FROM YORKSHIRE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2362, 19 January 1915, Page 6

FROM YORKSHIRE

5 { a I GARRISON TOWN IN ! WAR-TIME I . : I PONTEFRACT OLD AND NEW Among the arrivals from England bj the Remliera last week were Mr. F, Austwick, a town councillor of the an l cient town of Ponitefract, Yorkshire, his ' son (Mr. Stanley C. Austwick), and 1 daughter, who are touring the world ' partly owing to Miss Austwick's delicate health and parti}' on business. Mr. Austwick boasts one of the oldest names in Yorkshire. An Austwick was lieutenant of Pomfret (Pontefract) Castle when it yielded to Cromwell's forces, and it was Sir Richard Austwick who, as Mayor of the town, conducted the negotiations for the surrender of the battle-scarred stronghold between the holders and the Roundheads. The castle still stands in ruins in the centre of tho town. Readers 1 of Shakespeare will remember reference to it in,"Richard III":"0 Pomfret, Pomfret! 0 thou bloody . - prison, _ Fatal and ominous to noble peers! • "Within the ; guilty closure of thy walls Richard the Second here was hacked to death: And for more slander to thy dismal .seat) ; : We give thee up our guiltless blood to :drink." ■ • ■ It is fitting then that Pontefract should be' a borough royal,, and that Mr. Aiistsvick should be'a trustee of the ruins in which his forbears were sheltered. The ruins—the great massive walls still .remain—are the property of the Duchy of Lancaster, which means •that it is:.'property of the State, to whom the Town Council pays an annual rental of £30, and collects it from visitors to tho castle'at the'moderate rate of one penny per head. Pontefract is a garrison fawn, and a very lively garrison town it has been since the outbreak of war, being one of the big centres in Yorkshire for-the massing of Territorials and • recruits. The barracks there could ordinarily house about 4000 men,. but when the troops began to pour in from all quarters they were first accommodated in large marqueeS and tents; then as they swelled they "commandeered the municipal buildings and after that the schools. Even then there was not sufficient accommodation, and tho men were given blankets to sleep wlierever they could, and the unusual sight of men asleep on doorsteps and. under hedgerows presented itself. A friend of his, Mr, Crump (whom he believed was a brother of Mr. C. C. Crump, Mayor of Onslow) was awakened, one night at a noise in his shrubbery. He got up to investigate, secured a light, only to find his garden full of soldiers trying to get a few hours' sleep. Mr. Crump at once invited them to camp indoors, and made t'hem as comfortable as he could for the night. , Immense drafts of men had already passed through Pontefract, and others were always coming in to take their place. : News of the Scarborough raid did not reach them until the Remuera touched at Cape Town, and naturally Mr. Austwick and tho members of his family who are intimately acquainted with Scarborough and Whitby are anxious to hear the names of those killed or beI reaved by the treacherous raid. . Food Prices. | Mr. Austwick stated that the prices of food products rose immediately war was declared owing to people rushing in to purchase ■ large stocks. But the Government had at once stepped in and issued price-lists over and above which necessities were' not to be sold. Bacon went up with a rush—the Yorkshireman likes his bit of bacon—but it' was down again to lid. per lb. long before they left. Eggs were dear owing to the Continental supply being cut off by tho war. They were selling as high as four for a shilling eight weeks ago. Butter was selling at Is. 2d. per lb. In this respect Mr. Austwick said that as far'as his part of the country was concerned Now Zealand ( butter was not as a rule bought for the table. If people wanted good table butter they bought Danish or "fresh" (farmers'). New Zealand butter, which he had found first-rate out here —better even than Danish—appeared to deteriorate and get strong after it came out of cold store and was kept for any length of time in the shops. Now Zealand lamb they were able to purchase for Bd. and SJd. per lb., and the best, cuts of beef for 9d. and lOd. per lb. Potatoes, 201b. for Bd. were cheap, but sugar was costing 3Jcl. per lb., and would be dearer by this time. It was not such good sugar as was in general use out here— it was beet sugar, obtainable from Germany and Austria. Mr. Austwick and the members of his family called upon the Mayor yesterday. They leave for Auckland to-mor-row, returning later to Wellington. Mr. Austwick, senior, stated that he did think of settling out here if he saw a suitable opening, but now he felt the call of the Old Country very sweet and compelling in his ears, and after a good look round New Zealand and Australia he wofild return to "good owd Yorkshire."