Evening star., 1942-12-18


in that commodities will be rationed
as groups Of related or similar items
instead of as individual items. 1t
will NOT replace the present
straight coupon system for sugar,
coffee or gasoline. These things are
items which every one uses, and
there are no widely used substitutes
for them which might be exhausted
by a rush of buying, thus working
hardship on number of people.
But this would not be true of many
other commodities. Take breakfast
cereals for a purely hypothetical ex-
ample. (Rationing of breakfast
cereals Is not contemplatedD
Suppose a shortage OF branfakes
were expected. (No shortage is ex-
pected, however, If branflakes were
rationed by the present straight
coupon system, they would be allot-
ted to many people who don't eat
them, while those who do eat them
regularly would find their allotment
far too small. This could easily
cause a buying rush on some other
cereal which would do as a substi-
tute, thus creating a shortage in
this second cereal, making 1t i'm
possible for its regular eaters to
obtain it.
Under point rationing all the va
rious cereals would be grouped and
division of the total supply Of all OF
them would give every one share
large enough to be of use. Each
cereal in the group would be given a
certain number of points, depending
on its plentitude or scarcity; plenti-
full kinds receiving loW-point rating
scarce varieties high point. Thus the
alphabetically scarce branf1akes
might be given a point value of II
while plentiful cornflakes received g
point value of l, and oatmeal
neither plentiful nor scarce, might
receive point value of 4.
Should purchaser want pounc
of cornf1akes, a coupon to the value
Of l would be surrendered. If 6
pound of oatmeal were ordered, 6
APPOINT coupon would be given up
To secure a pound of scarce bran.
fakes, II points would be taken from
War Ration Book No. 2.
Its up to each individual pur.
chaser to decide how to spend tht
points" in the book. He may buy
high-point commodities and receiv,
less for his ration or low-point item
and receive more.
Applied to food purchases poin
rationing indicates more menu
planned for a week in advance 81
that every bit of rationed food car
be used up and full value of tn,
points obtained. And as a happ,
result of this planning, meals ma,
we'll prove to be more interesting a.
more varied uses of the rationec
| purchases are devised.
"Mr. and Mrs. American Citizer
are certainly going to find them.
selves buying and using some thing.
they have never used before, Wher
point rationing gets working to full
extent. For when things they are
used to cost too many points for ad.
vantageous buying, other less famil
lar commodities will have to b,
chosen in their place. Particular,
in the matter Of food can this worl
to excellent advantage as unfamiliar
dishes are tried and liked.
above all point rationing is bouns
to develop high regard for quail
ity and for getting full value fo
money spent. Limited in the quan
tity OF any one item which may b,
purchased and forced to surrende
precious points for that item. it i
natural to insist on a quality which
will give satisfactory service durin,
the period in which it must be used
Many women who hitherto hav
bought blindly will now be induced
to read informative labels and lear,
exactly what they are getting TO
their money and their ration points
Utility will loom far more importan
than looks"