The Wilmington morning star., 1945-07-11
SOAPS JOIN LIST
OF SCARCE ITEMS

~ SeeiIlS as IL lneIe gong TO &c
a lot of dirty faces in Wilmington
before long. And those with guilty
consclences can relax. for what is
referred to here is the severe soap
shortages which have been report
ed in this area.
AFTER critical survey of that
tWo-day shirt, men probably will
be stretching that appare4 to three
oil four days before it is reluctant
" given UP to the laundry for Viii
mington grocers yesterday COM
planned that the scarcity of laun-
dly soap powders has recently
become particularly acute. They
also report that toilet soaps are
hard to obtain.
In most stores a rationing sys-
tenn has been instituted to assure
even distribution of scant supplies
on hand.
L. L. Mills, of the Economy Dis
tributing company, which serves
more than Is Wilmington retail
grocers, said that current supplies
of soaps of all type were about
half of last years supplies.
He has no laundry soap, the most
critical shortage, in months.
Whereas last year, toilet soap was
available in abundance, it has
recently become necessary to allot
this on a quota basis. Distribution
to Wilmington stores is based on
the number of customers served
by the individual stores, M. Mills
said, and they in turn effect some
method of rationing to the custo-
mers.
Stocks at the A & P stores are
also very, very short, according
to D. H. carp, and again the great.
est scarcity is in laundry soap.
The weekly supplies of soap and
soap powders usually arrive
Tuesday, and are exhausted before
the end of that days business, he
said. The ration allowed each Gus.
toner is ordinarily four large bars
of laundry soap, and two large or
four small boxes of soap powders
A limit on the sales of soap anc
soap powders has been in effec'
since the first of the year in the
Grocerteria stores, j. K. Banner
man said, and though soap prod
ucts have not been plentiful for a
long time there has been no acute
shortage in his stores.
The situation, however, is not
confined to Wilmington. In virtual
ly every city in the country, sup
plies of package soaps and the bet
te--known bar soaps have virtual
ly disappeared from the shelves
and retailers, wholesalers anc
manufacturers agreed there is q
shortage.
One explanation offered was
that production had been decreas
ed because of scarcity of fats
and oils; others said that rumors
of rationing actually had created
the shortage. A Washington soar
maker attributed the situation tc
"a shortage of fats and oils anc
an oversupply of government regu
lations.
Representative of Proctor ane
Gamble and the Colgate-P almolive
Peet Company, the two larges
soap producers, said they were
maintaining normal operation:
despite curtailed allotments and q
serious shortage of tallow. They
deplored the well-known viciou!
circle which they said started witt
rumors of rationing, followed b,
boarding, and finally the need fol
rationing.
Liquid soaps were appearing OF
the market for the first time il
many cities and elsewhere, deal
ers did a record business in tie
in sales, frowned on by the OPA
CASTLE and coconut oil soaps gen
orally were considered impossible
to get.
Dealers in Denver, Cleveland
Atlanta, Columbus and Kansa
City all reported a stampede t.
the soap counters in the wake O
rumors of rationing to permit in
creased shipments to Europe. Th
soap-run eased, they added, whel
the Office of Price Administration
announced it had no immediat
plans for rationing.
| Because of a fashion craze ir