Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-11
BRITAIN ON RAT|0NS
DESPITE WARS END
United Kingdom Still Is Work.
ing Under Many Wartime
Restrictions.

CnCe Of the Associated IfeSs) ne
| end # one year Of n"aca .inds the United
! Kingdom still working under many Of
| the wartime restrictions affecting ordl-
: nary living conditions, although large
numbers of the orders have been re-
I scinded and others have been modified.
! So far as food is concerned, only
/ :uI@ar\a and bIttsr are now r.tt 'oG'ed. The
! regulations regarding the amount of
meat which might be purchased were
/ removed only q few days ago, about one
/ year after the close of the war. The
! consumption of liquor. however. is be-
! ing held down rigidly under the old
: rules. Necessities still rationed. which
vitality concern the home. include coal.
gas and electricity. The shortage of
fuel has been causing considerable
! hardship both to the individual and to
! industry.
! visable to continue the maximum prices,
! both wholesale and retail. which it fixed
i for 4 considerable number of necessi-
! ties.
! Great Shortage of Many Things.
| Apart from the matter of food and
| control of the expectation and impor-
! tation of a long list of articles. The
! ban has been removed from some goods
! hut this has been mainly III the case of
! forbidden and OF which the country
! found itself short
( Removal OF restrictions on most of
the food necessities has not solved the
/ l!Viig problem OF the masses. however
| There Is still a great shortage of many
! things, and moreover. prices. which went
down last summer, have now mounted
/ to about where they were at the sign
ing OF the armlStice.
! The increase is attributed partly to
the world scarcity of necessities, partly
| to the augmented demand from the re-
Gently belliSerent countries, and partly
to inflated currency and adverse foreign
| exchanges The last named have had a
promo lnced influence on prices and it
IS the belief of economic experts that
! food cannot become much cheaper until
these are adjusted. even though there
/ Is an INCREASE -! productions.
! Inc butter ration is placed at one
and one-half ounces for each person
per week. This refers to the imported
! product only, there being no reStric-
| tlOn on the use of homemade butter
! As a matter of fact. virtually no but
ter is being made in the United King
dom these days. so that the consumer
has to depend upon margarine ana
foreign butter
The reason there is so little home
| produced butter on the market is that
the retail price, approximately O.
cents Il pound. bears no relation to
! the actual cost of butter to the farm
err rms month farmers can sell milk
at ~ cents gallon. and it takes two
and half gallons of milk to produce
! Il pound of butter. If English butter
were selling at its true economic value
! II would he about Sl.2+ per pound
Until recently the sugar ration was
twelve ounces for each person De:
week. but, owing to the shortage thi.
allowance has been decreased to eighi
/ ounces, and is expected to remain at
| that mark for MANY months The
n no.
and sweets trades has been reduced
! by 70 per cent. and a further reduc-
ton Is expected with the new year
! Urged to Eat More Meat.
! butchers meat was rationed until
1eW days ago, each person being
falloWcd 40 cents worth per week IN
consequence of the receipt recent,
from Australia and New Zealand il
was found possible to remove all IA
tioning restrictions. and the food min
/ iS.ry has expressed the hope that PEG
/ PIE Will relieve the food situation BY
eating more meat. which is welcome
advice for England.
Despite the small r. ton. only about
: 80 per cent of the meat allowance W.,
! being demanded by ticket holders cacD
week. This was due eitfler to a chanc,
OF habits since the beginning of the wa.
| or to The high cost.
Whenever a butcher had a balance
| "f meat left over at the Week end he
was permitted to sell it TO any one
whether they had already had theii
ration or not. In this way some peo-
pie We're able to exceed the amour:
provided for by their permits
Sale of Liquor Restricted.
The sale of beer and spirits is still
restricted in quantity. and the
sIrengxl of both Deer and whisky
m 4 h1lnw 10
1t result. ii is said. there has been an
, increase in sobriety.
WHISKY is at present about 30 pei
cent under proof. Alcoholic drinks
can be purchased only between nooi
and $50 pm. and between and 10
O'Clock at night.
The food ministry still fixes whole
sale prices for number OF other com
modltles and the ministry is the ac-
tual purchaser and distributor O.
| cheese, bacon, ham, lard. dried fruits
bread. butter, cocoa powder con-
deilSed milk and canned fish The fix
ing OF the maximum price. it must b..
noted, does not prevent the sale of
goods for sum below that amount
/ and in many cases foodstuffs are be-
: ing vended much below the limit
fixed by law.
: The ministry is believed to be the
/ largest in the world. Its annual eX-
penditure is about 81 ,O00. O00, 900. TIL.
! object of the department is not to
make a profit. but in transactions nf
| this magnitude it is impossible to
! make both sides Of the account bal
: ance.
+ The actual figures are not vet avail
able, but il is expected that the profit
! this year viii not exceed $3.50. GOO
: Last year there Wa.; a profit of about
$50, 600, goo. the whole of which wa :
/ expended during the summer in sup
! plying certain articles of food below
| their cost price Thus the profit doc
not enrich the treasury, but goes en-
hrely for the benefit of the con-
sumner.
! The maximum coal ration was and
Sllli is nxcd a five tons for the indi
Nidual consumer for the year~beein-
! ming July /. 1919. Gas and electricity
are restricted accordingly. Business
also is under restrictions 1t is pro
Vided that the board of trade NAV is
sue special permits for the use of
coal, gas or electricity beyond the ra
ton. if it is deemed an absolute ne
cessty.