The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1943-03-18
MEAT RATI0NINC
WILL BE STARTED
HERE MARCH 29
consumers to Get Two Pounds
Weekly; Cheese and Butter
Are Included
Each Individual to be Allotted
16 Points of Red "A" Cou-
pOns per Week

ptuitoii housewives VIII take their
ration books to market for the pur-
chase of meat, starting on March %,
it was indicated in an OPA announce
ment this week.
The amount of meat available will
average ''in the neighborhood of two
pounds more or less" per person per
week, it was estimated by Food Ad-
ministrator Wickard. It will not be
necessary for customers to surrender
coupons for meat eaten in restaur-
ants.
Meat, cheese, butter, canned fish
and the edible oils will all be Jumped
together as one group of foods OBJ
tainable by using the red stamps i'm
the No. ration book, the announce
ment indicated.
Substitute Foods
This means that it will be possible
to substitute one food for another.
BY holding down on butter purchases,
for example, one could buy more
meat. Initial allotments Us 16 points
per person per week. In the week
beginning March 20, each persons will
be able to use 16 points from the red
"A" coupons in his No. ration book.
In the following week he can use
leftover coupons of the previous
week plus another 16 points in the
red "B" coupons. He can keep on US
ing these leftovers each week until
April 30 when all of the coupons of
the first four weeks expire.
Different from the canned goods
system, the plan is that butchers and
stores give the exact change of cou-
pom points to pay for a purchase.
Otherwise the point system is similar
to that of the canned goods and the
same book is used. The blue coupons
are for fruits and vegetables.
Point Values
The Office of Price Administration
will make available in about a week
chart showing point values of the
various rationed meat items.
Because meat cutting cannot be
exact, coupons will be figured to the
nearest whole unit. A piece of meat
that figured So points would cost
points. If it figured So points it
would be considered points.
If the butcher cuts a larger piece
of meat than asked for the customer
must pay for what he actually re-
ceives in points, it was stated. The
new points will be mostly on a weight
basis.
Fresh pork, which virtually disap-
peared from Bluffton dinner tables
last week, vii lbe availabl again when
rationing starts on March 20, it was
indicated by local meat markets.
Government restrictions on killings
together with vanishing margins of
profit between the price ceilings on
retail sales and the unrestricted price
on live hogs are given as the reasons
for the retail pork famine here.
Pork Available Soon
1t is likely that some fresh pork
will be made availale even before ra-
tioning starts, it was indicated here,
providing the retailer has not used all
of his quota for the quarter on March
81.
The quota restrictions applying to
beef, veal, pork and lamb limit the
retailer to volume not to exceed that
of corresponding quarter in 1941.
1t is understood that price ceilings
on all meat will change when ration
ing starts. The ceilings will be ap-
piled to livestock as well as the fin
ished meat product This will allow
sufficient margin to handle pork as
well as beef, meat retailers here stat
ed.
The meat rationing viii apply to all
products of cattle, calves sheep
lambs and swine. 1t will include not
only the ordinary cuts but also the
variety meats such as liver, heart and
sweetbreads. These meats will be in
cluded whether purchased frozen
fresh, cured, smoked or canned.