LIFE IN ENGLAND.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2111, 6 April 1920, Page 3

LIFE IN ENGLAND.

. CONDITIONS COMPARED.

An English woman, writing to a. New Zealand friend, says:—Wc were amused at your saying you- k could only get sugar in 101 b lots. I wonder what on earth you would think if you started housekeeping in England just now, for we are only allowed eight, ounces of sugar per head per week. This costs 8«i and more per lb, and we can’t get it if wo want it. Ton would bo surprised at some of our dodges to make things sweet. Wo even put black treacle, into fruit pies! This coats Sd and 10d, and used to be 4d per lb. One •has to hunt the town for golden syrup; this costs Is 11 id a 21b tin. Wc cannot endure tho black treacle, for it spoils tho pies, but wc have to do .something - to make them palatable. With regard to butter and lard, wc farm folk, of course, faro better than others who are only allowed two ounces of lard a week and, I believe, the same amount of butter, which is almost unobtainable, for shopkeepers have not anything like enough to go round. It has all been margarine for long enough, but now that the “control” has been taken off butter and lard, batter costs 4s per lb to consumers, and wo sellers are allowed 3s Bd, and the shopkeepers are very glad to get hold of it at that. As to calicoes and linens, I holive your prices arc: always naturally higher than om'. L '. I have boon getting some unbleached calico to-day, which wo used 16 use '’or pudding bags, at a cost of 2vd; if is now Is 4Jd per yard. My brother was raying he thinks water is the only thing that has not gone up in price. Lola of prices are throe times as much as they were, and the goods are very scarce oven at that, so you can imagine your IGlhs of sugar seemed quite a load to us! All I could get in the summer, with tho expenditure oi no end of blarney, for my jammaking, was 141 b, after signing papers declaring that it was solely for jammaking-. I was told they might come round to sfv> my fruit trocs, t ' - ich. by the way. 1 do not possess! There is no mistake about it that when the Government are extra, careful (hoy make us women all extra artful. However, we are thankful to he alive, and look fairly well in spite of tho times. Wo have been killing some pigs for

the winter, as Hint in belter for nr, than depending on what the initciicr.s ran rend nr. Lost week, however, 1 bought a piece of foreign beef, something about 2tlbs, for 4s 9d. and on Sunday when I wanted to cook it. the gravy had all run out of it. #Whon wc send a beast from the farm to the market, it is nearly always sent out of our country town, and for some weeks none of our butchers have had Rucrush hoof. One week my bi-other sold thirteen beasts, and three of those were divided amongst all the butchers of this place, which has a population of 10,000 people. All the rest wore sent away to 'London and elsewhere. This goes on week after week, and the butchers cannot choose- for themselves, but have to lake whatever boasts are allotted to them. Rome of them have been slaughtering one now and again on the quiet—and one of them was found out recently, but bo got off with a moderate fine, because ho had only just, been demobilised and was not supposed to know r better. While ho was away the shop was shut up. Speaking of houses the correspondent • says;—-There are some, ijiveer houses being put up all over the plaeo —mere huts. For instance, army huts cost from £250 to £4OO each if they are at all habitable. They will have to bo brought by rail or traction for many miles, and then are only wooden huts after all. The land is being cut up to ox-serviee men. who will get 1.0 acres at a rental of £5 per annum per acre, and 0 per cent, is charged on money lent to start, them with stock, implements, etc. TTow those poor, inexperienced men arc going to live, got married, and bring up a family, passes my understanding. However, England is being cut up and let out into these little plots, and the result, will bo as usual —the survival of the fittest.