Show ENGLAND BELIEVES END OF WAR IS- IS IN SIGHT I A. A IL J. J Mason Says That Is General Opinion in London J r i f PE PEACE C BY AUTUMN V Von Women m n Workers Replace Men in British Industrial Industrial Industrial Indus Indus- trial Life NEW w YORK roni Fe Feb 4 The The best beat opinion In England at the present time Is that the war will vIll be over before next winter This is the word brought by A. A J. J Mason rason for many years head o othe othe of the tho English branch of the A Aeolian oUan company com corn pany of this city Mason Masoli lived In London London London Lon Lon- don and is at present making his first trip to New York since the beginning of the war He says In the best informed circles in England England England Eng Eng- land It tt is believed that this coming spring and summer will see successful military developments on the part of the allies which h when coupled with economic pressure of increasing se- se verity will bring peace by fall faU There Is Js a gravity jn n England at atthe atthe atthe the present time that was not apparent in the first year fear of the war The real meaning of the terrible struggle has finally come come to to be appreciated throughout through through- out the nation The most cheerful l person one meets in London is the soldier home on a brief furlough from the front These inen men are like boys home from school on a holiday They go go everywhere they are arc at the theatres theatres thea thea- tres each night and are altogether the tho happiest persons to be found on the streets of or the English cities Few Pew of them however are willing to discuss their experiences at th the front They seem inclined to put all of those unpleasant unpleasant un un- un pleasant things behind them when once they have left the trenches and grossed th the channel perhaps the most notable face in English industry at this time is the presence of the woman worker They are fo found nd in ever increasing numbers in office and factories generally For Fox example the Aeolian company's office offic staff starr in London is now composed of 75 per cent fo women clerks whereas be before before before be- be I fore the war it was made up wholly of inen men and boys In the company's s English factories where male have been the rule heretofore at least 5 G per percent cent of the workers are women Many of the women are operating machines machines machines ma ma- chines that were formerly given over cx exclusively to men No one ever be believed be- be lIe ed that women could do such work satisfactorily and while at the present time they are not as efficient as the male machinists this is a condition th that t we believe will correct itself in time This is typical of English ind industry stry aga aa whole The labor unions have so in iii opposition opposition fir far made far made no serious move tion tion- to this influx of the women In office buildings and shops women have largey replaced men as elevator operators oper opel and to a large degree e they are are also taking the places of drivers and chauffeurs English industry has revived considerably considerably con con- in recent months The paralysis paral paralysis par par- al that came with the outbreak of the war has been lifted to a considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able defree The difficulty now is notto notto not notto to nn find a demand for goods but to ob obtain obtain ob- ob tain tairi the goods to meet the demand In Inthe Inthe th the piano industry for fOl example ther theris there Is a serious shortage of certain supplies supplies sup sup- plies s mainly due to the fact that the metal Industries are monopolized by munitions manufacture Many other lines are similarly Inconvenienced through this diversion of industry England is financing the allies without great difficulty The United States Stales must mut be absorbing a tremendous amount of its own securities which have been turned in by English Investors in investors investors In- In in exchange for the obligations of their government This is being being be being be- be ing done quite without pressure and andon on on favorable terms No Englishman doubts for a moment that every obligation obligation ob ob- ob- ob tion lISl of the empire will will ultimately ultimately 1 be paid aid in full |