Foreign News: Have Another Cup

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"I always start with about eight cups of tea first thing in the morning," a cockney said last week in London. "Then there's the tea break, then lunch, then tea, then supper. Pot's on the go the whole time." For the country where the pot is on the go despite rationing (varying between 2 and 3 oz. a person a week), the Tories had good news. After twelve years, the government stopped rationing of tea. In future, only the price (averaging 65¢ a Ib.) will prevent tea addicts from buying as much as they want.

And the Tories had still another cheerful item to offset the bad economic news Britons have lately been reading. Next February will see the end of the non-branded, inferior gasoline called "pool petrol," used in British cars for the past 13 years. Back will come brand names—Shell, BP, Esso—and premium price high-octane gasolines, at 63^ the imperial gallon, about 4¢ more than standard gas. In preparation for the happy return of competition, oil companies began training their employees in such forgotten amenities as cleaning the windshield and wearing a smile.