AMERICA TO-DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27197, 28 September 1949, Page 3

AMERICA TO-DAY

Address By Mr A. S. Helm " The spelling and geography of the average American students are very weak,” said Mr A. S. Helm in an address on “ The United States To-day ” to the Adult Education Branch of the University of Otago, in 'Oamaru on Monday.

“ Some students pictured New Zealand as a part of Australia, connected by a .bridge, while others thought it was situated in the vicinity of Madagascar.” Clothing prices were much the same as those in the Dominion, with ties from 5s to 7s 6d. shirts 12s 6d, shoes 37s Gd to 455, and suits £l2. Women's clothing appeared to be much cheaper and even the best nylon stockings were priced at 5s 3d a pair. Luxuries were cheap and a twocolour ball pen exhibited by Mr Helm cost only ss. Food was dear, however, and a pound of steak might cost 5s and butter 4s to 5s per pound. Sport was played only bv professionals, high schools and colleges, and the Americans' regarded recreation as going to see a match rather than taking part in one, Mr Helm said. It might cost as much as ill a seat to see an inter-university match and the small matches cost as much as ss. America was a woman's country and a large number of married women went out to work. A college professor's wife might work in a factory, or as a typist in an oflice. As the majority of the housewives were rarely at home, the demand for all the latest labour-saving devices in the home war, great. Wages were high, and such things as motor cars were cheap. Petrol ranged form 33 to 20 cents per gallon in different States. Twenty cents was equal to a New Zealand shilling.

There were few parks, recreation grounds or private gardens in America as the people were too busy trying to make money. The south had not developed as fast as the north of America, Mr Helm said, and it was in the south where the colour bar was most noticeable. Coloured people purchased bus and train tickets at separate windows and entered buses from the back, while the white people entered from the front. There were four million unemployed at the present time in New York and the New England States, and one in every 10 of New York’s workers was out of work;. There had been a feeling of insecurity in America over the past two years and the hours of work in many of the factories were being cut down. The aid to Europe programme, and the rearmament of America itself were two important factors in employment.