Laurel outlook., 1944-01-05
Budget Plaques
YanksinLondon
Living Is Found a Highly
Expensive Business for
u. S. Officers.

LONDON. - Budget troubles as
sharp as those of any worried Amer
lean housewife back home worry
desk and staff officers who operate
the great headquarters of the Amer
lean drive in the European theater.
Through no ones fault, but by
the impact of an immense effort
drawing men here from around the
world, this city-staid and gracious
old London-has to its establishment
taken on some of the qualities of an
oil boom town back home.
Living, despite the long and main
ly successful British effort to keep
prices from getting out of hand, is a
tremendously expensive business for
the American officer and particular
ly the junior officer.
They don't talk much about it and
whatever complaints they have are
mild and reluctant, but the fact is
that from major on down they have
to exercise a degree of thrift which
they doubt is equaled by that Of
American officers anywhere else in
the world.
1t is true that the post exchanges
have very low prices on what they
sell-for example, American ciga-
rettes at 10 cents a package.
Popular British cigarettes cost
about so cents.
Eating outside the officers mess
(the meals there are good, ample
and inexpensive but an officer can't
always get there by reason OF in
accessibility or being tied up on as
signment) is a highly expensive
business.
Dinner Costs 81.
Dinner for one in an acceptable
place for one pound-the current
equivalent of S4.04-is considered not
at all unreasonable and to this must
be added a tip, which by British GUS
tom runs to about two shillings, or
40 cents, for each person served.
This is of course exclusive of any
thing like a cocktail or wine-which
high.
By British regulation there is a
five shilling, or one dollar, legal
limit on the price of a meal, but
this does not mean much in the
face of extra charges for coffee, sal
ad, Service" and so forth.
Prices for items which the gov
eminent deems not essential and
.hus not covered by any legal price
,eiling-climb to rather astonishing
attitudes. For example, one might
)e asked S4.20 for a single cante-
oupe, or more than a dollar for a
peach.
But eve on the essentials a great
leal of scratching around must be
lone to get by.
Suitable quarters for an officer liv-
ng alone can hardly be found for
ess than So a day; an officer shar-
ng an apartment with other Off
ers can manage on about So a day,
ut not. much less.
Then There's Taxi Fares.
Another absolute essential here is
n occasional taXi-London is spread
ut hugely and subways stop run
ing not later than midnight and
host BUSES by 1920 p. m. or ear
er. Normal rates are cheaper on
lie average than in New York, but
t night, when cabs are very scarce
nd elderly drivers are taking all
of chances in the blackout, it
an unwritten rule that the patron
ives about twice the fare.
Mild entertainment requires much
out. A single seat in an or
mary first-run movie will run up
$3.50.
Against all these facts are these:
majors living allowance, or per
lem, is Sc a day. 1t is S. for cap
lin, and so on down.
Officers say that nearly all of them
lust dig deeply into their pay
hich is modest, running to about
.65 a month in the case of a second
eutenant maintaining a wife and
ome in America-to live or even
lie minimum scale. Then there are
demands of insurance, al