England’s Food Problem

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 47, 18 May 1948, Page 4

England’s Food Problem

Full Shop Windows, But Stiff Rationing

The first thing that struck a visitor to London was the apparent fullness of the shops, said Miss B. Garlick, formerly of Whakatane and now residing in London, in a letter to Mrs Kingsley-Smith Snr., of Ohope. Miss Garlick was writing to give an idea of the conditions in London at the present time and of the amount of food and clothing obtainable on the ration coupons.

However, she continued, it was merely the fullness of the shop windows. All the shops appeared to be- full of clothing, sweets and tinned foods, but all these were unobtainable in any quantity owing to the hard points-rationing system in operation. On being supplied with her ration book Miss Garlick said she found there was a definite shortage.

After a month in England she continued, the smallness of the English ration began to tell on the wellfed New Zealander. The one rasher of bacon and the one egg a w T eek, maybe, didn’t go far and the h pint •of milk did not allow her many milk puddings. The lOd worth of meat a week definitely finished the weekend roasts for the one or two ration book households, 'she went on. People were able to buy 2d worth of tinned beef a week, but that was not worth eating. It seemed, Miss Garlick continued, that the most popular items in food parcels were milk powder, fat and eggs, also toilet and washing soap, of which everyone was allowed only a very small ration.