[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR, —With a few
noteworthy exceptions, it is an astonishing fact that - in the appeals made to the nation by Governmental officials, by those who hold influential positions, and by the Press generally, hardly any , allusion is made to the great waste of food material used in the brewing trade. To illustrate this point, in the telegram recently sent by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Lord Mayor of Manchester, at the opening of the " Economy week," nothing was said in it as to the waste of food material and of money, amounting to half-a-million a day, on that which is a luxury and valueless as food, according to the Govern- mental pamphlet No. 14. After twenty months of war, the reduction of . beer is to be 28 per cent. less—i.e., instead of over 1,000,000 tons of food material being wasted on drink, 720,000 tons will now be used. Of this . amount 400,000 tons will require freight, also 10,000 tons of hops, which take up freight, equal to 50,000 tons of wheat, and 52,000 tons of sugar. No wonder that bread, meat, sugar, fruit, &c., have gone up in price. Thirty-six thousand tons of coal a week, which should be used for export and keeping up our foreign credit, are wasted in making beer; in addition to this, there are many other matters to be considered, such as labour employed in handling this great output of an article which the Govern- ment tell us is a luxury. Surely we should put forth every ounce of strength, our utmost energy, lute this desperate struggle for freedom and righteousness against Prussianism and all that it represents. We can help to do this by exercising self-denial, in reducing this wasteful expen- . diture of food material which is turned into beer, and utilize some of the
£500,000 a day at present wasted on that which will help to bring this terrific struggle to a speedier conclusion than will otherwise be the case. We should do it for the sake of our gallant lads who are fighting se valiantly, and laying down their lives for us by sea and land and in the air. We sadly need some great patriot to go through the land with the " Fiery Cross " to enlighten our people on this subject. —I am, Sir, &c.,
GEORGE HMO-HAT , Admiral.
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