XACTLY a year ago to-day I wrote "London After a Year of War." The twelve months that have elapsed since then have been crowded with great events, which have considerably changed the current of life in the capital of the Empire, as, indeed, they have in the entire United Kingdom.

VOLUNTARY RECRUITING GONE.

Those picturesque and effective placards calling for recruits in the name of Lord Kitchener, which arrested the attention of the passer-by from walls and hoardings, have mostly disappeared. The necessity for the recruiting posters vanished on 2nd March, 1916. That was the date set by Parliament when the voluntary system of enlistment was to end, and the Military Service Act (then applicable to the single man only) was to become operative,

extravagantly. I wonder if the poster has restrained the others from doing so? Judging from the prices asked for dresses displayed in the shopwindows, and advertisements, any woman unable to make garments for herself is sure to find it very difficult to dress becomingly and yet cheaply.

Another poster that came out some time ago appeals to the owners of motor-cars not to use them for pleasure. The pleading has been in vain, and the Government has been forced to take effective measures to limit the supply of petrol. I am afraid the authorities shall have to look sharp, otherwise some persons will be able to circumvent them.

HOLIDAYS POSTPONED.

In any case, the poor people shall have to forego the trips that they used to take on top of the motor omnibuses into the country on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Many of these services have been discontinued on account of the shortage of petrol, and the 'buses that still run are overcrowded and infrequent.

The leaders of the nation have been, for some time, exhorting the people to refrain from holiday making while the war lasts. This appeal is made not so much in the interest of economy as for the sake of keeping the output of munitions at a high level.

Parliament has already postponed the Bank

Holidays. There are six of them in the year: Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, First Monday in August, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. On these days all business is at a standstill, with the exception of railways, tramcars, 'buses, theatres and places of amusement, and drinking bars (public houses). The people enjoy themselves immensely on a Bank Holiday, especially on Whit Monday and the first Monday in August. Many of them go away on Saturday, which is usually a half-holiday, and do not return until Monday night or Tuesday morning. The giving up of Bank Holidays is, therefore, no light sacrifice for the British to make.

ENTERTAINMENT TAX.

The places of amusement in London do not show any signs of adversity. The plays that are being produced are well patronised. Some of them are so popular that it is difficult to secure seats unless they are booked long in advance. August is a sort of holiday month for the dramatic world, but many managers have decided to keep their theatres open. The cinematographs or picture palaces are doing a rushing business.

No one protested against the imposition of the entertainment tax which is d. on seats of 2d. and under; 1d. on seats between 2d. and 6d. ; 2d. on seats of 6d. to 2s. 6d. ; 3d. on seats of 2s. 6d. to 58; 6d. on seats of 5s. to 7s. 6d.; 1s, on seats of 7s. 6d. to 12s. 6d. ; and over that amount 1s. for every 10s. or part of 10s.

The working people who might have been expected to feel the tax the most do not seem to mind it at all, because employment in munition factories, the general rise in the scale of wages, and the separation allowances for children made by the State to dependents of soldiers (amounting in the case of a wife and three children to 23s. 6d), have given them more money than they ever had before.

SOLDIERS' FAMILIES.

The middle class people find themselves much more adversely affected by the war than they were last year. Men who were in receipt of good salaries or were engaged in a thriving business have had to join the colours, and their wives and children, in many instances, have to depend upon allowances that are utterly inadequate to procure the bare necessaries of life.

Fortunate indeed are the families that were provident in the pre-war days, and can now fall back upon their savings. Many householders, however, have lived up to and even beyond their incomes, and their families are consequently hard hit. The Government formulated a scheme for assisting soldiers' wives and children: but the advances that the State is willing to make are not, in many cases, sufficient to cover all liabilities.

RISE IN PRICES.

The price of food has kept steadily rising during the second year of the war. Meat costs more than double what it did before the war began. A shoulder of mutton used to cost 7d. or 8d. a pound. At present it costs from 1s. 4d. per pound to 1s. 6d. Fish is almost twice as dear as it used to be. Cod, hake, haddock, rock salmon, or whiting that could be bought, two years ago, for from 4d. to 6d. a pound, now fetches from 8d. to 1s. Granulated sugar is costing 5 d. a pound, whereas before the war it was 24 or 24d. Lentils that used to be sold at 2d. a pound or even less, are at present costing 4d. Vegetables have been dear and scarce. Old potates were, until recently, costing 1d. to 2d. a pound, and new potates were still dearer. The price of coal, gas and electricity has advanced more than one-t e-third.

