Evening star., 1943-03-19
.0PA Considers Order
To Charge 8 Points
For Pound Of Sugar
Issuance Of Regulation
Held Up Pending Browns
Return to Capital
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

The Office of Price Admins
tration has prepared a regula-
ton requiring housewives to sur
render eight points from their
! canned goods ration books for
each pound Of sugar purchased
for use in the home canning
program this summer, it was
learned today. Issuance of the
order was held up pending re-
turn Of Price Administrator
| Brown, now touring the Midwest.
Opponents of the regulation. in
Guiding principally officials brought
into OPA by Mr.. Brown, declared II
would wreck the Governments cam
palgn to encourage housewives to
put in glass every possible bit of
food in order to build up the Ma
tlon'S larder and offset shortages in
commercially processed and fresh
foods. OPA itself Is co-sponor OF
the campaign with the Agriculture
Department.
The regulation was designed to
stem leaks IN the Sugar-rat ton pro-
gram and to make for more equita-
BILE distribution of canned goods be-
tween rural and urban areas Last
summer housewives received all the
sugar they needed for canning
merely on application to their ra-
ton board. In some instances there
was evidence this system was used to
obtain sugar for other purposes.
Some officials believe that unless
some restrictions are placed on the
amount Of sugar given out stocks
will be badly depleted bv the unus-
ually heavy demand expected this
year.
Seek to Balance supply.
These officials said the action
would ease the demand in rural
areas for commercial foods and
thus make more available for urban
dUellers who are able to do a mini
mum Of home canning. In this
way, they said, 1t would tend to
n
present time. those in rural sections
have the same number of ration
points to spend for canned goods
and are in much better position
| than their city cousins TO put up
as much more as they desire.
Opponents of the regulation de-
scribed it as another one of those
unpopular in the past" An Official
said, 1t would make every housewife
in the country mad. 1t would Just
ruin the plan to get them to pre-
serve all possible foodstuffs against
a hard war" He was confident
Mr.. Brown would veto the idea.
Credited with exposing the plan
was Mrs, Philip L. Crowlie. the
Huron IS. D. housewife, who was
| brought in to make rationing more
palatable to housewives.
Fearing a small black market
might spring up this summer in
home canned goods, OPA also has
prepared an order which would pro-
hibit any home Gamer from giving
away mule UIldU 0U quarts Oh 1000.
Some OF Mr. Browns advisers be-
lieve this prospective order also is
ridiculous" and intend to fight it's
adoption. They contend the house
wife should be encouraged to can
all the food possible and should be
allowed to give away as much of 1t
as she wishes.
Grade Labelling Under Fire.
The new Brown regime likewise
Is cunning for OPA's long prepared
plans for grade labelling every type
! OF product from food to neckties. It
was to be introduced as a means Of
assuring quality and simplifying the
setting Of uniform price ceilings
Opponents Of the plan fear it is
prelude to abolition Of private
brand names. In addition. they
claim it would cause confusion in
stores and IN pricing. For example.
because Of difference in transporta-
tlon cost. can OF grade A Georgia
/ peaches probably would sell for less
here than a can of grade Bs from
California.