The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-26
66 CLOTHING COUPONS ARE CHALLENGE TO BRITAIlN'S CAGY WOMEN SHOPPERS

over the British public. To begin with, he gave the news too late for most people to rush the stores and timed 1t 50 that the off1cial Whitstin holiday came in between. He struck hard and fast, but strangely enough there has been little resentment. While there were a few leakages to the otherwise secret ofiicial negotia- tions, the great majority of the pub- lie first learned of the new decree from their Sunday paper.
 Fair distribution is what the gov- ernment is aiming at. Stocks are getting lower and lower, and valu- able shipping space is needed for the transport of food and war material before anything else. Wardrobe planning is going to assume the pro- portions of a major field operation for most people and woe betide the man or woman who just cannot think or plan ahead.
 People with large wardrobes of course will feel the pinch, but on the other hand they will have large reserves to fall back on. It's the less fortunate, so-called "white-collar class" (the typists, shops assistants. clerks) who are going to be hard put to 1t to preserve appearances on 66 coupons year. "Shabbiness," de- clared Captain Lyttleton over the wireless, after his decision had been made known to the general public, twill be as glorious as the battle. stained uniform of the warrior"
 LOoPHoLEs WILL
 BE STOPPED
 Three wornen--a business girl, 8 housewife and an experienced store buyer--and five men, all experts in trade administration, and of vary- ing ages and tastes, advised the Board of Trade. There will be some amendments of the scheme, because some aspects of the results of this rationing were overlooked.
 The "wanglers" of course got busy just as soon as they could. Women tried re-dated orders to stores for yard goods as well as ready-to-wear garments, hoping they would be lucky enough to have them accepted.
 One speciality shop in Mayfair was literally besieged by women with fat pocketbooks, ready to buy as much as $100 worth of quality fabrics at a time. They met with no success at all, despite attempts to bribe sales- women. Win the scheme coming ir- to operation immediately, no retail- CT, however tempted, would have risked making Q sale without cou- pons, in view of the fact that in fu- ture all replacemeats will have to be done against coupons. :.
 One of the loopholes overlooked by the Board of Trade was soon spotted by smart women. All house- hold goods--sheets, curtains, blan- kets, bed covers-were unrationed. Stores found themselves selling large quantities of these articles which women proposed to turn into sum- mer frocks, sports coats and dress. ing gowns. Another 1oophole-sec- ond-hand clotnes-is being closed up by the authorities, because here too waf1gling would and could evade the "fair-to-all" rationing scheme. BOOM IN SPECIALIZED
 
 TRADES PROBABLE
 Extravagant fashions, as well as white weddings, will suffer arl eclipse until the end of the war. so far, though, lace and net are not if1- cluded in the clothes rationir1g, nor are hats. Already shops are going over their lace stocks-old and new --and this fabric Is scheduled for an unprecedented vogue until stocks run out.
 Working out the clothes coupon, 1t seems as though women will have to manage on one frock 6 year, while a coat will have to last two years and a suit three. This is the only way to make the rations coupons cover all the odds and ends which 6 woman r,eeds--shoes, stockings, Slips