The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-01
Waiting For The Meat

Now that the end of meat rationing is ir
sight, the observer of the American scene
| looks back over the scarcity days and see:
much in them to give him pride in his fellow
countrymen. People in the main faced the or
deal with good nature.
The meat truck, when it was on time, reach
ed the food store on Tuesdays and FRIDAYS a
noon. About that hour the customers began *
arrive They saw the meat carried into the
refrigeration room, and when it had been pu
away they saw the lone butcher take off his
apron and go out to lunch.
! BY o'clock, when the butcher returned
they had formed line from the meat counter
past the dairy-products case Gotten empty tc
the back of the store, then across the END
(cerials) and up the other side as far as the
canned clans
There were thirty or forty of them with but
a single thought. There were elderly house
wives, young matrons, a few mothers with
children, schoolboy or two and, here and
there, a mere man, pinch hitting for his
womenfolk They all looked tired, warm. sad.
like people in subway trains, and remarkably
patient.
A late arrival might stand an hour and a
half before he got an audience with the chap
in the apron. Or perhaps he didn't stand, but
rested along the way, perching now on the
edge of the ammonia display, now on the lower
shelf of the dunuded soap island, his place in
line kept for him by the next shopper behind.
Most OF the customers were strangers to one
another, but not for long. common bond of
interest soon turns strangers into fast friends.
ana mats as true in wartime food store as
IN hteboat or a bomb shelter. In the long
hour at the meat counter many an acuuain.
tanceship was born, many heartfelt conf
dence EXCHANGED
One heard of 10-month-old baby left alone
at nome, asleep in its crib. Should the anxious
young mother linger in the line, trusting to
heaven that the child was safe or should she
give up her hope of meat for Sunday dinner
Tor her man, who worked in war plant?
Ihere was no one to leave with the baby. no
one to send for the meat Older women in line
line recounted similar situations in their own
experience to reassure the mother.
One good soul might remark to another.
anyway, we haven't had 1t as bad as the
poor British. They had five years of this
Eyes, the other would agree, land after thew
got to the counter. what was there for them
to buy?"
Worthy thoughts have way of travelling
little later in the hour, far down the line
you might hear, Anyway, we haven't had it
as bad the British and a response like
the first one.
Politicians with axes to grind gave it out in
the halls of state that the American people
were angry almost to revolt at the food sit
uation, the shortages, the trouble over ration
points. When they talked that way they libeled
their constituents, if this food store line was
fair sample of the American people
The crouch who damned the Governments
regulations likely to get his answer. A
woman might tell him, IF it wasn't for OPA.
you'd be hungrier than you are Or someone
might remind him of kinfolk in the armed
In I,
he.
The stout butcher was another model
of fortitude. Alone behind the counter. doing
work OF three he was hard driven but en-.
during. He sliced the bacon, if any. He tamped
the beef into the grinder. With two strokes
of the cleaver he prepared the dressed fowl.
He dived into the cold-room and almost in.
stantly reappeared with a fresh-cut T-bone
steak-there were still such steaks, if one
shopped at the right hour
Lighting-swift the butcher made every mo-.
ton count and every word Next! No
lamb Stewing beef, yes; how much?
dollar sixteen and twelve points Thank you
Next!' 1t took an hour to reach him and only
seconds to transact business with him.
But the customers weren't through yet, for
there was the line at the checking counter. In
1t the shopper with only bag of oranges had
to take his turn along with people who seemed
cheerful long-suffering was SEEN Nobody tried
to crash the line. That is to say, hardly any
body.
1t was tedious, yes. Still, one could relieve
the tedium by admiring the dexterity of the
checkers-school kids last year, most of them.
Marvellous to see was their skill as they weigh
ed the fruit and the vegetables, punched the
counting machine, figured the red points and
the blue, made change and packaged the pur-
chases, all with selfess concentration The
shopper watched the checkers and wondered
why he should complain of fatigue
His conclusion, as he got away at last, was
that home-front Americans in a difficult time
are pretty fine people. He DOTTED the hat of
respect to them. With their forbearance and
selfrestraint, they did their bit, they served
their country, though they only stood and wait
ed in the food store.-New York Times
&C., TIL C,2