Greenbelt cooperator., 1942-04-17
Sugar RatiOning
Called Improvement
Over Quota System
By JOHN CARSON

SuTeu again CillS WSch ny Vic OhlSC
of Price Administration that they
would be dealt with justly in any
rationing program approved by
OPA. Consumer Cooperatives also
were invited by OPA to help make
rationing effective and to help
prevent abuses of regulations.
Despite all the rumors to the
contrary-and another one comes
to hand as this is written-the ra-
tioning program is going to be
enforced, according to OPA. Reg
istration for merchants or distri-
butors of sugar will be held on
April 27 and %, and registration
of individual consumers will be
held On May a, 5, 6, and 7. The
actual rationing will get under
way as soon as the registration
is completed and the rationing
books are issued.
Cooperative WHOLESALERS and re-
tails which have not been able to
get sugar under the quota system
enforced by the War Production
Board, should have no difficulty
in getting a supply of sugar suffi-
cient to meet the demands under
the rationing program for 80
days. If refiners or other suppliers
refuse to supply sugar, coopera-
tives should report the facts i'm
mediately. AS the hour of ration
ing comes nearer, refners might
we'll be asked now to provide
sugar stocks.
The Cooperative League of the
USA has worked and struggled
with OPM and WPB and OPA to
relieve some of the burdens put
upon cooperatives by the quota
and rationing programs. At least
one cooperative organization
could get no sugar, and others,
whose memberships had grown
rapidly during the last year, were
bound by the quota system which
froze supplies to a consumer de-
mand of more than year ago.
"Under rationing, will coopera-
tives be granted a supply of sugar
sufficient to meet the demands
made on them by their consumer
members" The League asked
several months ago and both WPB
and OPA officials quickly said
they would.
"But we want to be certain
about this situation" The League
representative continued. "They
must have these supplies in ad-
vance of the date of the rationinr
program so that when rationing
coupons or books are presented
by consumers, the cooperatives
will have a supply of sugar avail
able. Otherwise, the cooperative
could never establish a right to a
supply of sugar"
The WPB official referred the
problem and the question to OPA
officials and OPA officials said
that any rationing program would
certainly provide for stocks of
sugar to meet any legal demand.
But this week, when uncertainty
developed again over rationing
and the stories of internal war
fare between WPB and OPA were
told again. The League represen-
tatives conferred with OPA off
cials. Leon Henderson, admin
strator, was not in Washington
but his assistants in charge of the
rationing educational program,
spoke for him. Other officials who
may have to administer rationing
of gasoline likewise assured The
League that cooperatives would be
treated just as any other distri-
butor was treated.
Consumers must register and
they must present their coupon
books under the rationing pro-
gram, if they want sugar. Coop
erative store managers are urged
by OPA to warn their members
that sugar will not be delivered
to them unless the coupon books
are presented and regardless of
any promise of future presenta-
tion of coupons.
eve want to avoid the Difficult
ties they had in England over
what some refer to as the black
market" said one of the OPA
officials. "Storekeepers were dis
posed to listen to any excuse the
customer might have for not hav-
ing his coupon book with him.
They granted credit, told the
customer to bring his book along
the next time. They got into all
kinds of difficulties until they
made it law, and one not to be
sighted in any way. to have
coupon books or get no sugar.
Now we want your coopative
storekeepers to make it emphatic