£36 PAID IN PENNIES

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 148, 20 March 1934, Page 9

£36 PAID IN PENNIES

Deposit on Steamer Fare MARATHON COUNT English pennies, numbering 8640 and weighing approximately 1401 b., were paid recently to the Travel Department of Burns, Philp, and Co., Ltd., Melbourne, by a prospective tourist as part deposit on a passage to England. A total of £4O was paid, £4 being in English silver coins, and £36 in pennies, and the counting occupied four persons more than three hours. The reason for making the deposit was to avoid payment of the 25 per cent, exchange. The tourist is Miss M. Dittmer, of Oakley, who, with her widowed mother, intends to take a trip to England in the Largs Bay next month. Miss Dittmer. who is young, versatile, and talented. has, since the death of her father, been the business head of the family. She is an only child, and soon learned to fend for herself and her mother. In her native city. Melbourne, while she was in her ’teens, she qualified as a chemist. Within a short space of time she was controlling three pharmacies in the Riverina district, New South Wales.

For the last two years she and Mrs. D<tmer have lived in Oakey, where Miss Dittmer conducted a prosperous newsagency business, which she sold before proceeding to Brisbane. For some time Miss Dittmer and her mother have set their hearts on a voyage to England. With that objective in view Miss Dittmer, bearing, in mind the old adage that the pounds will look after themselves, began to save her pennies—‘but they had to be English pennies. Eighteen months ago she started to hoard them. In the shop at Oakey a box was kept into which all coins—copper and silver—of the right nationality were thrown. Soon the box was filled, and the overflow found its way into drawers, cupboards, and other receptacles in the Dittmer home. “The pennies increased so rapidly,” said Miss Dittmer, “that they soon became a responsibility, and mother, and I became afraid of burglars. We gave a lot of them to friends to mind for us.” She laughingly related that to collect them she resorted to various means. Friends and acquaintances, knowing of her plan, used to save coins for her. The tradesmen also, when able to do so, would tender change in English money. Miss Dittmer and her mother drove from Oakey to Brisbane in a motorcar that was packed with sweet tins, tobacco tins, cigar boxes, and paper parcels, a.ll filled with precious pence. “I expect,” she said, “that it took the booking agent a long time to count it.”

She was correct. It. did I Mr. A. Craig, manager of the Burns, Philp Travel Department, said that he, with Mr. W. J. Turner, of the Aberdeen and Commonwealth Line, and witli two clerks silent at least three hours counting the money. “We don’t mind, though.” said Mr. Craig. “We are hoping to receive a lot more.”