Evening star., 1942-11-22
Rotioning Is Only Fair Sharing,
Woman Economist Declares
Mrs. Howe Urges
Housewives to Face
Facts on Shortages
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

as tney properly ShOuld be, accord
ing to Harriet R. Howe, editor of
Consumers Education Service, pub
lished by the American Home Eco
nomics Association.
Mrs. Howe, who makes her home
at 1928 TWenty-ninth street NV,
is home economics expert in her
own right, and the wife of Col. Paul
E. Howe, nationally known food
nutritionist attached to the Office
of the Surgeon General, U. S. A.
'Rationing is only fair sharing"
she emphasized, 1T has its brighter
side, too, no matter how big its ap-
parent inconvenience are looming
IN the minds of American house
wives just now. For, only when the
individual home is geared to all-out
effort toward winning a war is a
nation wholly dedicated to the will
to win"
With regard to the general limi-
tations, greater curtailments and
greater food shortages which are
inevitable, even with the tremend-
ously Frightening war picture of the
last week, Mrs. Howe thinks the
patriotic women of America can do
three things Immediately toward in
tensifying Americas effort.
Modify Home Practices.
First" she stressed, I'VE can in
telligently modify our home prac-
tices to the point of temporarily
lowering our scale of living, if need
be, as concrete part of an all-out
effort for victory. Second, we can
accepts the facts as they are, in the
spirit Of cooperation for which
America has always been famous,
instead of fussing about them and
running around in circles trying
to hoard or otherwise beat the game
by restoring to numerous time and
energy consuming subterfuges, that
can avail us nothing as far as the
whole picture is concerned. Third,
we can inform ourselves as to why
ratlonlng must be, SO as to make
constructive, contributive effort,
instead Of hampering one"
Discussing the necessity for cur
tailments and food rationing. Mrs.
Howe also called attention to the
impossibility of materially stimulat-
ing Americas agricultural program
to any appreciable extent because
of such limitations as the short age
of farm labor, equipment, fertilizer,
seeds, machinery and parts for farm
tools.
Agriculture, she said, "already is
diverting tremendous pre-war acre
ages of les important, so-called
seasonal luxury crops to the step
ping up Of soy beans, peanuts, and
such dry edible crops as beans, peas,
and corn, in addition to furthering
meat, poultry and dairy production -
Some Families Ate Too Much.
AS evidence of Americas meat
loving proclivities, she quoted statis-
tics from reports, which showed
that as far back as 1856, families
in the United States with incomes
under $500 a year ate an average
of TO pounds of meat, or 512 ounces
per person per week. While those
with an income of $1,000, ate 26O
pounds Of meat. or pounds per
person a week. These figures mean,
she maintained, that those who
could afford it ate too much and
millions right here in our own
country ate too little"
Food rationing, besides being
necessary to completely win this
war, is the only sound answer to
food shortages today" Mrs. Howe
continued. In addition to all OF
the first call of the armed forces
and lease lend needs, there is an
enormously increased demand for
food at home due to the vastly in
creased buying power of the Ma
ton brought about by war indus
tries"
In her opinion. too much praise
cannot be given the national nutri-
ton program, which is stressing the
need for better and wiser feeding
of all groups of citizens through
greater emphasis on more milk
eggs, fruits and green and yellow
vegetables to improve health.
In this connection, she reminded
that the school lunch program alone
has made a Nation wide improve
ment in child health. Improved
lunches for industrial workers have
also succeeded in so building up
physical fitness and curtailing such
detriments to health as the common
cold as actually to increase the
factory output of war materials.
Will Improve Health.
Attention was called to the fact
that Americas prospective meat
rationing of 212 pounds of meat per
person week, with no limitations
for the present on butter, cheese,
eggs, fish or poultry. cannot be con-
sidered drastic in comparison with
the meat rationing for other ma
tlols. The British. for instance, are
issuing l pound of meat per per-
son, the Germans according to the
last figures obtainable, a of a
pound, the Belgians, 5 ounces, and
the Italians, from 3l2 to Az ounces
incidentally, Mrs. Howe believes
we can still have very good food on
our contemplated meat rationing
basis. and that it may even improve
our general health and fitness in
line with the experience of the
British.
Basic courses in nutrition. she re-
minded, are being offered every
where by the American Red Cross
and other national agencies, in ad-
dition to the innumerable releases
being made to the press of the
Nation on how to prepare foods that
will stick to our ribs in place of
meat"
She especially commended the
weekly Market Basket Bulletin" of
the Bureau of Home Economics of
the DeO3 rtment of Aprir1llt1lre &c