NATIONAL ECONOMY EXHIBITIONS.
[To ran EDITOR or TEE " SpEoreroa."1 Sza,—The remarkable success of the National Economy Exhibition, which took place at Prince's Skating Club in June and July last, suggested to us at once the desirability of keeping the Organizing Committee in being and repeating the Exhibition. As it also happened that I was receiving requests for the " loan " of the Exhibition from all over the country, our decision to proceed with the work seemed to accord very well with a widespread wish. We have, so far, arranged to hold Exhibi- tions at People's Palace, Stepney, and at Liverpool and Manchester. The first of them will be opened on Monday next. The Stepney Exhibi, tion is partly an answer to the criticisms that its predecessor was held st the wrong end of London. It is true that specially conducted parties came from all parts to see the Knightsbridge exhibits, but I am satisfied that, in transferring them to East London, we shall bring them more conspicuously to the notice of those who can derive most benefit from them. We have been told that it shows a want of humanity to enjoin economy upon people who, for the first time in their lives, can now afford to possess themselves of the little comforts that make life worth while. Whatever the merits of this argument may be, however, it surely need not deter us from showing people how to spend their money so as to get its maximum value and do the minimum of injury to the freight, exchange, and labour markets. But, in point of fact, it is to be doubted whether the innocent small comforts referred to are really comforts at all. In many households, where the breadwinner has benefited by general rise in wages, the breadwinner's wife is receiving little or nothing of the increase to help her against the heavily increased prices of food, the extra money being frittered in such directions as amusements, which the family do not share at all. Besides the numerous demonstrations of household thrift—cooking, cleaning, renovations, and the like—we have, therefore, decided upon a programme specially designed to attract men both to the exhibits and the addresses. The economic course of certain popular imported commodities will be shown and explained, from production, through the various stages of transport and distribution, to consumption. By this and similar means it is hoped to acquaint the man in the street with the far-reaching consequences of his action when he makes a casual purchase. We are powerless to do more than enlighten our visitors, but as most of the nation's troubles are due mainly to want of enlightenment, these demonstrations-are of great importance, and your readers, if they will, can help our work by making the Exhibition known to all whom they
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