RATIONING QUITE POSSIBLE IN 1947

Chronicle (Levin), 18 October 1946, Page 2

RATIONING QUITE POSSIBLE IN 1947

printing facilities affect New ration books Tlie fact tliat there is no re-issue forrn for use in October, 1947, in the new ration books, noes not necessarily mean that rationing will be abolished next year. This information is believed to have been given authoritatively in Wellington. A Wellington newspaper comment, following the new ration boolc issue, inferred that the fact of no re-issue forrn for the end of next rationing year being inciuded in the new ration book meant the end of rationing in October, 1947. This, apparently, is not so. The change in the forrn of the ration book was brought about by lack of adequate printing facilities. The work •was iirst oft'ered to the Govemment • Printing Department but was refused on a plea of too many prior eommitments. At last a printer in the South Island was found to do the job, and he agreed to take the contract on the condition that, among other things, he did • not have to include the re-issue page as had been done previously. With no other alternative, the Department concerned had to accept the proviso and the work was done. There are, however, certain other deliciences in the book which came about owing to the printer 's unwillingness to undertake extra work. Pirstly, the pages are not numbered as was done in previous years so that cxtfa pages could not bc siipped in and extra rations acquired in that way. Secondly, the; grocers' request that the pages be per-j forated so that coupons could be extracted without a great deal of j manoeuvring, was not complied w'ith.j The printer stated that he had not the! time for these two requests. Tkirdly,! the paper on which thc coupons are| printed does not have the ligured back-; ground of previous books which wasi felt necessary to obviate the forging of j ration coupons. The paper supplied is kraft-like and, although coloured, is not of an uncommon type. Thc colour,) too, is another . sonf point with the! ^grocers. It was felt by them that difi'erent coloured pages would facilitate| far easier selection of coupons by ro-; tailcrs who deal in many hundrcds of coupons each day. It was suggesled to the Department that oue colour be for .butter, unotlief for meat and yet another for clothing, etc. Thc printer did not think he cpuid take the contract :with this toru inciuded, so it, too, was scored out. It is stated that the paper left over from the ration books is lockcd away so that no forging can be done. The inain point is that apparently rationing of foodstuifs will quite possibly be in force a year from now, desuite wishful writing to the contrary.