Evening star., 1942-02-01
Civilians Face
Rapid Spread
Of Rationing
Growing Discussion
Of Proper Methods
INDICATES Trend
BY FRANK MacMILLEN,
Wide World Busines5 Writer

Wide World Business Writer.
NEW YORK, Jan. 31-Direct
rationing of supplies to the ultimate
consumer, already effective for auto
mobiles and tires and coming for
sugar, is likely to be considerably
more widespread shortly, in the
opinion Of businessmen questioned
today.
Authorities In key consumer goods
fields were generally reluctant to
talk for the record because, they
pointed out, the mere suggestion Of
impending shortages was often
enough to cause consumer "runs"
on the available supplies which, If
handled carefully, might last for
many months.
1t appeared significant, however,
that in conversations among them
selves and in trade and financial
publications there was growing dis
cUssion of proper forms and metho6s
of parceling goods to civilian users.
Within the last few days such
diverse publications as Business
week and the Survey of the
Guaranty Trust Co. of New York
have examined for their readers the
British experience in direct ration
ing and inquiries among such diverse
trades as clothing, coffee, hardware.
gasoline, canned foods and others
indicates the idea Is at least In the
discussion stage.
Whole Picture Changed.
Business Week said today:
THE whole picture has changed
in the last six weeks. For instance,
it is no longer matter of being
able to feed and clothe ourselves.
New plans are being made on the
basis of the United Nations, not only
for the United States. That means
300 1000 900 people to consider, not
just 1870 100000 who happen to live
in the United States, plus $4,000 900
in Britain.
1T Is this broad, new concept OF
our responsibility in the war which
has caused the officials of the Office
of Price Administration to look care
fully at British experience with con-
sumner rationing and business lead
ers to admit slowly that there may
be. more parallels with Britain than
at first seemed likely because Of
our far greater economic self-sufh-
ciency."
The doling out of scarce materials
in this country, experts pointed out,
so far has been tackled mainly at
what they call the first and second
levels"-that is, by ALLEGATION or
priority arrangements covering the
raw material or the semi-manufac-
tured product.
Sugar is First Food.
Sugar is the first food to approach
the rationing stage, while new tires
and automobiles, among the semi
durable goods" are already forbid
den to the average consumer, and
non-defense housing is banned in
the durable goods list.
Businessmen who have studied the
British system of rationing we're
watching closely the operations of
our own limited efforts. They said
they believed the automobile and
sugar programs would provide sort
of guinea pig test" for developing
our methods, which might in some
cases parallel British practice and
in others depart sharply from it.
Our forthcoming card system for
doing sugar, they said, resembled
the British method for most scarce
foodstuffs, though there the restric-
tions cover such diverse items as
butter, bacon, hams, sugar, tea, all
fats, cheese, milk. jam and eggs.
Fresh meats, because of wide va
riations in quality, are rationed by
value, with each person entitled to
about 80 cents worth weekly.
Gasoline brands have disappeared,
with the British government in con-
troll of all stocks. 1t is all simply
called pool petrol" and the citizen
who has car and can prove need
can get about four gallons a month
with ration card.
Clothing and many kinds Of can
ned foods are distributed on still
different system, the point
method"
Principle is Simple.
Complicated in operation, this
system is simple in principle and
can be best illustrated by the
method for handling clothing. Each
person is given 66 points" (repre-
sented by a book of coupons) and
each piece of clothing has specific
point value, regardless of what it
may cost. A mans woolen trousers
are points, child's shorts 3 points,
four women'S handkerchiefS,
point.
Within the limit of the point sys-
tenn, Mr.. and Mrs. John Bull are
allowed to buy whatever they can
get in the shops and pay for 1t what
their pocketbooks will allow.
The automobile. never a common
gadget of British life, has almost
disappeared as rationing prob
lem, observers said. No new pas
Senger cars have been built since
1899 so there has been no problem
of parceling. Gasoline and rubber
rationing have made their use, in
any case, impractical for the average
citizen, it was said, and high taxes,
high cost of living and bombing
have caused most people to lay up
private cars.
While no competent observer here
was inclined to take British practice
in rationing as a literal blue print
Of what was to be expected here,
the following from the Survey" ex-
pressed a common point of view:
'"The British experience seems to
demonstrate that voluntary
methods in complete mobilization
for war can be fully adequate only
in its early stages.
1T Is to be expected, accordingly,
that increasingly these methods will
be replaced by one or another kind
Of compulsion, In the United States
as well as in Great Britain, as uni
fled action anr,roa rhes ifs y,aok