The first nonfood item rationed was rubber. President Roosevelt called on citizens to help by contributing scrap rubber to be recycled, old tires, old rubber raincoats, garden hose, rubber shoes, bathing caps. Voluntary gas rationing proved ineffective and by the spring of mandatory rationing was needed. To get your classification and ration stamps, you had to certify to a local board that you needed gas and owned no more than five tires.
The steel industry has been rapidly stepping up its production This volume of production cannot be attained or increased unlesss an additional 6,, tons of scrap iron and steel is obtained promptly. We are faced with the fact that some steel furnaces have been allowed to cool down and that many of them are operating from day to day and hand to mouth, due only to the lack of scrap.
The rubber situation is also critical. In spite of the recent rubber drive, there is a continuing need for large quantities of scrap rubber. We are collecting every possible pound from the factories, arsenals and shipyards; we are speeding up the flow of material from automobile graveyards; we are tearing up abondoned railroad tracks and bridges, but unless we dig out an additional 6,, tons of steel and great quantities of rubber, copper, brass, zinc and tin, our boys may not get all the fighting weapons they need in time Even one old shovel will help make 4 hand grenades.
The national maximum Victory Speed was 35 miles an hour, and driving clubs or carpools were encouraged. The main idea was to conserve rubber, not gasoline. The interior side of the sticker issued for the car's windshield instructed the driver on this point. Every citizen, military or civilian, was to do their part. The following is a set of instructions that came with every ration book:. Your first ration book has been issued to you, originally containing 28 war ration stamps.
Other books may be issued at later dates. The following instructions apply to your first book and will apply to any later books, unless otherwise ordered by the Office of Price administration. In order to obtain a later book, the first book must be turned in. Community canning centers aided in the process of reaching record levels of preserved food in the United States during the war.
These centers were locally sponsored and financially supported, but with instructional and educational oversight provided by the USDA. The government issued handy bulletins outlining the process of canning, including the use of water baths and pressure cookers for low acid food. It also provided guidelines as to cooking times and temperatures for the preservation of different foods. Within the centers, a home demonstrator from the Extension Services or a locally qualified individual was on hand to supervise and instruct users in canning techniques.
Individuals brought their raw produce to the center and paid a small fee or donated a small quantity of their preserved food in return for the use of materials. With the rationing of vital metal goods for the war effort pressure cookers were not produced for much of WWII. The centers offered women the opportunity to use this equipment if they did not have their own device or were unable to borrow from family or friends.
Sugar was a major concern for canners throughout the war, whether they preserved food at home or in the community canning centers. A canner could submit an application to obtain up to 20 pounds of extra sugar for their preservation needs.
However, this was not guaranteed and based on supplies sometimes women could not obtain this additional amount. Branches of the organization offer courses on canning throughout the country and both women and men have shown renewed interested in conserving food.
September 13, Elaine Norwich showing bushel of beans she just picked. Signing up for sugar and food rationing in Poster from World War II. Buying seed for a victory garden. Canning squash during a canning demonstration. Canning grapefruit in a community kitchen. Works Cited. Article Carpenter, Stephanie Ann. Litoff, Judy Barrett, and David C. Accessed July 14, With a sense of urgency, the campaigns appealed to America to contribute by whatever means they had, without complaint.
The propaganda was a highly effective tool in reaching the masses. Rationing regulated the amount of commodities that consumers could obtain. Sugar rationing took effect in May with the distribution of "Sugar Buying Cards. Each family was asked to send only one member for registration and be prepared to describe all other family members. Coupons were distributed based on family size, and the coupon book allowed the holder to buy a specified amount. Possession of a coupon book did not guarantee that sugar would be available.
Americans learned to utilize what they had during rationing time. While some food items were scarce, others did not require rationing, and Americans adjusted accordingly. Each person was allowed a certain amount of points weekly with expiration dates to consider.
Ration stamps became a kind of currency with each family being issued a "War Ration Book. Rationing also was determined by a point system. Some grew weary of trying to figure out what coupon went with which item, or how many points they needed to purchase them, while some coupons did not require points at all. In addition to food, rationing encompassed clothing, shoes, coffee, gasoline, tires, and fuel oil.
With each coupon book came specifications and deadlines. Rationing locations were posted in public view. Rationing of gas and tires strongly depended on the distance to one's job. If one was fortunate enough to own an automobile and drive at the then specified speed of 35 mph, one might have a small amount of gas remaining at the end of the month to visit nearby relatives.
Rationing resulted in one serious side effect: the black market, where people could buy rationed items on the sly, but at higher prices.
0コメント