Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-28
Retail Grocers Assai|
Early Disclosure Of
Rationing Plans
fChuirmon FuImer Also
Says Announcement Is
'Tip-Oft' for Hoording
y TIE Associated Press.

es tie Associated Press.
A spokesman for the National AS
ISOLATION of Retail Grocers and
Chairman Fulmer of the House
Agriculture Committee joined today
in. condemnation of the Food Ad-
illustrations announcement, more
than a month in advance, of its
plans to ration more than 200 kinds
Of commercially processed foods.
I'VE deplore Government officials
giving the INSCRIPTIONS portion of
the public a month to do their
boarding" said Mrs. Rose Marie
Kiefer, the grocers' secretary, at
Chicago. She said rationing would
be necessary next year, but there
is no shortage at the present time"
Mr.. Fulmer told reporters ration
ing authorities had promoted a
buying wave and encouraged hoard
ing"
Price Administrator Leon Hen
derson, in announcing last night
Food Administrator Wickard's or
ders to ration canned, frozen and
dried fruits and vegetables. as well
as soups. tomato products and
juices, said, The reasons for an
nouncing the program this far in
advance may be found in the mag
nitude of the job to be done before
rationing can begin
100000 Volunteers Needed.
He said 100000 OPA volunteers
would have to be recruited and
trained in connection with the
registration for ration book No. 2,
under which the foods will be dis
tributed.
Some stores reported runs" but
many already had established
limits of one or two cans of each
food to a customer Chain store
executives in New York said the
announcement makes it legal" eX-
planning they have limited sales for
months. A survey showed II of
13 stores in one Ohio district doing
the same Samuel Leask, Southern
California director of OPA, said
many grocers there had limited
canned goods purchases for some
time, at OPAs request.
In New Haven, Conn, several re-
tail stores reported inquiries from
persons seeking to buy canned foods
by the dozen. Independent stores
there were selling only two or three
cans to each person, and chain
stores for several weeks had limited
sales to one can of each variety
President Alfred J. Poth of the Con-
necticut State Retail Grocers' AS
ISOLATION said the situation presented
personal problem for each
grocer.
Advises Emptying Shelves.
William Eden, director Of pur-
chases for American Stores Co.. said
in Philadelphia The only thing
for retailer to do is to take his
goods off his shelves, especially in
the self-serving markets"
Mr.. Fulmer commented:
The procedure is ridiculous. The
announcement this far is advance
can only result in a wave of buying
end boarding, which will aggravate
the situation 1t is only natural
that housewives who use canned
foods extensively will start stocking
up, especially when they are warned
in advance that they had better get
all they can while the getting is
good"
Mr.. Fulmer said the decision to
ration canned foods amounted to
belated official recognition of the
truth of the Agriculture Commit
tees repeated warnings of the past
that food shortage was developing.
This thing should have been
taken in hand long ago instead of
waiting this long he commented.
And when it was decided that ra-
tioning was necessary. there should
not have been an advance official
tipoff. Instead. the first announce
ment should have frozen sales of
all such food until the rationing
machinery was set up
Henderson Cites Penalties.
Mr. Henderson pointed out that
each consumer registering for the
new ration book would have to de-
clare all commercially procesSed
foods in his possession, and heavy
penalties are provided for any ap-
plicant who makes false declara-
ton"
In San Francisco, Lingan A.
Warren, president of the Safeway
Stores. said housewives, spectators
or cannery operators have huge
quantities of canned goods stored
away.
Somewhere along the line a lot
Of canned goods have disappeared, -"
he declared. It's a mystery to me -
MIR. Warren used canned peas as
an illustration He said that % 00O,-
900 to 100000 cases have been
packed annually. This year, he said,
the Government wanted 100000