The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1942. CLOTHES RATIONING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 125, 29 May 1942, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1942. CLOTHES RATIONING

D'K.VT experience in An tralia has proved it is essential that rationing i!■ ■■ i w.i; . kept secret until the moment they are to take '•Ti- It is very much to the credit of the (lovernment that it gave or allowed to be t'ivi ii no intimation that the rationing of clothing, footwear and household linen \<,is immitieiit. and so afforded no opportunity or excuse for the pure rii h on shops, which a small proportion of the coinniimil' an- ~l\i.r. re idv to lead, and a larger proportion to follow. Kven ~0. 1 >'. s it.' for ,ome time past lias been above normal, and if rationiin; h.'d b' en po tp. .iied the eventual result could only have been an irniai uii: l '. 'inl'.or ili.-tribui ion i f the available stocks of some articles. Now the ..ppoitun ■< e are roughly the same for all; and it is of great importable that the adi nin i.~ tra>ii mi of the system should be efficient. Kxpcricnre )n llritan has been that community morale is badly damaged by the kno", led"e or su pn ion that individuals or groups are cheating with iinpunit \. To disci uracro unfair practices the United Kingdom (lovernment lias been forced, hv public anger, to make the penalties exceedingly :.e\ero; our (iovernment should not hesitate to act similarly, and to do so early and not late.

I ruler rat ionim,' in Britain it. has been found that the average man and woman can •'ir.atiaue" without undue difficulty, and that anyone who had a n. rnial wardrobe before the system was introduced can keep himself or hcrsell reasonably dressed. Special provision is made for those who lust, their property in the "blitz," and similar provision will he necessary in New Zealand to meet cases of misfortune such as those arising through lircs. When this is done, the system which came into operatii n today seems likely to appeal to the public as a good one, as equitable as it is necessary and justified in present and prospective circumstances. A laru'cr quest inn is that of the future availability of the articles now subject to rationing. The (iovernment, having in effect fixed the maximum quantities of these articles which the communitv may buy. will be expected to till its Utmost to ensure that they will be in the shops tor buyim:. In so far as this is a matter of importation, and so of shipping, obviously no guarantees can be given; but as a great number of rationed articles are of New Zealand manufacture there should he no insuperable obstacles to maintaining production, especially if materials and labour are reserved for and concentrated upon utility clothing and footwear. Many men in civilian life already are envying the soldier his uniform, and the introduction of rationing is a suitable time to consider the encouragement of simpler civilian dress. i*