Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-25
FOOD RATIONS
IN GREAT BRITAIN
The Time Is Drawing Near When
the Government Will Have
to Take Complete
Control
By GILBERT VIVIAN sELDEs
Special Correspondence Eueniro Ledger

MUCH ado about meal tickets has been
lNl on the stage all this month, and the
first act has not been a happy one. The
news one gets is scant, but the reports
are all too full The newspapers, as is the
custom, serve up a dish compounded Of
facts, theories and their own principles, all
in the guse Of news. and this potpourri is
about the only food you can have as much
Of as you want
From this confusion II Is hard 10 make
any prophecies whatever The certain thing
s that neither food tickets nor any other
scheme Of compulsory rationing is yet a
definite part Of the Governments policy
Presumably the food controller is ready 10
put system into operation, and has the
machinery ready, but he is making a strong
stand against the powers which are clamor-
ing for immediate ratoning Of the whole
population The reasons for It are pretty
plain Perhaps the best is that Germany
hasn't weathered the storm Of popular dis
content with rationng. The Germans were
better situated to institute the system and
the German people were better suited to
stand the imposition II they failed, how
much worse will It be here? How infinitely
worse would it be for those in power
The British Government is today, for
the first time. responsible for the food Of
its citizens. By gradually taking over sup
plies by controlling -four mills, by regu.
latlng import and export Of food, by its
monopolies in certain foods, such as wheat
flour and sugar, by directing the movements
storage meat, the Government has made
itself directly responsible to the people. If
there is a shortage Of food, and most par
ticuary if there is a breakdown in dis
tribution, the people will know exactly
whom to blame
Problem of Distribution
Now what the Government has to do, and
what It is trying hard to do in this crisis,
is 10 insure distribution. The authorities
seem to be convinced that II the supply Of
bread is popularity dlstributed-that is, with
not too much to any indivdual-there will
be enough for all II has, up to this time,
concentrated on only the first part OF this
problem--it has tried TO limit consumption
and boarding 80 that no small group luxu-
riates in unlimited sugar while the masses
go without. And the talk Of rationlng the
people has all been on this one point. People
write to the papers begging to be given
tckets--or, rather. begging that other
people should be given tickets-entitling
them to buy so much bread per week, or
per day, or per meal But only a few
people have realized that II you give a man
a ticket emitting him to four pounds of
bread a week, you must be prepared to
give him his four pounds when he presents
his ticket That part Of the rationing
scheme is always left out in the cold.
It is the essential part. and IL the chance
Of war should bring the United States to the
point where she will have to control her
food directly, that will be the part which
the experience Of Europe will teach us to
emphasize. Because within three months the
impossibility of any negative scheme will
be shown in this country, if such scheme
is ever begun here The last throw against
It is the Honor System" I have just
seen two examples Of it.
The first is in Muswell Hill, virtually a
part Of London. This community has re-
duced its bread ration far below the four
pound per head per week allowed by Lord
Devonport. When the report came out that
the unusual community Of Keighley (pro-
nounced Kiethey) had consumed only a
little over three pounds per head per week.
several other towns decided to make race
for supremacy. The thing was done with
out prearrangement, but the local pride Of
the towns was aroused and a considerable
saving Of food was effected. The people
enjoyed it, for once. But I happened to be
lunching in Muswen Hill just after the rec
ord was announced, and I think there will
be a relapse, unless the spirit of rivalry is
kept up. "Details exclsed by the censor.l
Registered Orders
one idea which has found some support
in the large cities 10 that of registered
orders This system combines the two parts
Of the rationlng scheme--it limits con-
sumption and at the same time it guaran-
tees to each person the right to buy a fixed
quantity of food. With tickets or without,
this system will never disappoint, because
essentially it consists Of knowing in ad.
vance how much bread, for example, will
be needed each week, and of supplying that
is, the Government accepts the RESPONSE
bility as soon as it imposes restriction.
Registered orders work in this way: The
housewife, wherever she lives, places an
order for so much bread, meat sugar and
tea with her respective dealers every Mon
Gay The dealer sees TO il that no order
exceeds the amount allowed by the food
controller. Then he totals his orders and
sends them in to his wholesalers. Hotels
and restaurants and cooperative stores do
the same. The food controller then allots
the required amount 10 each wholesaler. II
next week the supply indicates that the
nation must eat 25 per cent less, the food
controller issues only IS per cent of the
orders and the retailer or shopkeeper gives
each customer three-quarters of the amount
ordered With a little leeway for people
whose families are suddenly increased las
by men on leave) and for those who forgot
10 order the system can be worked with a
minimum of aggravation. An established
limitation OF prices on the foods so rationed
removes the last vestige Of prohteerlng
I have some reason to believe that this
scheme or a variant of II, will presently
be offered instead Of the haphazard system
of Issuing tickets, which serve to limit the
amount consumed, but do nothing to guar.
antee each individual his minimum.
There is very little talk now about the
people mot standing" for rations What
the people want is a certain amount of