gb0551ms-33-36

Transcription

[Page] 36
[continued from page 35]

if it contains a child under seven years of age,
or a nursing mother; the egg allowance
is one per head in two weeks; each person
is allowed ⅛ lb [pound] of butter a week; meat is very
scarce; fat is practically unprocurable for
domestic purposes, and such as can be
had, is required for the making of munitions.
The war-weariness and depression of the
people is most noticeable. Here although
the war-widow is, alas, much in evidence
and there is hardly a family who has not
to mourn some one of its members, the
whole country is actuated by a stern de:
:termination to see the thing through till
Germany is beaten to her knees. The
U-boats have been playing havoc of
late with all shipping coming to the
United Kingdom, and as they are of much
larger draught than formerly they operate
out in the Atlantic & far afield. They spare
nothing and consider no laws for the
protection of hospital ships, or any harmless
unarmed passenger boat. As we skotched
the earlier pests so we shall these, but
their ravages may get sent upwards to
an unpleasant height the price of all

commodities in these islands. Eggs are
at present 4/6d [£0.4.6] a doz. [dozen] It costs 7/6d. [£0.7.6] to have
ones shoes resoled at one's Princes St. boot:
:makers. Sugar has been a scarce com:
:modity for long, and shortly there will be
a ban on all sugared cakes and sweetmeats.
Such things have quite disappeared from our
tea table. 'O' nights when there
is no moon the streets where there is only
gas illumination are in mirky darkness
so as to afford no indication of our whereabouts
to a wandering Zep. [Zeppelin] and most people have
had the edges of their steps painted white.
In the heart of the city there is a modest
amount of electric lighting permitted, as
so many accidents were occurring without it.
Lately I have become a member of a
small Society of art lovers. at present nine
in number. We meet throughout the winter
on one evening a month at 9. o'clock in
each others house. There is no subscription,
& there is no reading of papers. We
only meet together to enjoy conversation
on subjects of mutual interest. The host supplies
whiskey & soda, ginger-beer & biscuits.
We have had three meetings so far at which
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