The thrupenny bit, tanner and ﬂorin are gone

Jul 11, 2007 at 10:22 AM
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Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of New Zealand’s decimalization day. And I think we all agree, given how incapable our kids are of doing sums in their heads, that it is better that there are not 20 shillings to a pound and 12 pence to a shilling, and that a half-crown was two and six.
Still, not a mention of Finance Minister Robert Muldoon, whose triumph this was, in the telecasts I saw. I take it that the media continue to hate the man here, or misunderstand the role of such figures in our history. This is such a young nation.

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Young nations have to live through growth periods that are sometimes unruly, or confusing. Somehow, they usually, come through it in one piece, and better than before.

True. In this form, M., New Zealand has been around only since 1840. I guess that places us to when the first Roosevelt was in office there, historically. But it does annoy me we ignore some of our past leaders, at our peril, I say.

It's not just the young un's. Recently while buying 10 sheets of illustration paper I was stunned, as I stood there holding a $10 note ready to pay, when the assistant (who wasn't young) got a calculator to work out 10 x 0.95 = $9.50...

Oh my goodness. I did hear of one story in the 1980s where there was a 10 per cent off for 10, 20 per cent off for 20 sale. I do not recall the price or the goods, but let’s say it was $10 for this example. The clerk charged the former family friend $18 for 20, on the basis that 10 per cent off the first 10 items plus 10 per cent off the second 10 equalled 20 per cent.

The thrupenny bit, tanner and ﬂorin are gone

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