The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-05-14

Sausage Wasted
Due to Too High
Ration Points
BY Charles p. Stewart

queer way OF conserving wartime S
food supplies.
To be exact, the sausage so dis
posed OF is not perfectly good. II
is spoiled. However, it would have
been consumed by human beings
before It went bad instead OF being
condemned by the public health
authorities as no longer fiji for any
thing but a sewer TO digest, II IL
had not been for Director Prentiss
Browns Office Of Price Administra-
tons prolonged refusal 10 permit
the sale upon terms that the coun-
iry's housewives have been willing
TO accept.
The House OF Representatives
committee on small business dug
up the evidence, following com
plants from the sausage and cas-
ing industries spokesman that their
trade was going TO smash, that 70
10 so per cent OF their workers had
lost their Jobs and that a number OF
their weenie.making plants had
closed up or we're about to do SO,
When point-rationing began TO be
talked about initially, representa-
tons were made to officials Of
both OPA and the Agriculture De-
partment to the effect that sausage
was a very staple article Of Amer
lean diet. especially 10 toilers who
take lunches with them to their
places Of employment, and an ur'
gent plea was submitted to emer'
gency authority 10 place no points
whatever upon that particular edi-
bility. or, anyway, 10 keep them as
low as possible.
The result was a decree OF seven
points on sausage, seven on roast
beef and eight on sirloin.
On that basis, the housewife
promptly elected TO take roast beer
in preference to sausage and even
preferred sirloin at eight cents 10
sausage at seven. she considered
either OF them better bargain than
the seven-point "sissidge.
The result was that sausages i'm
mediately began TO spoil on the re-
tailers hands. There no longer was
an adequate demand for them.
The market disorganization was
80 obvious that OPA agreed to
one-point sausage reduction, down
10 six points. The housewife still
baked at the lowered sausage fig
ure.
Following the seven to six-point
reduction, the congressional small
business committee conducted
general survey. 1t ascertained that,
In a single recent week. we pro-
duced 10000 900 pounds OF sausage,
OF which 100000 pounds spoiled
and had TO be dumped down sewers.
II struck the committee members
as pretty substantial percentage,
AMI they have been hollering for
good sized additional cut-down.
OPA Director Prentiss Brown AMI
Chester Davis, his collaboration, had
to admit that remedial measures
were required.
Latest information cit may have
been acted on beforee these lines
can be printed) is that a cut TO four
sausage points should be Endorsed
bv OPA's management. The saus'
age-makers point. though, is that
two points is all they can survive
under.
incidentally. sausage Is made
from meat trimmings which have
not much food value for other pur-
poses.
How much the sausage industry
amounts to. industrially and COM
mercially. Is testified to by the con-
gressional small business commit
tees report that 00,Oo0,OOO
pounds OF its products were preyi-
ously sold 10 the public annually
not counting farm slaughterings.
Yet it isn't alone in an industry
that the weenie-makers argue for
their merchandise's consideration.
They emphasize also that 1t feeds
belligerents.
The thing runs into astronomical
reckonings.
Fault is not found by the con-
Kressional small business commit
Tee on the ground that sausage is
running into a famine, due 10 OPA
restrictions.
The yovl is that the whole organ
izstion is unintelhgent.
The charge is that its restrictions
are involving lot OF unnecessary
difficulties. troublesome row but
likewise due to slop over into the
later peace era.
OPA's difficulties certainly won
end with the war. They will con-
tinue Indefinitely. However. 1t will
be some successor OF Director Prem.
fiss Brown who will have to deal
with them. Heaven help his follow
or. in 1914 or decade or so later.
That is supposed to be Of no con-
sequence. Watch, look and listen.
CHUNGKING -AP- The ia.
panese operations around Tung
ting Lake in North Human Prov
ince possess more economic than
military importance, the Chinese