RATION BOOKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 June 1942, Page 3

RATION BOOKS

EIGHT MILLION SENT OUT IN AUSTRALIA SHOPS CLOSED TILL TUESDAY. TO WORK OUT NECESSARY ORGANISATION. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.40 a.m.) (Special P.A. Correspondent.) SYDNEY, This Day. Nearly eight million ration books, containing more than a thousand million clothing and tea coupons, plus' blanks which can be adapted to other purposes, are being distributed throughout Australia during this weekend The problem of dealing with coupons when they are presented will concern more than 40,000 retailers The cost lof distributing the ration books is about £lOO,OOO and some 40,000 officials are employed. The books contain a year’s supply of 112 clothing coupons. Their use will be required immediately for purchases, but 56 tea coupons are not yet to be used. Only half of the clothing coupons can be used before November 15. Special arrangements are being made to provide parcels for prisoners of war, for newly married couples and expectant mothers. The computation of the ration scale is still not revealed, but has been difficult. One reason has been that the climates of other rationed countries are more or less uniforhi, while Australia has a continental range of temperatures between Hobart and Darwin. Throughout Australia many hundreds of people have to apply for new identity cards, without which ration books are not obtainable. This is expected to provide an effective check on tax evaders. The last days before the introduction of rationing saw another rush of buying by the public. All stores are now closed until Tuesday next, to enable them to organise to meet the introduction of the coupon system.