World War II - Rationing - Making a Sacrifice

 The following article appeared in the Defiance Crescent-News on July 3, 1943, as a defense for rationing. Apparently, some complaining, whining, selfishness and greed erupted once rationing was put into place in 1941, and this author, Robert W. Babson, had heard enough. The writing, in part:

"...Human nature being what it is, almost everyone's first thought was for himself. War, however, makes a person take for granted what in normal times, he could not even imagine, and today points, stamps, and price ceilings seem almost natural. But complaints and misunderstandings are still evident. I wish to defend and explain the need for rationing and price-fixing.

WAR COMES FIRST.  We can never lose sight of the fact that we are engaged in a war. Our first concern is to win. Keeping manpower at peak efficiency is necessary. Our fighting men must have first choice of all necessities. The government sees that our soldiers get the best of everything. What is left goes to the civilian population. There is enough, but its fair distribution cannot be left to chance.

Civilian manpower must back up fighting manpower. Therefore, the war workers on the home front, and those with less important jobs, must have their share of vital commodities. If this division were left to the individual, there would be too many selfish and thoughtless people who would first see that they got everything they could possibly need. Consequently, a plan to divide all scarce items on the basis of fairness and need has been devised.

THIS IS RATIONING."

Rationing required some planning and sacrifices for every household. My parents both worked for the war effort in the Willys-Jeeps factory in Toledo, driving from Henry County. Ride-sharing was demanded, and single travelers were given so long to arrange this, or they might be shorted on gas. Ride-share gave one a supplement of gas.

It was supply and demand with the rationing of the necessities of life. On November 21, 1942, coffee rations were closed for one week, according to the Crescent-News. But the next week, you could trade in your coffee ration for a sugar ration. It was an ever-changing scenario week by week. Extra rules came and went; for example, most of the time, sugar was only to be used for home food processing, not for dumping on cereal..

It didn't pay to try to cheat the Ration Board. If, for example, a soldier received a sugar ration book and then deployed, the family was to turn in his book. It was illegal not to do that, and the Ration Board kept a close watch.

Defiance Crescent-News, April 23, 1942: the rationing of sugar began...