GOODS SCARCE OR DEAR

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5286, 24 December 1946, Page 5

GOODS SCARCE OR DEAR

(Press Assn-

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES FACE GREAT HARDSHIPS

—Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Dec. 23. Everything not eontrolled is expensive in Britain thial Christmas, and everything eontrolled is scarce. The only traditional feature of an English Christmas which is neither eontrolled nor expensive became scarce when a thaw broke the week-long frost. The English kousewife looking for the materials for celebration found most of her wants either beyond her pocket or not covered by her ration hook. There was a little extra sugar but bread was still rationed and she eould not now use bread points for peel, nuts and raisins for a pudding or fruit for a mince pie. She still measured her fat rations in cubic inches and could not find lard for baking, but she might have two 01* three eggs — if they had been savc-d since -Oetober. Turkeys and otber poultry were scarce, even at the fixed price of 5s a pound. Home-grown birds did not even appear in the ordinary markets but were sold where they were grown at up to £10. Wine, But Few Bottles If she wanted wine the housewife found there were thousands of gallons frc-m France, Australia and South Africa, but not enough bottles. iValnuts averaged 5s a pound, grapes 7s and mandarines anything the uncontrolled barrowmen could get for tlu*m above 2s. Holly and mistletoe were ielling by the pound, holly at ls 6d upwards and mistletoe at 2s 6d. Wood for Christmas fires was no longer sold by the eord, pieces were counted and sold at £7 for 1000. If coal could be bought it could not be delivered. Gas pressure was low, and electricity was cut morning and evening. Christmas for everybody else showed some small improvements. Beer supplies were better and cigarettes were easier to find. The cireus and pantomimes were back for the children, but for the housewife it was still very much the eighth Christmas of war. Conditions on Continent Reuter's correspondents give preChristmas reports from European countries. In France it is a rich nnin's Christmas, with champagne at 20 times the pre-war price, turkeys one-third of the average Frenchman's month's pay and chicken 6s a pound. Most families will probably feast on roast rabbit but will have white wine with it. In Belgium there are unparalleled di'splays of food at prices which only the rich can pay, but nuts and oranges are plentiful and eheap. Wine, liquers and American whisky^ Sare plentiful. 1 In Italy also it is a Christmas for | the rich. Plenty of f oo-d is displayed, 3 with butter at 12s a pound and fjcheese at 10s. 1 The Yugoslavia Christmas will be ineomparably brighter than last year. There will be abundant candy, sweetmeats, coal and wood. In Czechoslovakia the celebration will be almost normal with wines at four to five shillings and good spirits at 15s to 20s. Fuel Supplies Low In Denmark a few extra luxuries such as nuts and fruit are available. There is no rice, which is normally considered essential. Fuel supplies are low. I Switzerland's food is abundant but I prices are high. Record saies are 1 reported. | The only diffieulty for the Swedes His in obtaining meat and ham, and ■ hani is the Swedish equivalent cf the English turkey. In Spain it will be most nearly a normal Christmas since 1935, but prices are high for many poor families. In Portugal steadily rising prices and shortages of even essential foods promise a cheerless Christmas. Rations are small and the black market expensive. Few can alford the plentiful dried fruit and nuts and even salt cod is scarce. Germany and Austria all are short of even essentials foods and fuel. In Rumania the people are due for a sad and in most eases hungry Christmas. Thousands will be lucky to get some bread. Hungary is gradually returning* to peacetime conditions after the inflation of a year ago. The shops are well stocked and most, people should be able to afford a traditional Christmas meal of turkey and carp.