The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-10-26
Coffee

Coffee
CONTINUED from Page ~
plies have been reaching Wash
ington from many cities for
three weeks.
SLABS BOARDING
There is no reason for any
one to run to the corner grocer,
put the squeeze on him and try
to force him to help a hoarder, +"
Henderson declared. There is
absolutely no excuse for hoard
ing coffee at this time.
"We're announcing the forth
coming rationing now because
we're going to have to talk to
a lot of people in the coffee in
dustry and elsewhere about the
administration Of the rationing
program.
Naturally, stories and rumors
will be creeping around about
what we propose to do. Most of
them will be entirely garbled
and thus create more confusion
and hysteria than even now ex-
lists on the subject of coffee. We
are therefore stating what we
plan to do so that the public can
get the story straight and from
an official source"
Eligibility will be determined
by the age shown on war ration
book No. / - the sugar book. If
the age shown when the book
was issued in May was Is or
older, the holder is entitled to
coffee rations; if ii or young
err, the book is not valid for
coffee purchases. Use of the
book for sugar will continue as
in the past.
In the light Of normal
United States per capita con-
sumption, the new yearly ra-
ton rate of 1914 pounds for
each of the country's 93,000,-
600 adults certainly is not a
drastic reduction" Henderson
asserted. 1t compares, how
ever, with 16 pounds per capita
in l94l. the all-time high con-
sumption year.
NOT DRASTIC
Henderson added:
For ten years before 1941
we consumed about Is pounds
of coffee a year. Last year, due
to abnormal demands, this fig
ure jumped to about 16 pounds.
Thus far, in 1912, we have con-
sumed coffee at the rate Of
about 1875 pounds annually.
Therefore, a ration of one pound
each five weeks per person GER
tainly is not a drastic reduc-
ton"
Full details of beverage ra-
tioning, including the method Of
distribution to hotels, restaur-
ants and other commercial
users, will be given out in the
next few days, OPA said. :.
Behind the whole problem is
the shortage of shipping; there
is ample coffee in Brazil. big
gest u. S. source of imports,
and at least normal supplies
are in this country. However,
even in normal times only a
two-or- three-months' supply is
held in this country. Added to
the shipping uncertainty is the
steeply-mounting military de-
mand and bigger civilian pur-
chasing power.
BLAME HOARDERS
However, WPB officials be-
lieved the country could have
got along fairly well under in
formal rationing by grocers -
lone pound to a customer" -
had not the buying surge by
householders developed.
One cause of this was the
tin shortage. The impending dis
appearance Of vcauum-packed
coffee cans prompted many per-
sons to lay in a supply. In one
city, grocers even resorted to
punching holes in the tins at the
time of sale to try to stop
boarding a practise OPA
frowned upon while sympathiz-
ing with the motive.
Despite official warnings that
coffee packed in the normal
way quickly loses flavor and
aroma, the buying rush by
housewives spread from city to
city. with Boston. Columbus,
Chicago and other places re-
porting customers forming in
line for coffee in the morning.
Raleigh, N. c., last week re-
ported an alleged BLACK mar
ket" situation in which coffee
was being sold at UP to IS cents