The Dominion. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1944. MEAT RATIONING

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 122, 18 February 1944, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1944. MEAT RATIONING

The most important fact in the statement made by the Minister of Supply regarding the rationing of meat was that the system of monetary limit, instead of a stipulated quantity, had been adopted. 'That will, of course, impose limits on quantities purchased, but if the 'ration should average the estimated per head weekly the people of New Zealand will have nothing to complain about on that score. The Australian scheme allows'from 2-J- to 41b. according to the type of meat bought, and the Canadjgn plan was designed to provide approximately 21b. weekly. The Minister’s statement was, however, purely introductory. The rationing of meat presents problems not associated with other items of diet, and there will have to be a carefullydesigned educational campaign in order that all concerned, and there can be few exceptions, will know exactly what to do. In the circumstances the ration basis is surprisingly liberal. The plan having been outlined there must now be a detailed explanation of the methods to be adopted. In this respect the authorities have the distinct advantage of being able to study the steps taken by both Canada and Australia, for in this matter, as in others, New Zealand is the last to take action. The Australians clearly followed the Canadian plan, and an official summary issued at Ottawa was as follows: Each individual will be entitled to spend two meat coupons a week. For rationing purposes meat is divided into four 'groups. Meats in A group are valued at Alb., in Group B at -}lb., in Group G at 11b., and in Group D at IJlb. a coupon. Consequently in Group A, which is made up of boneless meats, the individual may have lib. of meat/n week, or in Group D 2 Jib. a week. " In the Commonwealth a ready reckoner was issued by means of which the customer could see at a glance what meats the coupons would purchase. What may cause a good deal of irritation is the necessity for obtaining special sheets of coupons. The Australians avoided that difficulty and simply had to announce that .coupon G, in the ration books, would be surrendered for meat purchases. It will be generally assumed that the “complete set” mentioned by the Minister will cover a full period, but the statement that “a new set of coupons providing for one week’s meat ration would become available each Monday” has certainly led many housewives to conclude that applications 'for them must also be made weekly. That would be a prospect which they would not welcome. And in any case they will qow have to master the coupon values. They know exactly the money values of the different cuts and classes of meat, and it should be possible for the authorities to prepare a simple table, or chart, that would make it evident exactly what their coupons will enable them to obtain. The change docket idea may cause some perplexity at first, but it has been adopted in Australia and there has been ample time to ascertain how St has worked there. What the Minister has given is a general outline of what, it is hoped to do, and the particulars must be awaited before it will be possible for the individual consumer to ascertain exactly how it is to be done. And the simpler the plan the better the prospect for its smooth working. It would be futile to contend that the. rationing of meat will not create difficulties. There will inevitably be inconvenience in many respects, but that could not be allowed to prevent the, rationing of the domestic markets. The sole purpose is to make more food available to the people of the Mother Country who certainly are bearing the burden and heat of the day. The principle of sharing imposes the duty of ensuring that it is equitably applied. For that reason any exceptions must be most carefully studied. . There will be no protest, and no reasonable grounds for complaint, if the plan is designed and administered so as to ensure that all will share alike. The first few days of the new order may be somewhat difficult, especially for the retail butchers, but if the purpose is kept prominently in mind/the appeal made for a co-operative effort, and the thing fully explained, the rationing of meat in New Zealand should be introduced without any serious dislocation of trade or domestic practice.