ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 21, 20 October 1941, Page 8

ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

Sidelights On Wartime

Conditions

EFFECT OF RATIONING

One development of tlie war is the newsletter issued by firms of British manufacturers to their clients and friends in various parts of the world in which is given a budget of minor news that may not be touched by the wartime Press, whose space is too precious for anything but major issues. Yet the effect of these quarterly British newsletters is said to be cumulative, as one such letter passes from hand to hand, aud each one may be read by a hundred people. Indeed, one American magazine goes as far as to say that the effect of such newsletters from England has played a large part in changing the feelings and opinions of the middle west of the United States toward England and against isolationism. One such newsletter recently to hand comes from Mr. Ernest Sharp, a prominent English electrical engineer, and director of Venner’s. Mr. Sharp visited New Zealand about five years ago and has many friends in this country. .His latest Newsletter includes the following extracts: — ■ ■ -

“Some indication of how taxation affects people in our position will probably interest our friends. During the last war a cost of living index was worked out, based on data concerning a number of people of the vast working class families prior to August, 1914. It has now been amply proved that the basis was wrong then and still more wrong now, due to many changes, but in general the resultant figure is roughly right. Taking this figure as 0 before lhe last war, the cost of living was as low as 39 in 1935. It is now 100, compared with 55 when this war broke out in September, 1939. Bonuses to staff as well as workers are based on the rise and fall of this index, though at a much lower percentage than the index, and always subject to the lapse of a month or more to allow for temporary or seasonal changes.” “Rationing is varying according to prevailing conditions. We are now getting more cheese, less butter; eggs are controlled, chickens are cheaper; during the summer we get the offal without coupons, but are rationed for clothes for the next 12 months. One kind friend in the East posted us some fig leaves. ' They may be ail very well in the .East where Adam and Eve lived, but in our changeable climate rhubarb leaves have them beaten. No Apples. "We ourselves miss most of all ham and apples, both of which have been completely absent for months. We are now looking forward to some homegrown fruit, as shipping freight cannot be spared for fruit imports. During the past few months we have had a little dried fruit, a few figs and dates, and four oranges. Vegetables have been plentiful, except onions, the mention of which has become a godsend to all comedians. The only serious queues are for cigarettes, sweets, and other not strictly essentials.” “Women are being more and more roped in to do men’s work, and the papers are full of articles on women’s adaptability. Gosh! if they only knew what a retired business man is capable of in the absence of domestic help!” “Electricity is the best value for money in these days. Without being controlled or subsidized it is probably the only thing in the country that is cheaper than it was even before the last Great War. In some cases there has been an advance in price since this war started. Where we live now (Taunton) is such an instance, but still the price is only one half-penny per kilowatt, plus a fixed annual charge of £G for our all-electric house (9 or 10 rooms, with big garage and all-elec-trie washhouse and drying cupboard), Where we lived in London tlie same price holds as above, just as it was before the war. Gas has not been so fortunate, and in one case we know, has doubled in price.” Air-raid Shelters.

"We have been, asked, to include some information on air shelters. In the early preparations for war the Anderson shelter in the back of every house was favoured. This is a galvanized iron affair sunk half into the ground, with the excavated earth thrown cm top aud around the sides —a ridiculous affair that involved sitting, upright for hours in the cold unless rain made it useless by half filling the place with water. To be brief, a specially-made table under which one can crawl in one’s own house is now favoured, and small shelters are preferred to large ones owing to the large number of people involved when a shelter gets a direct hit —aud the bigger it is the more likely this is to happen. Those who can afford it have built shelters clear of the house, with electric lighting, heating and ventilation, with room for divans, tables and chairs. Fourteeuinch walls and a six-inch roof are usual, lu winter when the alert comes the shelterers take their food and night attire along, and stay in the shelter till the morning. "Deep shelters, except in such special cases as the railway tubes are not favoured. Basements of buildings have proved rather deadly. There are plenty of surface shelters in all the streets for passing wayfarers, mainly to give protection against the hail of anti-air-craft shell splinters. A considerable tonnage of these has to fall during the beating off of an air attack.” “We spent a few days in London recently. The weather was real summer, and Londoners, remembering A. P. Herbert’s “Let Us Be Gay” gospel, were taking advantage of the loveliness of z out-doors. The public parks were gay with coloured chairs. Old folk, real Londoners, who would rather die than leave their beloved haunts, were sunning themselves, and looking forward to tiie band concerts on Sunday afternoons and evenings.”