SUGAR RATIONING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25797, 19 March 1945, Page 4

SUGAR RATIONING

REQUEST TO GROCERS

REFUSAL TO CUT COUPONS

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, Mar 18. A request to grocers throughout the Dominion to refrain meanwhile from cutting sugar coupons from customers’ ration books has been made by Mr H. A. Fanselow, president of the New Zealand Master Grocers’ Federation.

In making this announcement today, Mr R. M. Barker, secretary of the federation, said the decision had been reached in view of the fact that the federation had not yet had a reply from the Acting Minister of Supply, Mr A. H. Nordmeyer, to its request that the present system should continue until discussions had been held with the Minister and the Acting Controller of Rationing. “ The only advice we have received from Mr Nordmeyer was to the effect that the decision had been made by the War Cabinet,” said Mr Barker. “ The federation and a number of its affiliated associations asked the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) by telegram to intervene in the matter, but Mr Fraser replied stating that he had referred the matter to Mr Nordmeyer, which means that we are back where we started.”

Mr Barker said the federation was anxious first of all to minimise black marketing, and secondly to be in a position to afford the equitable distribution of lines in short supply, and it believed that this was possible only by a continuation of the present system of registration. It was believed that the public would appreciate the federation’s attitude and would cooperate for a few days until the position was clarified. 1

As the new rationing period had just started, and also as the additional 3ib of sugar was available against the. surrender of the Y 8 coupon, it was not anticipated that many people would need to collect their sugar ration immediately. Necessitous cases, however, would be met by grocers with whom any customer was registered, and the current coupons would be cancelled as in the past and a record kept of the customers so supplied.