The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1943-01-09

14C4ASSh pOAAAS AASSOAAAANA w. w
have begun to lack some things
once in common daily use, and
have divided up the reduced
supplies of other things by IA
tioning. But on the whole, the
goods and services we miss are
only a small proportion of
those we still enjoy.
POINT RATIONING
BEGINS IN FEBRUARY
Now, beginning in February,
a great many staple foods and
food products will be rationed,
including canned fruits and
vegetables, canned juices and
soups, and dried and frozen
fruits and vegetables. Vast
quantities of these proceSsed
foods, which are especially
adapted to shipment abroad,
must go to the armed forces
and to our lend-lease allies.
The balance available to civil
ianS will be distributed by
means of War Ration Book
Two according to the new
point" system. Scarcer pro-
ducts will have a higher point
value than the more aoun-
dant, and point values may
change as the supply Of GER
tain products increases or
lessons, but the total number
of coupon points for each ra-
ton period will be the same
for every civilian everywhere -
even for the soldiers wife who
buys her food at Army sta
tons.
When point rationing starts
all household stocks Of items
coming under the ration plan
must be reported. Hoarders
! will be penalized by having to
deduct coupon points for ex-
cessive supplies they have
managed to accumulate. But
unless all citizens are equally
patriotic, hoarders and food
spectators may cause Local
shortages before the plan goes
into effect.
WPB LIMITS INVENTORIES
While food and petroleum
products will be evenly dis
tributed by rationing, another
method of assuring broad dis
tribution has been adopted il
the case of a wide range Of
consumers goods-chiefiy items
for personal household use
An order Of the War Produc-
ton Board limits the inven.
tories of these goods which
can be piled up by large re-
tailers, wholesalers, and stock
carrying branches of manu-
facturers, so that more than q
million smaller stores will
have a better chance to gel
things for their customers
The order, which aims al
bringing down stocks until
they are in the same proper
ton to sales as they were be
fore the war, applies only &c
concerns doing a net business
of 100000 or more a year, but
smaller stores are expected tc
observe the same relationship
on their own hook.
RIGID CONTROL OF
SCARCE MATERIALS
Control Of scarce materials
reaches from publishing house
to the farm. The magazine in
dustry advisory committee ad-
yocates a fiat 10 per cent re-
duction in the amount of print
paper to be used by each mag
azine publisher in 1e43. Or
ders for machine tools are be-
ing more rigidly checked for
their war necessity. Industrial
thermometers, pressure gauges
and other industrial types Of
instruments have been placed
under strict control. The met
al caps and tops for capolng
health supplies, chemicals
beverages, and household and
industrial products ~ even
metal and rubber for hcme
canning-will be vigorously
limited. Production Of desk
pencil sharpeners and file
fasteners made Of critical
metals has been halted, and
so has the manufacture Of
copper-engraved business sta
tionery, greeting cards, and
calling cards.