Evening star., 1942-01-30
Henderson Studies
LIST ofCommoditie
He May Ration
Products Kept Secret
To Avoid Defeat Of
Programs Purposes
By THOMAS C. HARDMAN.

BY THOMAS c. HARDMAN.
The Once Of Price Administra-
ton, now vested with full authority
to take up a notch in the belts Of all
Americans, is surveying the retail
commodities field 70 determine
where next the rationing ak must
fall.
Specific rationing plans now in
the making are confined to sugar
and automobiles. but there are daily
indications at the o. P. A. that as
soon as these programs are COM
pleted, plans for consumer alloca-
ton Of other products will be In
stituted.
What these products will be Is
kept a close secret by Price Admin
istrator Henderson and his assocl-
ates, who point out that premature
publishing of items high on the ra-
tioning agenda will defeat the pur-
pose of the program.
Some idea of the future program
can be obtained. however. by taking
a look at the list of products where
In shortages admittedly exist, or are
foreseen. Among the possibilities
are fats and oils, coffee, paper prod
ucts, soaps and paints, and such
household articles as refrigerators,
radios and vacuum cleaners.
Each Item on Separate Basis.
No complete retail rationing plan
is being contemplated. Every item
which has to be rationed will be al
located on a separate basis. Some
programs will be similar. For IN
stance, the sugar plan conceivably
could be adopted in most OF Its 1ea-
lures for the rationing OF another
food product.
A refrigerator, however, could not
be rationed on the same basis as
sugar, Just as the tire rationing pro-
gram now In effect differs In VIZ
trally every detail from the penang
sugar ALLEGATION program.
Names of boards set up to ration
tires-and consequently tagged tire
rationing boards-already have been
changed simply to rationing boards
hut some officials doubt whether
these agencies, scattered In every
community In the Nation, will have
the lob of rationing all products
placed under the program in future.
tits assumed in official circles that
these boards will have charge OF
automobile rationing as this func-
ton would be closely akin to their
established duties. Some doubt has
been expressed whether they Will be
called on to handle the sugar pro-
gram, although the boards would be
physically able to do so by vast ex-
pansion Of personnel.
Few Details Disclosed.
Few details of the sugar rationing
plan have leaked out. Officials have
made it known that ration cards or
books are being printed. Their use
alone will be a distinct departure
from the system used in the last
war whereby grocers themselves saw
to it that their own customers
bought no more than the 3-pound
per person monthly allotment. This
ration later dropped to 2 pounds.
Who will get ration cards, how
they will be distributed and what
enforcement agencies are to be
charged with responsibility for the
program-these are few OF the
details which have not come to light.
The per person ration OF sugar
when the pending program is
adopted will be little higher than
that at the outset Of the rationing
program during the last war. Mr..
Henderson has estimated that no
more than three-fourths of a pound
each week will be allowed an in
dividual.
When Donald M. Nelson, War
Production Board chief, gave full
rationing authority to the O. P. A.
this week, he made it clear that
broadening of the consumer ration
ing program is inevitable. Critical
shortages exist in many basic raw
materials which are more important
now in war production than In
ordinary civilian channels.
Mr.. Nelson, as we'll as Mr.. Hen
derson, realizes the average Amer
ican is in for rough going. Many
luxuries even now taken for granted
soon are going to be out for the
duration. These officials have ad-
mitted privately that the outlook
for the average citizen is much
darker than it has been made to
appear publicly.
The standard of living is bound
to be lowered. A housewife won't
be able to take her money to the
corner store and come back with
foods for dinner-as-usual. Within
three weeks she will have the Gov
ernment looking over her shoulder
when she buys her sugar-and she
won't be able to get enough for the
usual pies and cakes and candies.
A vegetable will have to be knocked
of the menu here and there, and
even an occasional meat dish Is
going to be eliminated, price con-