THE BRITISH ISLES.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18404, 11 August 1931, Page 3

THE BRITISH ISLES.

WHERE LOW PRICES REIGN

BREAD TWOPENCE A LOAF. A HAMILTONIAN’S EXPERIENCES. Some interesting observations of present-day conditions in the British Isles, are given by Mr R. J. McMiken. a Hamiltonian now visiting Scotland, in a letter to a Waikato friend. Mr McMiken has been away from >’ew Zealand for over a year and he states that until he had a trip through the Highlands and Lowlands he had no idea that Scotland was so beautiful. The cropping and grazing lands in the central and northern parts were particularly fine. It was noticeable that many of the big country mansions ha t been allowed to fall into partial decay, owing, no doubt, to the times through which the people were passing. The winter was not much colder than in the Waikato, but the days were much shorter, darkness falling at 4 p.m., and this made the frosts seem harder. , All the big towns had artificial ice rinks for skating and curling, which were popular pastimes. These rinks were in large halls similar to the Hamilton Horse Bazaar. The concrete floor was flooded to a depth of a few inches, and the water was frozen 'with a special machine. In order to keep the surface even, a thin sheet of fresh water was poured over the ice every night. Racing In England. Racing attracted large crowds, the writer continued, and when he attended the Liverpool Steeplechase he saw a huge concourse. The weather was perfect for the big event and the race was very’ exciting. It had been said that the jumps were high. This was quite correct, and it was doubtful if many New Zealand horses could finish the course. The jumping was wonderful and the horses were flue big animals. Another famous classic he witnessed was the Derby. Here again perfect weather prevailed, and the race was followed by a huge crowd. At Ascot the writer saw the King and Queen and members of the Royal family arrive in the State coach. The drive to Ascot took visitors through Windsor Park, which presented a wonderful sight with its old trees, and hundreds of deer, which were very tame. A huge totallsator had been erected at Ascot at a cost of £250.000. and an excellent fstartinjg system, far superior to that in New Zealand, was used. The horses stayed in the birdcage until five minutes or less before the starting time, then came out on the course, broke into a half pace, and went direct to the post, where the starter waited with everything ready. There was no delay, and in this way seven races were run in an afternoon, commencing at 1.30 p.m. or 2 p.m.

At the International Horse Show at Olympic Mr McMiken saw some of the best Jumpers in Europe. Most of the riders were in uniform, and the horses had sticking appointments. At Olympia there was accommodation for 1000 horses and men, and some wonderful displays were staged there. Cheap Motor Travel. The motor services in England and Scotland were very cheap and one could travel any distance for about one penny a mile. It was possible to travel from Glasgow to London for 50s and London to Liverpool, 15s return. Speaking of farming as a means of livelihood, Mr McMiken said that most of the farmers that he met had their own cars, and appeared very comfortable. Nevertheless, times were hard, and prices /greatly cut by dumping from other countries. All grain was very cheap, maize, oats and wheat being procurable at about £4 5s a ton, and being used quite a lot as stock food. Milk prices were also very low, some farmers receiving only 7d a gallon from the vendors.

New Zealand Produce. At the time of writing Anchor and other brands of New Zealand butter could be bought in most of the country towns for Is 2d a pound, cheese at 7d a pound, and lamb from is down to 5d a pound. Large quantities of New Zealand produce were sold, and the shopkeepers and public alike were well satisfied with the quality of the goods. Bacon was the universal breakfast dish, and this, too, was very cheap. All through the winter Danish bacon sold at 6d a pound wholesale, and from 7d retail. Bread dn Liverpool and London could be bought for 4d a four pound loaf, and 2d for two pounds, and excellent bread, too. Mr McMiken intends to leave Scotland for Australia at the end of next month.