18 NOVEMBER 1949, Page 36

Saving Now

Sta,—It was a pleasure to read Honor Croome's intelligent and unbiased article in the Spectator of November 4th on the difficulties in the way of teaching thrift today. Any Street Group canvasser will tell you, however, that the average wage-earner and his wife are still ready enough to put aside a regular weekly sum—provided always that someone collects it— though the trend is more towards short-term saving than long. Lord Bruce has said that the honest savings worker cannot ask people to save when it seems likely that their money, if spent now, will buy more goods than it will later on. If this is so, I submit that in this case dishonesty is the best policy. To the simple-minded savings worker like myself the issue is clear-cut: we prefer to work with the crew in trying to save the ship—even at the risk of going down with her if she sinks—than to join

the rats in deserting now.—Yours, &c., JILL WATERHOUSE. Park Mead, Bishopsteigriton, South Devon.