RANDOM NOTES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 98, 20 January 1938, Page 8

RANDOM NOTES

Sidelights On Current

Events

(By Kickshaws.)

British girls, it is stated, are anxious to show the world that they are not ma'de of cotton wool. They can rest assured that 1938 fashions will see to that.

De Valera’s visit to England seems to indicate that the future of Ireland, about which he is concerned, is still in the Eire.

We note that M. Chautemps states that the French political machine has looped the loop; and we can only surmise that this stunt is incidental to the flight of the franc.

Writing in reminiscent mood, “Billy Tea” asks: —"I wonder if any of your readers remember any of the following old local identities of about 50 years ago, or 'do they know of any that I have forgotten:— Pat. McCafferty (the shipping porter), Darkle Joe (the > house-breaker), Jessie Underwood (of the long curls), The Whiffler (the long-meat butcher), Captain Jones’s Man Friday (the ferry handyman), Cry Baby Cry (the milkman with a bell), Jack Tarr (the shipping milkman), The Geiser (the enemy of all boys), Old Charlie (the Pipitea Point boat resident), Daddy Carpenter (Moleswortlr Street book merchant), Pumpkin Taylor (schoolmaster), Squatter Jones (the secondhand merchant), Piccolo Charlie (the flute expert), Sam Ballance (the pen and nib traveller).” [Perhaps some of our pioneers can add to the list or give new slants on those far-off days?]

The discovery that the cost of living in Britain is nearly 60 per eent. higher than it was in 1914 will cause no surprise to those who have made a study of the household budget down the ages. It is a sa'd, but inevitable, fact that the cost of living has been rising steadily for the last two hundred years, if not longer. The rise appears to have started when people flocke’d together into communities greater than could be supported by the land upon which they dwelt. The problem, no doubt, is closely connected with that of distribution. It costs nothing to collect an egg from a hen that has kindly notified the event in the approved manner. It costs something to collect the egg and send it round the world. In. the days when a man fed himself with what he could find, even wages were not a factor. The eaveman never produced a wages sheet for, the killing of a mammoth or the slaying of a deer. At present rates the caveman probably killed his meat in a very expensive manner.

The rise in the cost of living has been partially balanced by the rise in wages that has been continuing far longer than the lifetime of those in the world to-day. Nevertheless, those who think nothing about spending half a crown or more to indulge their whim to see the pictures with or without a friend may be interested to read about the modest manner in which their forebears entertained themselves 40 years ago or more. Here is a budget for an evening’s enjoyment two years before the present century burst upon an everincreasing restless world: Seat at theatre gallery, 3d; half-pint real beer. Id; tobacco, Id; another glass of beer, Id; supper, three pieces fish and potatoes, 2d; another beer, Id; tram fare id. each way, Id; total, lOd. We think so little of spending lOd. to-'day it seems incredible that the sum total of -an evening's enjoyment could be paid for with a few pennies. Admittedly, the individual appears partial to beer, but the extravagance may be overlooked in view of the fact that his three beers costtless than our one.

If we go back farther than the days when our forebears modestly entertained' themselves for an evening at the of three modern ice-creams, we get to an era when money was of very r,., •: moment. In the days of the Plantagenets one could live like a gentleman on twopence a day, and like a lord for sixpence. Indeed, if a man had anything at all in his purse he could meet his baker with a smile and treat himself indulgently at his butcher’s. If he wished to regale his household on the very best mutton he could buy a whole fat sheep for the price of a shilling. A pennyworth of mutton, in fact, provided more than enough food for a meal for a household of five persons. Naturally, cows were more expensive than sheep. Nevertheless, six shillings would buy the best cow that was to be obtained in the market, A fat hog cost only three shillings. Those who despised red meat could indulge their partiality for chicken if they had one penny. That sum, in fact, paid for a pair of nice fat chickens. New-laid eggs could be purchased at the rate of s»x for one halfpenny. Mrs. Beeton was born too late.

One may argue that the folk who lived in the days of the Plantagenets did not get paid as much for the work they did as do the fortunate folk who live in the Utopias that have been created to-day. That may be so. but experts who have studied the matter declare that folk of those old times got better value for their money than we do to-day. Moreover, they did not have so many insidious opportunities for wasting their hard-earned cash. If they felt despondent, moreover, it was possible for them to drown their sorrows in beer at the very modest outlay of 48 glasses for one penny. Even if there were people reduced to eating bread crusts they were able to do so at most attraettve rates. Wheat sometimes was as low as one shilling and eightpence a quarter or in times of grievous famine rose to the enormous height of 20/- a quarter. Nevertheless, at the average price of, say, 6/a quarter it was possible to buy nearly a week’s supply of bread for a penny. In those days one might be down, but food was so cheap it was almost impossible to be out.

Farmers of to-day may regret that an unkind fate caused them to be born in the year 1900, shall we say, instead of the year 1400. The difference is more than a difference of land tax. radio, and motor-cars. In the year 1400 one penny an acre was considered a fair annual rent for pasture land. Arable land cost no less than sixpence an acre in rent. It was possible to plough the land for quite a small outlay in farm animals. Cart horses cost three shillings each.- Oxen could , be obtained for five shillings. It is on record that in the days of Henry II it was possible to equip a farm for ten pounds. This included three cart horses, half a dozen oxen. 20 cows, 200 sheep. If the farm was rented, one sovereign would be sufficient to pny the rent, one could, indeed, buy the farm for about £2O if in a fit of wild recklessness such a course was adopted. The labourer was paid threejience halfpenny a day. This sounds low, but it must be remembered that twopence a day was considered a handsome allowance with which to keep a soil iu luxury and comfort at Cambridge