WARMISCELLANY

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16263, 13 July 1918, Page 11

WARMISCELLANY

(FROM OUB own COJtBBSPOKDKN*.) LONDON, May 14 DEAR WINES.

The prices which are now being charged in many licensed houses for brandv and wines aro excessive, and apparently out of all proportion to the shortage of tho supply- Port, ver mouth, brandy, and champagne, aro all dearer than they ought to be. In the , case of the cheaper light wines prices are reasounblo in view of the greatly increased cost to tho retailer. Up to the autumn of 191-1 good light claret could be bought in Bordeaux at £o JO® a hogshead. To-day tho cheapest French wine is about £16 10s a hogshead, and for Portuguese red wine, whicfi is of a lower class thau French, £13 is quoted. Dealers can now withdraw from bond the quantities »b • took out in 1916, but the 1916 quantity is not enough to meet the 1918 demand, and restaurant ana hotel proprietors have to compete against one another at publits auctions and sales bv pnvat« trcaiv, to add to their rations. This fight" for supplies forces up the price to the wine merchant and tho private consumer, and sound claret, sufficiently matured for immediate consumption, cannot be sold at less than 3s 6d ft bottle. Owing to the high price of vermouth there is a good aeal of iaurication in the foreign qnarters of London Tho demand is increased by t»e "cocktail*' habit of the American troops. BEER NOT A FOOD.

•V West Ham Magistrate decided that beer was not a food when seme public-house employees came before him charged with imposing a condition m connexion with the sale of an article of food The cose was that half a pint of sevenpenny beer was asked for, an the customer was told he could not hare it unless he also had a pint or fourpenny ale. The Magistrate sai that he might differ from some temperate advocates in thinking there was a food value if bc-cr was taken modeTatelv, but that was not sufficient to justify him in saying that it was nn article of food, such as was in the minds of those who framed the Replation. By Order-in-Conncil, tea has been deI finitely declared a food. RAILWAY RESTRICTIONS.

The impost of 50 per cent, on ordinary railway fares has not had any appreciable effect in restricting travelling. At first, in 1917, it did, but to-day tho passenger traffic is heavier than ever before. Season tickets have largely increased since tho beginning of They were not subject to tho 50 per cent. rise. Goods traffic too, is 48 per cent, greater than in 1913. This strain on the railways occurs at a time when tho rolling stock is much less than bofore the war. To meet tho position, a reduction of passenger steam tram services by 40 per cent is necessary. Hero are some of the means proposed to achieve this object: — . Season tickets issued at special reduced rates to b* discontinued, except those of scholars, apprentices, and railway employees; no new season or j traders' tickets applied for for. the first timo from' London to be issued except for reasons of national importance; tickets outside the radius to be discontinued unless there are reasons of national importance, or tho holders are bona fide residents, although only recently such; no tickets for less than six months to new applicants beyond the radius; prices of tickets up to 12 miles to bo increased by 10 Per cent., over 12 miles 20 per cent. Tho radius is 12 miles from Charing Cross. MORE MEAT.

"We used to he al)le to devour Is oci ivorth of butcher's meat per head per iveck, but on May oth tho quantity tvas reduced to lOd worth. Nobody got fat on that. The difficulty was to keep the memory of one week's ration green until tho next week's came round. Now we can cee a ray qf hope in the offing. Wo are to eat Is worth of meat per head for some time to come, and, besides, can lmvo quite a liberal quantity of bacon, which our American friends , aro shipping over on tho crest of tho spring hogtide. It is great to see bacon in quantities large enough for boiling; and the sun shining; and tho leaves budding on the trees. "The Times' says: "The meat ration, if bacon is included, has in a few days become n comparatively generous one, but it js possible that the Ministry of Food may find it advisable to allow still further consumption as the season advances. Bacon supplies, owing io the bountiful provision which America is making for our needs', are so large that the present liberal distribution can certainly be maintained for some timo to come; it has been decided that the <-ouT)on value for butcher's offals must be ir.crensed. and the weight of saus•rfs which may be sold on tho . surof a coupon is also likely to be raised." CURBING THE HENS. ■ Meanwhile the hen has been riding the high horse, so to speak. There was no limit to the price chargeable for a good fowl, and in view of the shortage oT meat hens which might have been Ivetter employed layinc one egg per day were devoured as flesh in n single dny—at the price of 3s 6d per lb. Now m-ices for poultry aro to be fixed. With the meat situation so satisfactory, a limitation of the number of fowls killed for tablo purposes would cause little inconvenience, and it is desirable that the simply of eggs should be maintained. It may be taken as certain that the present charge of 3s 6d per lb for roasting chickens will be reduced. PERMITS BEFORE POSTING. The Army Council has issued an Order directing that on and after May 27th no person who has not previously obtained a permit for tho purpose from the Chief Postal Censor snail despatch by post:— 1. To any foreign destination, packets containing newspapers, books, or other printed publications, manuscript, or typescript, or cuttings from any of the i above. 2. To Russia, Itoumania, Greece, neutral countries in Europe, and islands off i I the West Coast of Africa, packets containing plans, blue prints, photographs, j I aud other pictorial representations or ! stamps. 3. To any neutral country in Europe, j or to any Allied country in Europe for : retransmission to a neutral country in | Europe, packets containing goods or i commodities other than printed, writ* ten, or illustrated matter. No perscn shall despatch otherwise than through the post or convey from the United Kingdom to any foreign country any printed or written matter (including plans, photographs, and other pictorial representations) unless he has previously obtained a permit for the purpose from the Admiralty or the War Office.