The daily Alaska citizen., 1920-01-24

ONDON,- kfJ - IHt tHu ot oLI' year of peace finds the United King dom still working under many of the wartime restrictions affecting or dinary living conditions, altho larg numbers of the orders have been res cinded and others have been modi- fled
 So far as food is concerned, only sugar and butter are now rarioned. The regulations regarding the amount of meat which might be purchased were removed only few days ago, about one year after the close of the war. The consumption of liquor, however. is being held down rigidly under the old rules Necessities still rationed. which vitally concern the home. include coal, gas and electricity The shortage of fuel has been caus- ing considerable hardship both to the individual and to industry.
 The minister of food has found it advisable to continue the maximum prices, both wholesale and retail which it fixed for a considerable mum Der of necessities.
 Apart from the matter of food and fuel. the board of trade is maintain- ing control of the eXportatiOn and i'm portation of a long list of articles The ban has been removed from some goods but this has been mainly in the case of things importation of which had been forbidden and the country found itself short of.
 Removal of restrictions on most of the food necessities has not solved the living problem of the masses. how ever. There is still great shortage of many things, and moreover, prices which went down last summer, have now mounted to about where they were at the signing of the armisticc
 The increase is attributed partly to the world scarcity of necessities, partly to the augmented demand from the recently belligerent countries, and partly to inflated currency and ad- verse foreign exchanges The last named have had pronounced in f1uence on prices and it is the 9belief of economic experts that food cannot become cheaper until these are ad- iusted, even tho there is an increase in production
 The butter ration is placed at one and one-half ounces for each person per week This refers to the import ed product only. there being no res friction on the use of hOme-mad" hut ter. As a matter of fact, virtually no butter is being made in the United Kingdom these days, so that the con sumner has to depend upon margarine and foreign butter.
 The reason there is so little home produced butter on the market is that the retail price, approximately 60 cents a pound, bears no relation to the actual cost of butter to the farmer. This month farmers can sell milk at 64 cents gallon and it takes 212 gallons of milk to produce a pound of butter. If English butter were selling at its true economic value it would be about SPA per pound.
 Until recently the sugar ration wa twelve ounces for each person per week but, owing to the shortage this allowance has been decreased to eighl that mark for many months. The amount allowed to the confectionery and sweets trades has been reduced by 25 per cent and a further reduc- tiOn is expected.
 Butchers meat was rationed until a few days ago, each person being allowed forty cents worth per week In consequence of the receipt re gently of a large supply of mutton and lamb from Australia and New Zealand it was found possible to re move all rationing restrictions, and the food ministry has expressed the hope that people will relieve the food situation by eating more meat, which is welcome advice for England.
 Despite the small ration, only 60 per cent of the meat allowance was being demanded by ticket holders each week. This was due either to change of habits since the begin ming of the war or the high cost. Whenever a butcher had balance of meat left over at the weekend he was permitted to sell it to any one of his customers, irrespective of whether they had already had their ration or not In this way some people were able to exceed the amount pro vided for by their permits.
 The sale of beer and spirits is still restricted in quantity and the strength of both beer and whiskey Is much below the pre-war average. As a result, it is said, there has been an increase in sobriety. Whiskey is at present about thirty per cent, under proof Alcoholic drinks can only be