Would any of these suit the maiden aunt, the rich lawyer cousin, the bachelor uncle, who either have everything they "want, or want nothing that is offered, but are much offended if forgotten? These are the people, common to every family, who make " Christmas shopping so" per plexing.
Admittedly Christmas would be nothing without presents. But what a farrago of unwanted and useless things we annually hurl at each other! On the other hand, if these useless things were not made. and sold, how should we all live—jour= finalists especially, whose living depends on their newspapers getting plenty of "ads"?
Evidently the selling is expected to be brisk this year. It is announeed in the House to-day that the Bank fof England is to issue an additional '£20,000,000 worth of notes to meet the Christmas shoppers' needs.
It is also announced that wage increases of about £64,000 for 620.000 people were granted in October, which brings the total increases of weekly wages this year to £594,000. The seamy side of all this additional money in circulation is that prices 0 up out of all proportion. Last ight the member of our household who runs the. commissariat was Tementing the price of bacon. To @ay the laundries one and all. proclaim a higher tariff. As they raised their prices only two months ago we all exclaim "Profiteering." Questions are to be asked in the House, Members see little purpose in" getting
increased cost of their living is to be at the rate of £800,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.