tho United States, with a population of 100,000,000, has only eleven Ministers, and they only receive £2400 a year each. Tho following comparison of salaries paid to Ministers in Great Britain and other countries was issued by Sir E. Grey in 1910: Ger'TJ.K. Franco, many. U.S.A. Minister £ £ £ £ Foreign 5,C00 2,400 2,500 2,400 Homo 5,000 . a,400 2,500 2/00 war 5,000 2,400 2,500 2,400 Navy 4,500 2,400 2,200 2,400 Colonial — 5,000 Not given. 2,400 Trado 5,C00 2,400 1,800 2,400 The total saving that could be made by reducing Ministers' salaries would, of course, be a mere drop in the bucket when placed in comparison with the enormous sums which are being spent on the war, but the moral. effect of backing up precept by example would not be lost on the nation. By cutting "dojvn-their own salaries Ministers would show that they practised what they preached. The great excess of Britain's imports over exports forms the most difficult economic problem which the Government is called upon to fa«." Britain is importing vast quantities of war stores and munitions, and the loans to her Allies are equivalent to- imports as far as the trade balance is concerned. In order to redress the balance as far as possible it is highly desirable that other imports should be reduced to a minimum. Unfortunately this reduction has not taken place, and all sorts of luxuries and unessential commodities arc coming into the country as freely' as in times of peace. A London newspaper states that, according to a "great financial expert" the position is broadly summarised by the following figures; — £

Excess of British imports over exports in past year 373,000,000 Government stores in addition 2-10,000,000 Loans to Allies 400,000,000 ■ ' • 1,013,000,000 Deduct British "invisible" exports, which are earnings of our shipping, interest on loans in British hands, etc.' 400,000,000 Britain's debt to the foreigner in tho year 613,000,000 What is the remedy for this unsatisfactory state of affairs? We arc told that some members of the Cabinet are in favour of an economy campaign on the lines of Lord Derby's 'recruiting effort. Others are advocating compulsory thrift. The control of private expenditurewith the object of restricting the importation of luxuries i£ also advocated. The opinion is widely held that the time has come for'checking, or even prohibiting, unnecessary imports, especially those which arc coming from foreign countries. The imports for October were £68,000,000, the exports being only £40,000,000.- The following table shows the excess of imports over exports for the May-October period of 1915, compared with the corresponding period of the previous year: 19U. 1015. «£ X Mav 6,677,000 27,783,000 June 9,655,000 33,534,000 July 7,145,000 31,417,000 August 13,712,000 1 29,734,000 September ' 13,058,000 30,420,000 October 15,598,000 28,601,000

65,845,000 181,549,000 Difference in exoess: To deal effectively with the position disclosed by the above figures may involve the abandonment of some traditional British ideas. The war has already upset many long-estab-lished economic, political and social theories, and probably many more will have to dc thrown overboard or modified. If Britain's staying power will be materially increased and strengthened by stopping wasteful and unnecessary imports, as it certainly will, then it is the Government's duty to take prompt steps to stop them. The average German is not any fonder of the simple- life than the average Britisher, but tho German Government decided at the beginning of the struggle that the national welfare demanded the enforcement of private economy, and acted accordingly. We can, with profit, learn something from our enemies in this matter. Their wealth is not nearly so great as ours, but by scientific organisation and strict economy thoy are making the very most of it, whereaß many of us feel, that the vast resources of the British Empire are not being husbanded as carefully as they should be or used to the best advantage in theso perilous days. We must set up the ideal of a self-sufficient _ Empire and do our utmost to realise it. It is imperative that every effort should be made to augment production and restrict consumption. Productive work and rational economy are national virtues in peace as well as in war; but when our Empire is fighting for its lifo their value is increased a hundredfold, for it is of tho most vital importance that 'our wealth shall outlast that of our enemies.