New Britain herald., 1918-02-26
LONDON GOES ON
 RATIONING SYSTEM
Even King George Must Obey Re-
 StrCtionS on Food

l London. Feb. 26.--Thc compulsory ] rationing of meat. butter and mar
 gariIhe to the populace. from the King ] to the humblest citizen. began yester-
 day In London and some of the coun- ! ties of England. aggregating more ] than 10,000,00O souls.
 1 In four weeks the ratonng of l meat will become general throughout l the country. and four or five weeks later national rationing scheme which can be applied as the necessity
 arises to any stable foodstuFs also win be operative.
 Although the departure is deScrib- ed perhaps the greatest social rev olution in the history Of England. the people accepted It without com plaint and in many places welcomed it as ending the necessity. for stand ing in long lines at markets and stores awaiting their turn, rich and poor alike, to obtain supplies. No ore will be able to buy butter. margarine or meat without cards. On the meat cards there are four coupons for each week. of which only three may be used in the pur- chase of butchers meats, such as beef, mutton and pork, of which the allowance per person weekly is one and a quarter pounds and for chil- dren under 10 years of age ten ounces. The butter or margarine ra- tion Is four ounces per person weekly. The newspapers give more promn- ence to the new rationng plan than to any other news and urge every body to be cheerful and tolerant bout initial hitches in the scheme, to give it fair chance.
 They add that no one need fear Icing una ble to get rations, and that, therefore. there is no necessity to lush to the butcher and grocery stores
 II was an interesting sight to see business and professional men, guests of hotels and other persons while lunchjng today 6shing in their rockets and producing meat cards. from which the walters took coupons before serving them. Because the population already is accu stoned to carrying it's own sugar cards the ad- ditiOnal requirement respecting meat did not work any hardship.
 Those who failed to receive meat cards in time contenteu themselves with fish and vegetables. The local food committees were busy all day is- suing emergency meat cards to those who were late in applying for the regular cards.
 While the lines before the food shops Saturday were the longest yet seen and depleted the accumu ulation of supplies. the food ministry an rounrod that there was still enough meat and marga rine on hand to al low everybody their fixed share.
 Tho effect of the new scheme will be to abolish public dinners in clubs l and hotels, unless they are confined principally to fish and vegetables. | There a lrcady is talk in certain clubs l of com bininG to stock lakes or pri- ! yatc waters with fish for their own use.
 The success of the plan. so far as it l relates to conserving availa blc sup ! plies of meat and bringing abOTt a | more even distribution among all l classes. was indicated quickly. The l restaurants and hotels offered meat | dishes for luncheon as usual but few l purchased them. At one of the larg- | est restaurants in the city only four l meat orders were served. and at 1 others few, if any. were dispensed.
 As butter and margarine long ago 1 virtually disappeared in the reStau- rants. the ratonins plan is little mo- ticcd except in homes, where the dis tributiOn undoubtedly is more even.