Dec. 5
The officers in the British forces of the China Command have all received a copy of a letter addressed by Sir Philip Chetwode to the officers of the Army in India on the desirability of exercising special measures to ensure personal economy during the financial stringency now existing. The substance of the letter by the Commander-in-Chief will be found elsewhere. Its circulation by Major-General W. Sandilands, indicates that the military authorities in China feel that an appeal from such a distinguished" source must receive the closest attention. The matter primarily concerns the Army and its officers, but it has also a. wider appeal. At this time, when Great Britain and, indeed, other nations, are faced by the peril of a complete breakdown of the financial structure of the world, the attempts made by an important section of the community to assist in the general process of stabilisation deserve to be closely scrutinized by others. In brief, it is up to the British community in China. to see how far, by their own. example, they can contribute to the common effort. It will be observed toat Sir Philip Chet-wode deals with the personal' expenses of the officer. This is always a delicate task, although, thanks to military discipline, which at times civilian employ-Jers are inclined to envy, the Army does possess powers of persuasion which carry with sanctions of peculiar]
y. There is a very fine tinction, it will be admitted, between the inability of a Commanding Officer to order a club secretary to present an officer's! bill through a mess account, and the absolute power of knowing what young officers spend at clubs. This discretion has long. been exercised by Commanding Officers in appropriate cases, with benefit to the officers concerned. It is clear from the Commander-in-Chief's letter that! it will in future, or at any rate for the present, be more rigi [brought into operation.
Perhaps to one experiences! the difficulties of the spacious habits of the East more than the soldier. It is true that here, as in India, the wind is often tempered to the shorn lamb. Many a club has rules which take into account the fact that the military officer is always a bird of passage end on him the burden of club entrance fees, for example, would be too heavy and unfair if strictly enforced. In other respects, however, the Army officer incurs expenses which his civilian comrade successfully avoids. In the old days when perhaps the ameni-3 of life were less ready to hand, the Army officer did not find his financial commitments beyond endurance. In fact he very often incurred the criticism. that his standards tended to incommode the budgets of the civilian population, Still, in those days, "chen the junior officer in the British service did not expect his pay to do more than cover his mess bill, and his opposite number in the Indian Army could live on his pay and play polo, the difficulties to-day were undreamed of. The civilian population has been able, naturally, to adapt. itself! Imore readily to changed economic conditions, owing to the absence lof rigid customs and owing to its comparative freedom from the necessity to bow too slavishly to communal usage. Yet it will be admitted that the process has not been easy. There still remain many items of per-[sonal expenditure with which the lion would be glad to dispense could he or she feel that: thereby they would not be. regarded as failing in the duties prescribed by recognised convention. In an effort of this kind, however, much can be done in the same spirit which animate led the nation in the time of the Great War. It may be recalled that "Eve "Adam," in her last London Letier, threw an intimate light on the manner in which the more fortunately situated classes in London are endeavouring, by reducing their standards of entertainment, to assist the men and women. with limited purses. The example which she quoted might not appeal to every. one, but the dictum of the eminent actress:
4 ibe ght hate ta Sta Reali the parties T attend nowa: Gays there is. nothing but white wine," showed clearly the trend of the present movement and its inst tent strength. In New Zealand, where it will be observed by the recently recorded victory of the Coalition Government that the Mother Country's political outlook is being closely followed, there has, for some time, been on foot a campaign in favour of personal economy. To this campaign a woman social leader of repute contributed by a notice in the press to the effect that she would be very glad to entertain her friends, provided they were ready to accept the principle that orly one kind of cake would be forthcoming at her parties. The cynic may dismiss these examples: as. merely frivolous, and perhaps ineffective, attempts to instil economy: This view would not be endorsed by anyone who noticed Sir' Philip Chetwode's advice to his officers and the ready endorsement of that advice by responsible soldiers here> The political aspect of this question, is well worth taking, into' account. The community
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.