FEELING THE PINCH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 95, 5 July 1946, Page 5

FEELING THE PINCH

LETTER FROM ENGLAND SEMI-STARVATION CONDITIONS That the position with regard to food, and the ordinary necessities of life could have deteriorated 100 per cent, in England, since the end of the war, seems hardly credible, yet such is the case.

A letter received by Mrs Donaldson Sen. of Victoria Avenue, Whakatane, sent to convey the thanks of one English family which was the recipient of a parcel, gave a brief indication of conditions as they at present obtain. From the tone ofthe letter, it was apparent that the writer could hardly express her grati tude for the parcel. Dealing with the acute shortage of food, she stated as follows:

‘Things are pretty grim here,- and really this last two weeks I can honestly say that we have been hungry and empty. My sister and I went to the South Coast where we have a : tiny cottage. There was just nothing to eat, and they wouldn’t take our ration cards as they have nothing to •spare for outsiders. We knew that this would be the case, so we took our rations with us—2oz. margarine and lard, 2oz. butter, 2oz. sugar, 2oz. tea. Eggs we never see. We had ■toast and margarine for breakfast, cabbage for lunch (steamed, no potatoes), lettuce and something from a tin for supper. We couldn’t sleep from want—just want. Things are better in London. We never see fruit, and fish we have to queue for hours for. We can’t spare the time in the busy periods. ‘Everything is terribly dear, the pound being worth 8/6. You have to queue for shoes, and give coupons for everything; certificates are required for milk and eggs; firewood is almost unobtainable (£lO per ton); there is no coal in the winter. Altogether, things are 100 per cent, worse since the war ended.’