TEA RATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 135, 10 June 1942, Page 6

TEA RATION

RESTAURANTS COMPLAIN

COLOURED WATER ONLY

"It is useless," remarked an Auckland tearoom proprietor when asked to-day for an opinion on the ration of tea permitted this class of business. The ration, it was stated, works out at half a small teaspoon per person. Such an allowance would only slightly colour the water. The least that could be used in making tea was two spoonfuls for one person and three spoonfuls for two persons. In the last war, stated the proprietor, he was running some of the biggest cafes in Liverpool, and the allowance of tea was the equivalent of one-tenth of an ounce per person, which is about twice the amount allowed under the present ration. Under the circumstances his tearooms were now making tea on the basis of one-tenth of an ounce per person, and when the ration ran out that was the finish of tea for the time being. The customers would rightly refuse anything below this strength, and it was therefore useless contemplating anything on the basis of the ration.

"The idea in fixing the ration at its present amount," added the proprietor, "is that we should use a cupful of tea and make a brew from that to draw upon ad lib. That is to say, we should serve stewed tea. Any tearoom that does that will soon close its doors.

"In my opinion," he said in conclusion, "if the Government had conferred with people who knew the business, we might have got down to a basis of some sensible minimum."