I am not surprised that the Treasury has called for
a rather sharp revision of the arrangement by which passengers on the ' Queen Eliza- beth' could cash cheques up to Lim at the branch of the Midland Bank on board the vessel to cover their needs (over and above the not inconsiderable passage-money) during the five-day voyage. There is, of course, no official objection to the dissipation of the money in games of chance and/or skill, but when it came to a wholesale re- plenishment of male and female wardrobes at the admirable retail establishments on board—without, of course, the surrender of a single coupon—other considerations arose. My information is (needless to say) confined to the men's shop, into which the pullulating purchasers were admitted three at a time as soon as the ship was well away from Southampton. One traveller, who confessed only to the acquisition of " a few collars," told me that he noted that the bill of the customer
in front of him totalled £68 Los. A good many of us could do with the outfit that that would buy. Few people except the ragged rich will feel that the restriction of facilities to a lower limit involves any serious injustice.
Previous page
