In message , derek
writes


The whole British Imperial System was eminently workable.

A Rod, Pole, or Perch. was the standard width of a Victorian terraced
house in London. and equalled a standard number of bricks.

It was also equal to the length of a farm hands staff used for
"encouraging" teams of oxen pulling a plough, conveniently to hand
when measuring the amount of ploughing done.

The "old money" system conveniently divided the pound into 1/10ths, (2
shillings) and 1/8ths (half crown) 1/20th (shilling) and 1/40thcoins.
Leading to a ready made scale of inflexible price points which
discouraged inflation. Eg bananas 2'6 per pound (not 12.5p per 454
grammes), a 2oz bar of chocolate 6d.

I'm not quite sure where you've been for the last 100 years, but they
don't build Victorian terraced houses any more, and (this might come as
a bit of a shock to you), farm hands ploughing with oxen are a bit of a
rarity nowadays.

While I can still think in £sd if I try, what's the use? it's gone, it
is no more it's a relic of the past. The rest of the UK has moved on,
try it.


You can't whack it.

The chocolate price stayed the same for many years 'till some stupid
government tried to put a luxury tax on it which would have made it
7 1/2 pennies so the manufacturers altered the weight and that was how
inflation started in the '60s.

Aah, so that is the root cause of a broom cupboard going for a million
pounds in London - that's OK then


DG



--
geoff