HOARDING AND HOGGING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 December 1939, Page 8

HOARDING AND HOGGING

FOOD AND OTHER COMMODITIES. A STRONG CONDEMNATION. “Hoarding and hogging” of food and other commodities in wartime is indicted in a letter sent to Townswomen's Guilds throughout New Zealand by the chairwoman of the Dominion Federation of Townswomen's Guilds. Mrs J. G. Denniston. M.8.E., Wanganui. "Once or twice lately acquaintances whom I have met in shops have said to me: ‘l'm just buying an extra lot of this because I hear there's going to be a shortage of it ... ,’ ” she writes. "The people who make this remark have no idea of the disgust and horror which it arouses in the minds of those who in England in the last war lived in the midst of real shortages. "I know that several of these acquaintances are kindly, unselfish souls, and they do not realise that what they are actually saying is, ‘lf there's to be a shortage I'll make sure that whoever goes without it shan't be me.’ and in fact 'that it shall be my poorer neighbour.' For the poorer housewife cannot buy in large quantities, and moreover the artificial scarcity caused by this greedy selfishness will, be used by some unscrupulous dealers to force up the price. “In England in the early days of food difficulties this attitude, known as food-hoarding or food-hogging, was common; in fact the Ministry of Food made it clear that in some cases the supply coming in was equal io the ordinary demand, and if everyone had gone on quietly buying only what she needed, there would have been plenty for everyone. Public opinion was strongly aroused against food-hoard-ing. and a spirit of unselfish sharing, and even of voluntary abstinence, tool: its place. "It seems to me essential thni we*of the Townswomen's Guilds, whoso chief aim is good citizenship, should sei ourselves a high ideal in this matter. The right attitude to a rumoured shortage is surely to limit our purchases strictly to our ordinary needs; and then if a shortage does come, to accept ouri share of the inconvenience cheerfully as our own small contribution to the effort and sacrifice of our nation at war. This may well prove to be a 'housewives' war in which victory may go to the country which can hold on and endure and make sacrifices for patriotism.

"I hope that members of the Townswomen's Guilds will speak and act against all hoarding and hogging, whether of food or other imported articles. With our numbers, and our ideal and purpose of good citizenship we have here a great opportunity of.service fo our country.”