On This Day, 2 January 1918

Birmingham Mail

Wednesday 2 January 1918         

BIRMINGHAM RATION SCHEME.

SMOOTH WORKING AT THE BIG STORES.

Although considerable progress is being made with the Birmingham Rationing Scheme some difficulty has been caused through a misapprehension which has arisen amongst a section of retailers. They have apparently been labouring under the mistaken idea that they cannot do business until after the week ending January 5. It cannot be too strongly emphasised, therefore, that the Birmingham Rationing Scheme for tea, butter and margarine came into operation on Monday last, and that all sales of those commodities must be made under the regulations of the scheme, and customers only supplied by those retailers with whom they elected to deal, and with the quantities for which they are rationed. All these matters were, of course, recognised by the important grocery and provision firms, and in their case the scheme is working quite smoothly; it is some of the smaller shop keepers who are experiencing difficulty. There have been instances where they dealt with their stocks-in-hand under pre-rationing conditions on Monday, and consequently are now having trouble in replenishing their supplies. Naturally the Food Control Committee looked to the stocks in hand to meet partially, at any rate, this week’s requirements.

There is a shortage of meat in the city, attributable to the withholding of stock from the various cattle markets in the district by the farmers, owing to the new order regulating the prices of cattle on the basis of live weight, and it is understood that steps have been taken to bring this matter under the notice of the Food Controller to-day.