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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1961-07-13, Page 2Britain Has Its Growing Pains Too Britain's population net only is en the, increasebut on the move, according to the 1961 census ures,E Some areas, such es the coal mining and textile ;u.eas of the north and west, are. losing Inhabitants, But the suburban areas around the big cites now are filling: up and expanding,: en- croaching ever farther into the country, S,agnificantly, the major British eities are not themselves glowing, The population of'Greato,° Lon- don now is 8,172,000, a drop of 178,000 in the past 10 years Bir- mingham and Manchester are down proportionately. It is .the "dormitory" residential et e a s around these major mbar: centers that are growing so impressively. Indeed, so many people ap- pear to have flocked to tits Lon- don area and the south o Eng- land that some humorists foresee tee British Isles soon overbalanc- ed with the south getting its toes wet, and the north of S,•otland sticking up out of the Atlantic, high and dry, The suburban sprawl, accord- ing to a preliminary report on the bead -count of last April, is bring- ing all manner of problems in its tail. It is placing a vast strain on the public transportation sys- tem — the buses and ender- greund railways that must con- vey so many workers from their homes in the suburbs to tate city solo back each day. Shu(t-haul railway service also is under pressure, as commuters who once gicried in a compartment, or at least a seat to themselves, now find themselves standing in the, aisles. esv;,r, I., 1 .and h^;,ting values are soaring around the cities, roads and parking lots are kecoming choked with commut- ers' cars, school and other public facilities are overcrowded, and the countryside is rapidly disap- pearing from view — except where it is protected by green- belt regulations. In the meantime the seven largest British cities find them- selves losing their normal resi- dential areas, losing their popu- lation, and instead becoming only a tremendous commercial complex which is harder and harder for the would-be custo- mer, or worker, to reach. These British islands are not- ably small in area, and with an increase of population of 2,500,000 in the past decade, the areas that gained are beginning to feel as ough the "standing room only" gn should be hung out, whereas :e declining areas feel more lonesome and neglected, writes 1Renry S. Hayward in the Chris- tiiap Science Monitor. Where did the population come from? About 300,000 immigrants were absorbed last year alone, mainly from Ireland, Europe, and the West Indies. This year, the incoming West Indian contingent may be trebled. Although 108,000 persons emi- grated from the United Kingdom it the past year, since 1954 55 im- migration has steadily exceeded emigration. In fact, Britain at present is experiencing the great- est influx of new residents since European refugees fled here be- fore and during World War IL Over the decade an estimated 225,000 immigrants from over - LOSER'S HIDEOUT? -- Former Vice President Richard M. Nixon and his family wi'II Live in this furnished home until their own home is constructed. sten settled down in England and Wales alone, which figure is just under 10 per cent of the total population increase. Why do so many immigrants still come to these increasingly cvercrowded islands?. England and Wales have a population den- sity of, 790 per square mile ex- ceeded in Europe only ' by the Netherlands. T he comparable density figure for the United States is 49. They come, apparently, for the social benefits of the British wel- fare state, its "free" national health program of medical care (the payments for which are in the form of taxes rather than fees), full employment, good wages, better opportunities ,and high living standards. They come despite housing shortages, and general lack of elbowroom. Meanwhile, there still are more women than men among Britain's nearly 53,000,000 inhabitants, It has been that way since the cen- sus began 160 years ago. In the Fast 10 years, moreover, Scot- land's population has increased by 82,000, and is now over 5,178,- 000, the highest recorded. The increase should have been 337,000; but 255,000 Scots migrat- ed, half overseas,' half to other portions of .the U.K. Then, too, the coastal towns are becoming larger, which prob- ably testifies to the ireeuence of the motorcar and the . iility of more people to retire,. As usual, the planners are not satisfied with the way all these Britons are drifting around and finally coming to rest in the wrong places. They want more planning policy — for industry, roads, new towns, revival of city centres. They want to reverse the trend from depopulated areas to those already overcrowded, Yet, overcrowded or not, it is . clear that more people than ever still like it here! Q. What can I do about the edges of books that have be- come badly soiled? A. You can clean them by using fine sandpaper fitted around a curved sanding block. Use a block which has approxi- mately the same curvature as the book edges, Sand lightly,' using just enough pressure to remove the stained portion of the paper. String -on -Finger Things To Do Before Vacation littilitet : +eilii; �:'r• Disconnect eleetrle Iogplt^ Leek all doors and window.; ,Hces, avoid short elresit sok pollee tr eheolc house. danger. ,01. hove left templetelr dant Have peat .Alice bold malt 4 in invitation to burglars, Until your return home. Arrange to have.aonteone eui (*atop milk delivex'y by Pon- 114"" iton-MMae'n in! water ,t e r deal Ing dairy; don't pm() note