If salaries and profits had increased proportionately, the great rise in prices would not at all matter. Unfortunately, however, that has not proved to be so in the case of a great section of middle class people. They receive the same

salaries that they did before the war. The incomes of some of them have actually shrunk.

TAXES GO UP.

To add to their burden, these men have to pay a much larger income tax than they did before the war, or even during the first year of hostilities. Unearned incomes, that is to say, dividends from securities, interest from deposits, etc., are paying as much as 5s. in the pound. The income derived from a profession, trade, or calling, technically called "earned income," is taxed much more lightly than that which is "unearned." How high the income tax is can be seen at a glance from the following figures :

Many persons feel the burden of taxation very much, Some even grumble. I have not met anyone, however, who does not feel that the Chancellor of the Exchequer was right in securing as much revenue as he possibly could to pay as large a portion of the war expenditure as the nation could bear. I have been greatly impressed by the fact that the British are not the sort of people who want to eat their cake and keep it too. This undoubtedly is a sign of their greatness.

As people begin to realise what additional taxation and the rise in the cost of living mean, they are beginning to economise. The closing months of the second year of the war have

brought the necessity of saving home to many persons who never dreamed of being careful what they spent in the old days. The campaign for economy is, therefore, becoming more and more effective.

FINANCIAL STRENGTH.

The year that has just elapsed has furnished very strong proof of the financial stability of the

British. The expenditure incurred for the prosecution of the war is being entirely met by shortdated loans, such as Treasury Bills that mature in from three to twelve months, Exchequer Bonds that are redeemable in five years, and WarSavings Certificates, also redeemable in five years. No long-dated loan has been floated since the 44 per cent. War Loan, which is to be redeemed in 1925-1945, launched on June 21st, 1915.

Just now the War-Savings Certificates are the most popular form of subscribing funds for the prosecution of the war. A Certificate can be bought for 15s. 6d. The money grows as follows: In 1 year it becomes 15/9. In 2 years it becomes 16/9. In 3 years it becomes 17/9. In 4 years it becomes 18/9. In 5 years it becomes £1.

If it is needed, it can be withdrawn at any time with any interest that has accrued. It is free from income tax, and thus yields compound inter est at the rate of £5-4s.-7d. per cent, per annum— a very handsome dividend, which no other Government Security offers. Nobody is at present allowed to invest more than £387/10 in these Certificates, which amount will entitle him to receive £500 at the end of five years. I quote the following extract from one of the leaflets issued by the National War Savings Committee, to show how the people are being urged to take up War-Savings Certificates:

124 CARTRIDGES FOR 15/6.

Do you know that every 15/6 you put into War Savings Certificates can purchase 124 rifle cartridges ? How many Cartridges will you provide for our men at the Front?

For every 15/6 you put into War Savings Certificates now you will receive £1 in five years' time. This is equal to compound interest at the rate of £5-4-7. percent...

If you need it, you can withdraw your money at any time together with any interest that has accrued.

If you cannot buy a 15/6 War Savings Certificate at once, get a War Savings Card on which you can stick 6d. stamps. This Card has 31 spaces for stamps, and when the Card is full, it will be exchanged for War Savings Certificate.

Get War Savings Certificates at the Post Office or at any Bank, or join a War Savings Association,

I know of many persons who have been economising in order to buy these Certificates and thereby provide the powder and shot to drive the enemy back to Berlin.

SAVING DAYLIGHT.

Parliament introduced an effective device for economising when it passed the Daylight Saving Bill in the spring. The hands of the clock were moved forward one hour at 2 A.M. on Sunday, May 21st. This change makes evey one rise and retire an hour earlier than they would ordinarily do, thus making it possible for them to get the fullest advantage of the daylight.

It so happens that, during the best part of the summer, the day dawns very early, and the light does not fail until very late in England. In June and July, I have been retiring at 10-30 or 11 P.M. (summer time) without having lit a light. The gas and electric companies do not like the change for reasons that will be evident to anyone, and some of them have increased their rates.

ANTI-ZEPP MEASURES.

The Daylight Saving Act has greatly mitigated the inconvenience that the people suffered from London streets being insufficiently lighted as a precaution against raids by enemy air-craft. Lighting regulations became very stringent during the second year of the war. Householders were compelled to buy " Anti-Zepp blinds," that is to say, opaque curtains that did not allow the light to filter through them. Persons who failed to comply with the Regulations were hauled up before the Police Magistrate and fined, usually, two guineas for the first offence, and much more heavily if they did not reform. The street lights have become dimmer and dimmer, and, in some parts, have even been left unlit.

