Evening star., 1951-01-30
Rationing Fear
'briingsLeapin
Meat Storage
One Plant Declares
December Butcherinq
Went Up 18-FoId
BY Malcolm Lomborne, Jr.

Meat processing plants in the
washington area are busy these
days. Many consumers are re-
ported storing away supplies in
lockers and home freezer in an
ticipation of rationing.
An Official of the Gaithersburg
(Mdo Locker Plant said that, in
the past As days. he has processed
and stored 16 tons of meat for
Washington customers.
He estimated his business dur
ing the past December had in
creased 18-fold over that of the
same period in 1949.
Creates Rationing Problem.
There was general agreement
that the tremendous increase in
the number of home freezers since
the end of the last war was an
important factor in the stepped
up activity of locker plants.
1t also served to underscore the
problem facing Federal officials in
the event consumer rationing and
livestock slaughter control are re-
sumed.
The Gaithersburg locker official
said:
IF it weren't for District people
and their urge for beef, we would
probably be out of business.
When talk about controls and
rationing started. things started
to bust loose" he added. Business
began picking up around Decem-
ber 1.
Orders for Weeks Ahead.
The locker plant operator said
he had orders for processing meat
weeks in advance.
eve can't handle any more
meat until the latter part of Feb
ruary," he declared.
At the Southern States Coop
erative locker plant in Warren
ton. the manager reported busi-
ness up about Is to 20 per cent
over that of a year ago.
He said most of the meat be-
ing processed is pork and that
the bulk of frozen meats he is
handling is going into home
freezers in the Warrenton area,
He estimated that rs per cent Of
the families in the region now
own home freezers.
People are afraid of meat ra-
tioning." he observed. "They re-
member the last time and say
that, since they raise the meat,
they want to get whack at it
this time
More Pork Being Stored.
The manager said more pork is
being stored away than beef be-
cause beef cattle prices are so
high.
A custom has grown up for
locker plants to arrange for
slaughter of livestock and then
bring it to the plants for process
ing, freezing and either storage
at the plant or in homes.
Some plants buy meat from
large packers and offer it to it's
regular customers, sometimes at
savings. In other cases, the live
stock comes from the farms.
The locker plant at Manassas
reported a Is per cent increase in
business this season, but the man
ager said he could not estimate
how much of this resulted from
fears over meat rationing and
shortages.
Serving 1000 Freezers.
He said he was serving some
1000 home-freezer customers, in
cluding Alexandria, Arlington and
Washington homes.
This locker plant operator de-
veloped the theory that, should
the Government order meat ra-
tioning, the family that has stored
away meat will be careful not to
waste any and will use all the
cuts. In this way freezer owners
actually are engaging in conserv-
alton of meat, he said.
Operator of the Southern States
Locker Plant at Fairfax noted
nothing unusual" in his business,
but then he explained he has
been operating at capacity since
1945.
Owner of the Olney (Md.) Lock-
er Plant reported no large-scale
movement of meat into cold stor-
age. However, he observed that
people are more conscious of the
value of a freezer now"