LIFE IN LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 225, 21 September 1940, Page 6

LIFE IN LONDON.

WORK HOURS ALTERED NEWSPAPER DIFFICULTIES. Londoners read comparatively little in their morning papers about the raids of the night before, because the papers are not able to keep up with events in the difficult conditions of production, reported a London representative of the Sydney "Sun" on September 10.

Many newspapers reprint a selection of news cabled back from New York describing the raids.

America and Australia probably have a wide view of the bombing more promptly than it can be printed here; but tlioy need no columns of print to tell them what the bombs sound like, or how it feels to lead the new caveman life in the greatest city of the world. For reasons of security, the precise localities bombed usually cannot be specified, and the phrase "Central London" must be regarded as a loose term. Trunk calls are banned during raids, and with postal delays the ban increases the anxiety of relatives living in the provinces and awaiting news of Londoners. The Telegraph Department has one of the worst problems, in its history, as thousands of messages of inquiry accumulate from all over the country. Homeward at 4 p.m. In the adjustment of working hours to the raids, homeward trend begins about two hours earlier than before. The staffs of shops and offices are advised to set off about 4 p.m. before the first short raid so that they have settled down at home by dusk.

Queues for trains and buses wait more patiently than in the peaceful yesterdays, and raids have replaced the weather as the first topic of conversation. Many have found the transport services disorganised. John Clark, who for 00 years lias served the A.A.P. as messenger, was to-day late for work for the first time in his career. His journey to work lasted four and a half hours instead of the normal hour. Gas, Water Cut. Many Londoners are having cold milday meals instead of hot, since gas supplies in some areas are reduced. Business is also affected. For example, one newspaper's gas system for heating the metal pots of linotypes has been cut off, and the management has improvised by using wood for fuel.

Some water services have also been reduced. The Metropolitan Water Board has appealed to the people to use less water for bathing and washing up.

Many offices have completely altered their working schedule. For instance, the staff of the Australian Associated Press telephone all cables instead of teleprinting, then go to bed in a shelter under the building, from which messages are also telephoned during the most intensive periods of the raids.