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[page 57]
111
(10).
once a week are another good idea and in addition to reducing our meat requirements by a seventh will probably do our constitution no little good.
Then there is the question of the cultivation of the British Isles. Thousands of acres are lying idle which should long ago have been put to use. The Farmers say that they cannot secure sufficient labour. Then it must be found for them. France is densely cultivated not an acre being wasted and this with EVERY MAN of military age at war or war work. Who then does the farming? The women, the children and the old men and they will have to do it in the British Isles. In France they do it with a will for the love of France and I trust that in Britain they will not have to be conscripted. There are any amount of women of the leisure class who could be put to this work with benefit both to the country and to themselves, whilst the supply of child labour and elderly people in the immidiate vicinity of where the work requires doing, must be considerable. There is in England at present a section of women who treat war work as a sort of Society fad. Just at present farm work is the fashion. They get an elaborate farming costume made in Bond Street in which they have their photograph taken standing along-side (not too close) a nicely groomed tame cow borrowed for the occasion. The next step is to have the photo with suitable letter press inserted in"The Tattler" whereupon their joy is complete and the lap dog gets an extra lump of sugar that night. On the other hand there are thousands of women willing and anxious to do any work which may be of use - anything so long as they can feel that they are helping. All it wants is someone to organise womens labour, show them exactly what wants doing and they will do it. So far no attempt seems to have been made to organise this voluntary labour and it is a matter which wants attending to at once. The British woman is no sluggard, give her a job and she will master it in no time; this much she has proved