Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-05-23
LETTER COMES
FROM LONDON
Brother of Ernest Sanderson Tells
of Conditions in the World Me-
tropoEs

| Ernest Sanderson has received a let
ter from his brother, Arthur Sander
son, also one from his wife, Al Lynd-
hurst, Wood Green, "Blighty," North
p, London, England, which tells of
the conditions as to food in the great
metropolis. The first part Of the letter
tells of the efforts made by the Lon
dOners to locate Ernest Sanderson's
son, Ralph L. SandersOn, who was
aboard the ill-fated Tuscania, and who
afterward passed through England AL
though great effort was made to- find
the young soldier, no visit was en-
jOyed. The letter then continues:
If anybody on the other side of the
water says we English are having a
bad time and that terrible conditions
prevail in the homeland, they lie! AS
a matter of fact, we are scrubbing
along quite comfortably considering
the big strain on our national re-
sources. We are only rationed for
few commodities, such as bacon,
butchers meat, butter and margarine
Cheese and lard are very scarce, and
this remark, in modified measure, ap-
plies to cereals of most kinds Jam
and marmalades are rather difficult to
obtain. Perhaps the worst feature of
wartime "eats" (tO use Ralph'S term)
is that -four and bread have changed
to a dark variety which you would
hardly recognize as the snow-white
loaf of ye olden times. Individually, |
have a decided preference for whole
meal bread, which does not seem to
have changed its identity, and is GER
tainly more paIatable than the Ordi-
nary loaf which suffers from coarse
admiXtures and a high percentage of
potatoes. OF course, I am speaking
from a mere mans point of view, who
has no shopping" to do. If you were
to cross examine the "better half" she
would tell you how difficult it is to get
the common necessities of life at the
stores and shops; of the little irrita-
tiOns and disappOintments incident to
filling the plate and pantry with sem
blance of food; and how to obtain most
articles of daily consumption it was
compulsory to wait long time in a
"Queae," ETC., but | think, in this de-
partment, at an rate, it would be bette I"
for our mutual edification to let her
speak for herself Tomorrow, there
fore, presume Mary will give you a
resume of her experience of buying
and providing for a, big family of two!
Mrs. Sanderson Writes
The following is from Mrs. Sander
son:
Arthur has told you we are rationed
for one or two things, but does not
give you the amounts or price. We
have meat tickets, on which there are
four coupons for each week per person
and until just now we have been al
lowed to spend three with the butcher
and one with the grocer for bacon, but
| suppose that is to be altered, and we
are to have only two for each shop,
and as each coupon stands for five
pence (10c) at the butcher, we shall
have to make ten penny worth (20c) Of
meat last the week The meat costs
about one and six (36c) pound, a
little more or less according to the
quality of the cut Bacon is much
dearer, being from two shillings (48c)
to half a crown (60c) pound, and
those coupons are taken by weight,
each one representing 4 or 5 ounces,
just as it happens to have more or less
bone in what you are buying. The
bones from the butcher for making
soup, etc., are now 2 pence (4c)
pound, but those one can have without
a coupon. For suet coupon has to
be given up, so you see we are really
worse off as regards meat than any
thing else, but as Arthur is small
eater we manage very well. We are
allowed One-quarter of pound of but
ter or margarine per week. The but
ter is 2-6 (60c) and margarine u and
Il Csc to 32c) according to quality.
My sister sends us our butter from the
farm, so we always have it very
good, but of course we have only the
stipulated amount. Vegetables are
very plentiful. Last year we were
without potatoes for long time, and
when the new ones came in they were
fearfully dear, but this year they are
quite plentiful and very good, too.
You mention being able to get two
pounds of sugar but you don't say
how long that has to last you. We
had difficulty with that commodity
long before anything else here, and
now we are allowed " pound per
head per week, but we are learning
to do without things now, and don't
think we do any more grumbling-if
as much-as we did in the years of
plenty. 1t makes one realize how
very much more we had than we real
ly needed, and methinks we shall see
in the future great many blessings
in the things we used to take as our
right and think nothing Of Goals
Continued on last page)