toluols. ifl bottle. TABLE TALKS oiatt When the weather is hot, try a chilled, frosty bowl of cold soup, and you'll be surprised at what a good start it is fora bot- day dinner! Cold 'soup rheans to • many people simply vichyssoise , (in. ease you've ever had trouble, it's pronounced vee -thee- swahhz) 'a cold, creamed soup made, among o,t h e r things, oe potatoes and leeks with a chick- en broth base. This soup, traditionsays, was invented for Louis XIV of France and, like so many fa- mous ,dishes, was invented acci- dentally. Louis, always afraid oe what his chefs were serving him, had an official taster. By the time food was brought from the kitchen down long corridors and the tasting ceremony was performed, food was cold. To avoid. censure for this, vichy- ssoise was made even colder and served to the king as a spe- cial delicacy, even though it was actually oe peasant origin. This cold soup now has many versions, and has become an international dish. Many chefs are proud of their vichyssoise and wilt give the recipe when asked for one ref their favour- ites. At the Arizona Inn in Tuc- son, the chef told me that he used a little bit of apple as an ingredient because, "vichyssoise should be slightly sweet," he said, 'Add a very little nut- meg and mace also, Apples should be peeled and chopped before being added to the chicken base." This chef used 2 parts coffee oream to 1 part' Of strained stock — butunless your stock is especially rich, this pro- portion would thin it too much as to taste, writes Eleanor Rich- ey Johnston in the Christian Science Monitor. * * Next to vichyssoise, probably the most popular cold soup is jellied consomme or bouillon. If this is made in your kitchen, use any good recipe for beef soup stock. This takes several hours of cooking before adding the vegetables — onions, car rots, turnips, garlic, parsnip, bay leaves, leeks, parsley, etc. Then the stock nuist be cooked again for at least an h o u r, then strained. In 4 hours' cooking, liquid will be reduced by r/z. Soup made this way should ,fell when chilled for several hours; if it does not, add a little gela- tin for your cold soup. In most modern homes, canned consom- me or bouillon is used. Simply put your can of soup in bhe re- frigerator and chill for seyeral hours; open and serve with lemon wedges, garnish with a spray of parsley or mint, * * t Here is a simple and very easy version •of vichyssoise. It ser.V'es 4 generously. All good teaks agree on one thing about this soup fresh chives are best for the garnish. VICHYSSOISE '4 cup butter 4 leeks, sliced (white part only) ?a cup sliced onion 2 cups diced, raw potatoes 4 cups chicken broth • cup heavy cream Salt and poppet' Finely chopped'chives Heat butter; add . leeks and ..onions and simmer about 5 mein- .sites until soft but not browned. Add potatoes and broth. Simmer 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Press through a fine sieve ar food mill. Add cream and seasonings, k d * Another famous cold soup is Borsch, Here is an easy recipe for this • del ighamity coloured soup. e ISSUE 27 — 1901 CHILLED BORSCH 2 cups beet juice % cup sour cream 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1%s teaspoons salt Pinch pepper 2 tablespoons minced scallions 1 cup finely diced' beets 1 small bunch water cress 3/4 cup sour cream If you use canned beets, add water to the juice to make the 2 cups beet juice, if necessary. Place beet juice, ' cup sour cream, lemon juice, and season- ings in a bowl and beat smooth with rotary beater. Add scal- lions, diced beets, and coarsely cut cress leaves (discard stems). Ohill well. Serve garnished with sour cream (use remaining % cup for this). Serves 4, ♦ * * Cucumbers and shrimp are combined in this clear, summer soup. COLD SHRIMP AND CUCUMBER SOUP 1 4% -ounce can of deveined shrimp 4 cups boiling water 4 chicken bouillon cubes �. teaspoon salt 4 sprigs dill with seeds 4 thin lemon slices te cup sliced onion 1 cup thinly sliced cucumbers 34 teaspoon white pepper Drain and rinse shrimp, Dis- solve bouillon cubes in boiling water; add salt and dill, lemon, onion, and cucumber. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp and heart for about 5 minutes longer. Chill; just before serving, sprinkle with white pepper. Serves 4. * ,, At the Hotel Castellana-Hilton in Madrid, I once had a cold soup that is a specialty of the chef there. With it were served, in separate little dishes, diced fresh bread, chopped onion, green pepper, cucumber, and to- mato, Thesoup was called Caz- pacho. CAZPACHO 2 raw tomatoes 1 raw onion 2 raw fresh green peppers 2 raw cucumbers 1 clove garlic 2 French rolls (soaked In water) 4 ounces olive oil' 4 tablespoons vinegar. 1 teaspoon red pepper Pass all ingredients through a meet -mincing machine, strain and add a little water, making the soup the thickness of cream soup. Salt to taste. Always serve Cazpacho very cold. * * * CHILLED CANNED SOUP Blend can c r e a m of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, cream of pea soup with 1e can o8 milk and th can at water. Heat, stir- ring, just to boiling point. Ohill before serving. Serves 4. Telephone Manners In New Zealand The conviction that "Hello" or "Hullo" on the telephone do not represent good telephone man- ners appears to be spreading' In the telephonic world, New Zea- landers in the recent telephone courtesy campaign' staged in Wel- lington, the capital city, were encouraged to announce their identity when answering the telephone, not simply resort to "Hello" or 'Hullo," Some New .Zealanders, it ap- pears, who carefully avoid such expressions when answering the telephone, have been