The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-02-08
Shoe Rationing
Starts Tomorrow
Continued from Page u

put the order into effect immedi-
ately.
OPA officials said shoe rationing
does not indicate that clothing ra.
tioning will follow; that no plans
are being made to ration clothes
either now or at any time In the
near future.
Four other actions will be taken
soon to support shoe rationing and
assure civilians Of adequate foot
wear:
I. WPB will issue an order elm
mating wasteful manufacturing
practices and unnecessary styles and
colors. On the prohibited list will
be formal evening slippers, mems
patent leather shoes, hard-soled slip
pers, mems sandals and many sport
shoes. That order will make pos
sible the production Of an estimated
100000 additional pairs Of essen
tial shoes.
2. WPB will prohibit manufac-
turers from increasing production Of
higher priced shoes at the expense
Of low and medium priced lines.
That will protect persons with low
incomes.
8. WpB and oPA will ask manu-
lecturers in the near future to de-
velop war model" or utility types
Of shoes at reasonable prices.
4. Manufacturers will be en-
couraged to develop "ersatz" shoes,
types using little or no leather and
which may be offered ration-free.
Brown explained the shoe ra-
tioning program as Simple, with
only four main points for the public
to remember:
II. Stamp II in war ration Book
No. / is good for one pain Of shoes
between Feb. Q and June IS. In any
store that sells shoes. II you buy
by mail, enclose the stamp With our
order. o. 49,,
~. Stamp II Is transferable
among members Of O family living
In the same household and related
by blood, marriage or adoption. For
example, fathers and mothers can
use their stamps to provide extra
shoes for their children II necessary.
(Women and children, according to
shoe dealers, generally use more
shoes than men, whose models are
sturdier.)
"3. Persons who do not possess
war ration Book No. I may apply
for this book at local war price
and rationing board.
~. If O. person needs to buy shoes
and has no stamp No. II in his
immediate family which he can use,
he may apply to his local war price
and rationing board for q shoe pur-
chase certificate"
Here is the definition Of what is
rationed:
"All unused shoes. including all
types Of boots and shoes made IN
whole or In part Of leather, and all
rubber soled shoes. All ordinary
types, and such types as special
work shoes, hard-soled mocassirs
and casual and play shoes, fall with.
in this difinition and are rationed
Not rationed:
Soft and hard-soled house Slip
pers and boudoir slippers; infants
-soled shoes; ballot slippers; Or
binary waterproof rubber footwear
including arctics; CATERS; work
dress, clogg and toe rubbers; ano
| lumberman'S overs.
Shoe repairs also are not ra-
toned and Byrnes said liberia!
ALLEGATION of sole leather for that
purpose has been provided.
Still Well on
Americans will continue to be the
best shod people in the world, IN
spite Of rationing.
Rationing will limit the purchase
of shoes to about three pairs a year
more than the average purchased
until 1886, including the prosperous
years proceeding 1929. The National
Shoe Retailers Association said the
average American citize1 bought 81
pairs of shoes per year during the
past five years.
The three-pair ration will leave
Americans far better off than in
habitants of most other belligereni
countries.
In Great Britain, shoes are ra-
toned under the point" system or
the civilian clothing card. A pair OF
sheos uses up approximately one
sixth of the total number OF points
available for both shoes and clothes
so that the average Briton cannot
afford more than two pairs OF shoes
a year, at the outside.
In Germany, shoes can be bought
only by q special permIt-now rare
Iy given-which must be obtained
from the local rationing board. Be-
fore even considering an application
q member OF the board must visit
the applicant home and search the
closets 10 ascertain whether he pos
sesses more than the maximum
number OF shoes allowed-'two pairs
Permits for leather shoes are seldom
given. The majority OF German wom-
en- now wear shoes With hard wooden
soles and cloth or canvas uppers.
Little Ultimate Effect
Boston, Peb. s.-(uPl-New Eng.
land shoe men generally believed
that the new ratl0nlng orders fot
shoes would have little immediate
effest on this regl0A-one Of uie
natlon's leading shoe producing
areas which last year turned out
ieS3g6.i00 pairs. -
Al nrockton. President william y,
/ Oleaeon of the southeastern Mnh1n