TEA RATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 127, 1 June 1942, Page 6

TEA RATION

PROBABLE EFFECT

THE FAMILY VIEWPOINT

About that cup of tea!

What is going to be the effect on the home and office tea drinking habits in New Zealand of the rationing of tea? This question has been discussed freely since the announcement on Saturday that tea has been rationed as from to-day to two ounces per person per week. In the mass the decision seems to have been that 'he ration appears to have been fixed almost exactly at what the housewife in the average home has quite unconsciously allowed herself in catering for the family.

Probably for the first time, dad felt on safe ground in mentioning to mum that perhaps he might have a say in the ordering of the week's supplies. One can imagine his relief, where the family consisted of the parents and two children of school age. or less, on being briskly assured, "That's all right, dear. No need for you to interfere."

Being one of those very conscientious persons who wanted to know the reason why, dad learned to his surprise that for years past both he and the rest of the family had been subtly and unwittingly rationed.

"Of course you've been rationed, you goose," said mum when he raided his eyebrows in surprise.

"Rationing is my job to make the allowance spin out. Don't you see that, little Willie and little Peggy only get tea at one meal a day. and a weak brew at that? More is not good fur them. 1 see to that."

"Rut only two ounces a week, my dear." protests dad.

"That's half a pound for the family, just a bit more than we actually use." retorts mum exultantly, though she perhaps does not add that this was the first time she had actually worked it out in ounces: her way was to do it in pennies. And dad felt prouder of his domestic choice than ever before.

Small Children Help

Thinking on the ration of tea from this angle, however, brings the ordinary male round to the position of families he knew that were not so well placed. For instance there were those whose two or three children were older and one or two were working, and starting at various times. This meant having the morning meal and sometimes the evening meal at different times. Where the morning cup of tea is taken at different hours by the father, son and daughter owing to different starting times of work, entailing a new brew each time, the two ounce ration per person is sadly cut into, - nri the limitation may result in some members of the family having to restrict their indulgence in tea as an accompaniment of only one meal a day. It becomes apparent that in most cases the position is dominated by the number of small children in the family, as these tend to restore the balance in favour of making the ration sufficient for most family purposes. The bachelor and independent spinster, of course, have not this elasticity in their ration, and whether or not the allowance of half a pound a month for each of these will mean any sacrifice will depend on individual fondness for tea. It would seem also that the ration will have some restraining effect on the habit of treating visitors to afternoon and morning tea and will probably be more drastic still in its effect on the morning and afternoon tea habit among workers in shops and offices. Licenses to Sell Licenses to sell tea have not been received by the grocery trade so far. When the manager of a chain store grocery shop was? asked to-day whether staffs were working on tea stocktaking, he said that as far as he could ascertain no grocery business had brought its staff on to-day, the holiday being closely observed. He said that many of the smaller shops would know practically to a half pound the stocks they were holding, but the larger concerns and warehouses would no doubt have to spend some time to-morrow in going through their supplies and checking up on what they had in hand. It would not be a very difficult task generally speaking, he said.