Simultaneously, the number of search-lights and anti-air-craft guns mounted at important points have gone on steadily increasing. If you 'ook out of your window at the time the search

lights are being used, you will find the whole horizon illuminated with a lage number of bright beams. The sight never loses its fascinaits every-day

tion for me, in spite of

Occurrence. No Zeppelin can hope to hide in the clouds when the lights are turned on. The who man the anti-air-craft guns have gunners given a good account of themselves during the second of the war. year The Zeppelins have not been able to come to London for a long time. Our aerial defences have constantly grown stronger.

We now have an Air Minister in the person of Lord Curzon. No one knows why he was chosen for that position, unless it be that he is a Unionist leader, and some place had to be found for him in the Coalition Cabinet. His appointment, however, gave umbrage to certain Anglo-Indians, who acclaimed his reactionary Indian policies as great reforms, but who wanted to see Lord Montagu, or some one else who understood aeronautics appointed at the head of the air service.

LLOYD GEORGE AND DERBY.

On the contrary, the appointment of Mr. David Lloyd George to be War Secretary has proved a very popular move. The crisis has given opportunities to Mr. Lloyd George that he never would have had otherwise. As settler of strife between Capital and Labour, Minister of Munitions, and Peace-maker in Ireland, Mr. Lloyd George has won the admiration of even his political enemies. Mr. Asquith and his colleagues could not have made a better choice than to recommend Mr. Lloyd George to succeed Lord Kitchener. The appointment of Lord Derby as Under-Secretary for War has also given great satisfaction. Since the commencement of the present struggle, he has been working with great resoluteness and energy to help to organise our forces to fight the enemy. No one can exaggerate the value of the work he has done to get recruits for the army. Lord Derby carefully analysed the information

obtained by the National Register, which was taken on August, 1915, and found out what married and what unmarried men were available as combatants, and could be withdrawn from civil life without seriously affecting national welfare. He performed this delicate and complicated task quickly and thoroughly. His scheme served as the basis of the Military Service Act, at first applied to the unmarried men, and later extended to married men of military age. Lord Kitchener thought most highly of Lord Derby's work in helping him to raise the new armies, whose strength, according to the last official statement on the subject, exceeds 5,000,000 officers and men.

KITCHENER'S DEATH.

I have never seen any nation experience a shock more stunning than that inflicted upon the British by the publication of the news of Lord Kitchener's tragic death. The people were simply stupefied by it. They could neither speak nor weep. They just looked at one another and were silent. Blinds were lowered and shops were closed. Men and women rushed to newsstands and, at one glance, read the brief bulletins that were issued. In many cases I saw persons buy more than one paper in the hope that they would thus be able to get more details―a hope that, alas! proved vain.

NEWSPAPERS AFFECTED.

The newspapers have more and more shown the effects of the war during the year that has just closed. They all, to-day, are printed on much thinner paper than before. Some have cut down their size by reducing the number of pages or making the page smaller. Some have employed

both these devices. The columns are not as wide as they used to be, and smaller type is being used at least to print certain parts of the papers. Many newspapers have had to abandon what they used to regard as their most notable features, such as

serial stories, etc. Literature struggles to find a small corner, few special articles appear, nearly all that is being published is directly or indirectly connected with the great struggle that is going on between the Allies and the Central Powers.

The magazines and reviews had not shrunk in size until quite recently. As time goes on, they are bound to become smaller. The authorities insist upon print-paper being economised, in order to decrease the freight-space used for importing paper pulp and also to cut down the balance of trade against Great Britain.

The price of paper has much more than doubled. Many of the magazines spend almost as much, or even more, upon paper than the price at which they are sold to the wholesalers. Were it not for advertisements they could not keep going at all. As it is, some are struggling, for sales have gone down on account of people practicing economy, and advertising has experienced many ups and downs.

The book trade has been very severely affected by increase in the cost of paper, ink, composition, binding, etc. Publishers who used to make a speciality of getting out cheap books have, in some cases, had to advance their prices. Volumes that used to cost 1s., for instance, now sell for 1s. 3d. The output of books has decreased. Very few volumes, besides novels and war-books, are being published.

POSTAL CHANGES.

The postal service has suffered greatly during the second year of the war. To-day only three deliveries are being made in the suburbs instead of five or six in 1914. The last post now comes before 7 p.m., whereas it used to be delivered between 9 and 10 p.m. Letter boxes are cleared very infrequently. The last clearance in our district is at 10-15 p.m. instead of 12 p.m. The letters posted in the heart of London take, sometimes, 21 hours to reach us, who live less than six miles distant.