Tag Archives: 1952

1952 Prospects in New Zealand

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Prospects in New Zealand

Mitcham displays an interest

Mitcham Vestry Hall was crowded on Wednesday and Thursday nights last week to see a New Zealand Government talkie film on the prospects for emigrants to that country.

The film was supplemented by a more intimate and up-to-date talk by a representative of the New Zealand Government, who invited questions — and got them.

One young Irishman asked if there was any prospect of conscription out there.
“There is. If the need arises,” he was told.

The free passage scheme is now open to single men and women of British race, who are accommodated in hostels. Married folk are not encouraged to emigrate unless than are certain of accommodation and are themselves skilled workers in certain trades.

Questions elicited the information that the cost of living in New Zealand was roughly the same as in this country; and that wages on the average were a little higher. Carpenters, for example, got £9 12s. 7d. for a working week of 40 hours. Builders’ labourers received a basic rate of £8 16s. 6d. Women footwear operatives
were paid £5 10s. 5d. a week.

Source : Mitcham News & Mercury, 24th July 1952

Inflation adjusted, the weekly wages quoted, £9 12s. 7d. is around £270 in 2016, and £8 16s. 6d. is £250, while £5 10s. 5d. is about £160.

170 to 174 Church Road

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A terrace of 4 shops, with flats above, numbers 170, 172, 172A, 172B, going north on the east side of Church Road. Number 174 is a shop at the northern end of this terrace on the corner with Hawthorn Avenue.

Photo taken 13th February 2022

When the Patel family took over the shop around 1974/5 their daughter Shalini was born, and so they named it after her. The shop is still known by locals as Shalini’s even though it changed hands around 2017. The new owners tried to retain the name in their logo, but a mistake was made in the spelling.

“SHAHINI” in the logo

With planning permission 18/P3567, the shop was enlarged with the upper flat’s side entrance being moved further along Hawthorne Avenue.

The shops in 2022 were

170 : Danmirr Associates
172 : New Wonder Chinese Takeaway
172A : The Sandwich Box
172B : Friends Food and Wine
174 : Express Newsagent

The shops in 2015 were

170 : Danmirr Associates
172 : New Wonder Chinese Takeaway
172A : S & J Sandwich Bar
172B : off-licence
174 : Shalini’s Newsagent

From the 1930 commercial directory:

172 : Ronald W. FAWTHORP M.P.S., chemist
172A : George William ROPER, hairdresser

According to a fellow on the Facebook Mitcham History Group, the corner shop,
number 174 :

was Reeds … it was ran by two ladies, one extremely old the other may of been her daughter, the barbers was Frank Gretch’s shop, Kents/Jacks sweet shop was taken over in the early 70s by footballer Butch Wilkins parents for a short while, the last shop was always empty then became a cafe, then a Chinese takeaway, next to that was the rubber belt factory Belatas I think, then became Gough bros wine warehouse

In a planning application for number 172A, Merton Council refused the change of use for the sandwich shop to residential because:

The application site is located on land that was historically used as a varnishing works. There are no records to indicate that remediation works were carried out on the site at the time the present properties were built. The applicant has failed to provide a land contamination report with submission of the application to demonstrate that there will be no adverse risk to future occupiers. Proposed development is there a risk due to the risk from the land contamination.

Source: Planning application 16/P1540.

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.