RATIONING IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24537, 10 April 1945, Page 3

RATIONING IN BRITAIN

♦ -- ' ' PURCHASES ON •■■■■ SYSTEM : v LONDON, Marsb 26. During the next three months Great Britain will be sending ■! more than 1,000,000 tons of her limited food reserves to liberated Europe. Her own stocks will have sunk to 4,750,000 tons, the lowest level since 1918, and the British public have been warned-that further"cuts in its rations may be inevitable. ‘ , : This is a 'gloomy prospect for a country which,' * for more than five years, has been living under a strict rationing system. In Great’Britain all foodstuffs with the main exception 6f potatoes, bread* flour, fresh green vegetables arid' fresh fish are rationed. In one week the ordinary consumer may buy; about Jib meat, 2oz butter; 6oz other fats, 4oz bacon, 2oz tea, Boz sugar, and 2 to 3oz of cheese. He receives weekly two pints of milk—this may be increased to three pints for a short period in summer. He can buy one pound of jam or marmalade a month. Egg allocations vary, but for long periods he gets only one monthly. Under the “points” rationing scheme the consumer-has 24 points monthly with which-he must cover his needs in a. wide range of foodstuffs including canned foods, cereal breakfast foods, rice, dried peas, dried fruits, biscuits and oat-flakes. How limited this is, is shown by a specimen selection, that the housewife may buy with her monthly “points” supply: lib tin of meat (15 points), , one packet of cornflakes (2 points), a '.small, tin of baked beans (3 points), and Jib of currants (4 points). The purchase of a tin of Canadian grade 1 salmon must be a joint enterprise, for it costs no less than 32 points, that is eight points more than one man or woman has available for the entire month. |