The rich really needed no organised stimulus to retrench.  The great target for attack was the mass of the population who did not know what it meant to save and who required just the sort of constructive lesson that an organised thrift movement could teach.

Much of the increase in wages among the workers was going for food and drink.  Hence the opening assault was made on the market bill.  Fortunately, an agency was already in operation.  At the outbreak of the war a National Food Fund was started to feed the hungry Belgians.  That work had become more or less automatic (the Belgians’ appetite is a pretty regular clock), so its machinery was now trained to the twin conservation of British stomachs and savings.

“Save the Food of the Nation,” was the appeal that went forth on every side.  “No One is too Rich or Poor to Help.  Every man, woman and child in the country who wants to serve the state and help win the war can do so by giving thought to the question of conserving food.  Since the great bulk of our food comes from abroad, it takes toll in men, ships and money.  Every scrap of food wasted means a dead loss to the Nation in men, ships and money.  If all the food that is now being wasted could be saved and properly used it would spare more money, more ships, more men for the National defence.”

Now began a notable campaign of education which was carried straight into the kitchen.  Food demonstrators whose work ranged from showing the economy of cooking potatoes in their skins to making fire-less cookers out of a soap box and a bundle of straw, went up and down the Kingdom holding classes.  In town halls, schools, village centres and drawing-rooms, mistress and maid sat side by side.  “Waste nothing,” was the new watchword.

Backing up the uttered word was a perfect deluge of literature that included “Hand Books for House Wives,” “Notes on Cooking,” “Hints for Saving Fuel,” “Economy in Food,” in fact, dozens of pamphlets all showing how to make one scrap of food or a single stick of wood do the work of two.

The people behind this movement knew that with waste of food was the kindred waste of money.  They realised, too, that even the most effective preachment for food economy must inevitably be met by the cry, “Everybody must eat.”  With money, on the other hand, there seemed a better opportunity to drive home a permanent thrift lesson.  So the forces that had built the bulwark around the English stomach now set to work to rear a rampart about the English pocketbook.

Circumstances played into their hand.  The Great War Loan of $3,000,000,000 had just been authorised.  “Why not make this loan the text of a great National thrift lesson and give every working man and woman a chance to become a financial partner of the Empire,” said the saving mentors.  It was decided to put part of this loan within the range of everybody, that is, to issue it in denominations from five shilling scrip pieces up, to sell it through the post office and thus bring the new savings bank to the very doors of the people.