The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1916. BRITISH TRADE PROSPERITY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 100, 3 April 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1916. BRITISH TRADE PROSPERITY.

Those who in the early stages of thts war predicted that more than half of England would be starving if hostilities were prolonged for any time, have happily proved false prophets, and their pessimistic predictions are entirely set at nought by actual facts. After eighteen months' of the most relentless warfare, a report issued by the Labor Department of the British Board of Trade shows irrefutably that so far as the working class is concerned England has never been more prosperous than she is at pressnt. The year has been a record year for employment in Britain, and this is certainly a great test of working class prosperity. The report referred to shows that the mean annual percentage of unemployment for the whole year was only 1.1, while in November and December it sank to 6. This is the lowest figure ever recorded by the department. The best previous figure was 2.1 in the boom year of 1914. At the outbreak of the war in August, 1914 there was, of course, a great temporary dislocation of industry. The percentage of unemployment which was 2.8 in July, rose to 7.1 in August, but fell to 5.9 in September, 4.4 in October, and 2.9 in November, and it has been steadily falling ever since. By this time it is fair to assume that no man who really wants employment need'be without it in England. The great trade activity has naturally led to -some increase of wages in many callings vvhioli were probably underpaid before war broke, out and the total number of work-people in England who are reported as having received increased wages or war bonuses is 3;16o,000, and the total amount of increase was over £603,p00 a week, or an average of nearly 4s a week. Against these increases in wages "and greater opportunities of employment there have been unavoidably heavy increases in the price of food. The wholesale prices of the principal articles of food are now higher than at any time since 1874. Taking the year .1900 as the normal year and the index number for that year was 100, the price for 1915 was 143.8. and that for 1874 146.9. The lowest year on record was 1896, when the price was 88.2. The average retail price of the principal articles of food in July, 1915, as compared with the previous July, had increased 42 per cent. The biggest increase was in eggs which had gone up 102 per cent., and tha smallest in margarine, which had increased onlv (S per cent. The only article of food that had declined in price was potatoes, which had fallen 10 per cent. But on the whole statistics plainly show that the British workman is probably more prosperous to-day than ever ho was before, and this economic

aspect of the situation is a very important one, and must help us in winning the complete victory the eight nations that now stand together as one are pledged to win against the ruthless forces of the enemy.