18 DECEMBER 1915, Page 16

THE WORKING CLASSES AND THE WAR LOAN. [To TEE EDITOR

OF THE " SPECTATOR."] Snr,—As illustrating the attitude to the War Loan of a certain section of the working class, the following extract from a letter of one in close touch with them is of interest :- " Tho working people hero are earning very good wages at present, but they a.ppear to he spending them extravagantly also. It really seems as if a Iaw ought to be made to compel them to save. The Government Loan does not find favour with them bemuse they cannot withdraw their money as they can from a bank. They do not appear to understand that they can sell if they wish to realize their capital. Many of those who do save have kept their savings (hundreds of pounds) hoarded in the house ever since the war began. Yesterday my sister hoard a woman remark : ' They'll not get a penny of my money for t' War Loan.' My sister said she felt compelled to remonstrate, and told her that if everybody had acted thus she (the woman) would most likely have lost all she had, home and everything, and would have been in the same condi- tion as the Belgian refugees. The woman then owned the objection was that they could not withdraw money so invested, so my sister told her then that she could sell if at any time she wanted her money. This woman's husband is a man who earns £5 or weekly and they have no children."