By: Dominic Nathan This was what a public notice said: "A restriction was made on the consumption of meat, poultry and game, fish, eggs and cheese. "Except with the written permission of a Supply Officer, no one is allowed to obtain, consume or supply more than one main dish and two subsidiary dishes for a single-meal." Two people were charged in 1942 with using milk for consumption in public places. Ting Choon Say, manager of a coffee-shop in Middle Road, was fined $200 or eight weeks' imprisonment. An assistant, Goh Ah Nong, was fined $100 or four weeks' imprisonment. Two revenue officers had entered the coffee-shop and saw a customer taking tea with milk. On going to the back of the shop, the officers noticed an opened tin of evaporated milk. The coffee-shop manager's defence was that he had opened the can before the imposition of food restrictions. Many Singapore residents were engaged in digging shelters during weekends and hundreds of slit trenches made their appearance all over the island. A possible mini-boom in pest control was one of the unforeseen developments to arise from the move if an advertisement (left) to clear white ants for a nominal fee was anything to go by. Even the letters to the press took on war tones. Here is a sampling: "The public cannot tell Allied forces' aircraft and ships from those of the Japanese. Could the newspapers print the silhouettes of the aircraft and ships of the two sides so that the public know when they need to run for cover?" Another letter writer said: "The air raid siren at Paya Lebar cannot be heard from more than a quarter mile away. Could something be done?" Rumours were the concern of another writer: "There are too many rumours going around. These are not founded on facts. Could these rumour-mongers be severely dealt with, as they pull down the morale of the public?" The Restricted Zone had yet to come into effect, but car pooling was already being encouraged. First published in The Straits Times, 1 March 1992 Previous Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.