in the habit of saying: "Are you there?" This led one New Zealander somewhat warmly to write to the press that. this form of address also should be strictly taboo as good telephone manners. "Of course there is someone there," he wrote. That may be so, we agree, but . "Are you there?" . as a form of address would seem in order when one knows the caller, It is pleasant and friendly and far re- moved from the somewhat abrupt business office efficiency of: "Shrinklethistle speaking." New Zealand public telephone equipment is of the type which returns the coins if calls are un- successful. To operate it, the user listens after dialing and on voice response presses bution A. This connects him. But imagine, said the writer to the press, when a caller is down to his last pennies on a public telephone and, having Pressed button A on response to "Are you there?" finds that it was the wrong number. (Having made a complete connection, the pennies- cannot be retrieved,). "If the number had been stated (on voice response) in the first place, he could have hung up and dialed again. A little abrupt, perhaps, for the mystified person who was called," he said, "but when down to our last pennies we cannot afford niceties,". "Are you there?" may be heard on the telephone in other coun- tries as well as New Zealand and probably for the same 'friendly and pleasantly relaxed reason. But wherever used it should be strictly avoided on party lines. These collective telephonic sys- terms have their own peculiar difficulties and humors, as has been pointed out in New Zea ].and, but "Are you there?" pleasantly broadcast over a party line could have the entire line responding. Manners on a party line, it was said, should be a simple mat- ter and a party liner is entitled to receive his call without con- fusion onfusion and enjoy it in peace. "Withthe spread of long-dis- tance calling," said one New Zealand newspaper, "toll man- ners become more important. The public should be patient with toll staffs, who may be desperately busy. There are still country districts 'where lines hang from trees, and are,main talned by the subscribers," it added, There are people, it is also worth noting, who would be glad to know, as the same journal in- dioated, :places where lines do not hang from trees or an other structure. "The telephone," it said, "is frequently regarded as an intruder," Things were getting. to the point, it seemed, where people chose for their vacation only places without telephones. .Well, some folk, one gathers, now are looking for vniiation spots that do not have TV, writes Albert E. Neiman in the Chris- tian Science Monitor. The difficulty Is not se much in finding a place where these things do not exist but in find- ing a country where they do not exist. Proof rests in the feet that this correspondent once made a telephone call to the united States from the deep sr: tws of the Antarctic! When calling she American explorers at the South Pole, "Are you there?" as a forra -of address would not be out of order, as it could be read by said explorers as genuine curio- sity on the part of the caller. In that ease, the appropriate ex- plorer reply would be: "Almost" The pole station is just a matter of yards from the South Pole proper, On the other hand, •as ex- perience shows, caller's ?rem the South Pole will not be greeted with "Are you the -•c?" Almost invariably they will be t reeted with: "Where are you? What? The South Pole? No!" "The person called shuurd be given reasonable time to re- spond " advised the New Zea- land journal. "Tie or see may be in the garden. Waiting in silence for your man to come to the telephone can be wearing: Tele- phone instruments," it added somewhat cryptically, "wear out in time and it niay not be gene- rally known that the (telephone) department rept aces them (free)." This could be a comforting as- surance to callers, waiting a long time for their man, not to be unduly concerned about the equipment wearing out in their hand while waiting. It would be replaced free of charge. . The main point, of .course, apart from the expense involved for the telephone organization, is that good telephone manner, require the caller in such cases to at once leave his name and number, Thus his man would not be obliged to hurry up the gar- den path on a shout from the house: "Telephone, telephone!" Q. How can 1 prevent my homemade jams Elmer crystalliz- ing? A. By adding a tablespoonful of glycerin to each pint of jam. This makes the jam more trans- parent, and reduces the amount of sugar required. CRUTCHES AREN'T FUN, NO MATTER WHOSE - President Ken- nedy uses crutches (left) to walk from his car to ramp to board the Presidential yacht, Honey Fids, for a cruise down the Poto- mac River .with Japanese Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda. As he reached, the ramp (right), the President' discarded hit crutches and used the railing for support. CAUGHT IN THE ACT — These photos released by the U,S. State Department show U.S. counter- spy Karel Hlasny (carrying briefcase under arm), an instructor at the Army Language School, Monterey Calif., supposedly carrying classified information as he enters San Francisco res- taurant, A Few moments later, at right, Czech diplomat Miroslav Nacvalac (second from left) enters Phe same establishment to pay Hlasny for the "information." The U.S. charged thaton six occasions from Nov. 3, 1958, through Jan. 21, 1961, Nacvalac met Hlasny in San Francisco and gave hire a total of $1,700 for what he thought was espionage material. The U.S. 'de- manded that Nacvalac, No, 3 man to the Czech delegation to the U.N., be recalled.