WAR COMPARISON

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 21, 19 October 1944, Page 4

WAR COMPARISON

Thankful Return From Continent BRITISH CONDITIONS (By Telegraph.—Press Assu.—Copyright.) (Special Correspondent.) (Received October 18, 9.15 p.m.) LONDON, October 17.

It is an interesting experience to. return to England after a short stay in France and Belgium. After living in London for five years of the war one becomes accustomed to the gradual changes, with no first-hand opportunities for comparison. The chief comparison is, perhaps, that here in England there is. an air not so much of prosperity but of a purposefulness in the tempo of life. 9.his, ot course, is natural, for . the liberated people have not yet settled down to their changed conditions, and one sensed an atmosphere rather of living by habit and without any general aim. . ;« •* However much one may protest at the monotony of English wartime food, it is a fact to be thankful for that anyone can find any number of restaurants and buy at normal prices a satisfying meal. But in France and Belgium it is a case first of finding the restaurant and then of paying through the nose for a mediocre meal. Again, the transport system ih England is also something to be thankful for. There are good train and bus services, and in London and the big provincial cities taxis can be hailed—-ex-cept in rain during the blackout, when it is just a waste of breath. In France and Belgium the lack of petrol has almost denuded the roads of military traffic, while the attentions of the R.A.F. to' the railways system have made travelling except by the military transport practically impossible. Everywhere from the air can be seen bombed marshalling yards. Many railway tracks boast a fine crop of grass and weejs, and the running of a bi-weekly train, near Lille was an event which even a lieuten-ant-general- turned out to see. It is also pleasant in England to be able to pick up a telephone and know that it will work, and to know that electricity is available at all hours instead of only a few hours of an evening. - It is also satisfying, to know that one can procure all necessities like soap and important necessities like coal without any undue difficulty or delay. All these may be little things in themselves, but when added up they make a great difference between the lives of the people of England and those in Europe and, above all, emphasize the excellent work done by the Ministry of Food and the fair and equitable distribution of supplies. Property Price Rise.

One of many effects of the war .in Britain has been a stiff rise in the prices for houses and dwellings of all kinds. This is natural in view of the great toll taken by the bombs, incendiaries, and flying bombs. In the London area today a person who can find an unfurnished house to let has something to crow about. The very few people whb o\vn houses that become by some strange chance vacant apparently do not think of reletting but of selling at a price £lOO to £l5O sterling above the pre-war value. Property is now at its peak price, and it does not seem likely, to fall for a few years to come, certainly not till the rebuilding programme is well and truly launched. In the same way, with a whispered hope of the return of a basic petrol'ration there is a ramp in, second-hand cars. Such fantastic prices are being charged that the Government is being urged to fix maximum prices. For instance, an Austin 10, which cost £175 sterling new in 1930 and £155 second-hand, now costs anything round £250. For a Morris 10 the 1880 prices of £lB5 and, £lO5 are now quoted at £3OO. The Buick, previously £615 and £5OO, is now £lOOO. It is stated that the first of the post-war cars are likely to knock the bottom out of this second-hand car 'boom, but they are not likely to appear for some time, and then at 50 per cent, above the 1989 prices. Booliinakers and Taxes. However, there seems to be plenty of money to spare these days, and racing correspondents note that whereas men and women who before the war were somwhat daring if they bet £25 (a pony), now risk as much aa £5OO (a monkey). It is stated that at a recent meeting £93,000 sterling went through the totalizator, and that about £5 was wagered with the bookmakers for every £1 put on the tote. Thus the bookmakers’ turnover that day would be about half a million. One reason for this increase in gambling is not only the higher wages and trading profits, but also the high taxation. The winnings are tax-free, and every pound won is 20 shillings, and not 10, as it would- be if earned and the income tax collector had his share.