The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-14
Point Rationi1,g Plan
 EHectiue Next Month Office of OPA Issues More Information on Principal Features of Latest Innovation
 to Meet Shopping Demands.

The following questions and answers - first of series designed to explain the principal points of the forthcoming program for point rationing of canned, bottled, and frozen fruits and vegetables, juices, dried fruits, and all soups were released today by the Office Of Price Administration:
 1. Q. When will actual ration ing begin?
 A. AS early in February as poS- sible.
 2. Q. Why is it necessary to suspend retail selling at all.
 A. There are several reasons. In the first place, of course, all food stores throughout the country must be given an opportunity to prepare for the start of rationing. They must have time to build up sup plies, to train clerks, to receive and post the official OPA list of point values and famillarize themselves with those values, also it will give the retailer time to take an inven- tory of his processed food.
 Secondly, the public must be reg istered for book 2, be notified of the actual point values, and be given time to study them and budget their points for the first ration period.
 3. Q. How will the housewife know when point values are changed?
 A. The newspapers ard radio will carry the announcements, and every food store will have an OPA poster showing the current point values of each particular product. A new poster will be issued when point values change.
 4. Q. Win the point values be the same in all stores, or will they vary between high-price ard low price stores?
 A. The point values are the some in every store in the country, re- gardless of the price charged. The housewife, in buying a No. ? can of tomatoes, will have to surrender the stamps for the same number of points regardless of whether the price is l2 cents or IS cents, or whether the can is of Grade A, B, or c, or any other grade designa- ton such as fancy, "choiee" of "standard".
 5, Q. How long will the first ration period last9
 A. That will depend very largely on the date when rationing begins, If it were possible to start on Feb ruary l, the first ration period very probably would take in the entire month of February, If, as now seems probable, rationing will begin on a later, the first period may be an "oad' one covering sltheF the fnsl month Of March, Thereafter, how ever, pationing periods likely will correspond to the calendar months,
 6, @, What is going to be done about people who have an excess supply of these commodities on handY
 A, Everyone applying for war ration book two will be required to i'll out and sign a Consumer Declaration" form stating exactly the stocks of proeessed foods on hand Book ? will have stamps removed for excess stocks and thus, in effect, will compel the applicant to use up these stocks before buying any more, Heavy federal penalties can Joe applied to those maklng q false declaration,
 q Q, Does this sDeelaEatiop" mean that ! will have to declare the fruits and vegetables ] canned at home last fall
 4, No, Nothing you have packed at home need be declared and no stamps will be deducted for these home supplies, U IS expected, ol course, that you will use your home canned goods Instead Of buying commercial products and thus help your Government spread food supF plies as widely as possible,
 g, Q, There seems 10 Do some question about dried and dehyr drated vegetables and things like debydTated dog food, Are these covered by Tatl0ningY
 A, No, Only dried and dehy. drated fruils ~F apples, peaches, ana the like, Dry vegetables like navy beans, split peas, and leDllle are not included,
 Q. Q, What about chicken soup, canned beef broth, turtle soup, and other soups made 0f meat Qf ponltlY