It cannot be too often repeated that public economy; remains
the chief way of well :all. our difficulties,; Of curing unemployment'w as ell as of securing our national- safety—since one of the most iMportant means of defence: is the ability to pay for a great effort. One consolation at- the moment is that much more is being heatdin the House: of COmmons than ever before about the principle of- rationing the Departments. This is naturally gratifying to us, as from the beginning of the trade depression we tried to popularize this idea and pointed out that it was the -only true -method of suceess: Take the case of a' householder who finds it "•impossible to make both en& Meet." Something must be done if 'he is -not to suffer the humiliation 'of having further credit refused by his banker and being -unable to pay his debts.. If he follows the practice of the normal Government which is trying to economize he will go through all the items of his expenditure one by one and eliminate what is not " necessary." But this process unfortunately leads to very few reductions indeed. The householder, conscious —very likely rightly conscious—of having laid a heavy restraint upon himself in his expenditure, will find that almost every item in his last year's budget was " neces- sary."
