On This Day, 23 January 1918

Birmingham Daily Post

Wednesday 23 January 1918

WOLVERHAMPTON RATIONING

THE TOWN A CENTRE FOR SCHEME OF DISTRIBUTION

A meeting of representatives of Wolverhampton, Tettenhall, Willenhall, Seidon, Sedgley, Bilston, and Heath Town was held at Wolverhampton yesterday, under the chairmanship of Alderman Craddock, to consider further the problem of local food distribution.

Mr. R. J. Curtis (Divisional Commissioner) said he was prepared to render local authorities every assistance in his power. It was essential that schemes should be started in areas where interests in shopping were alike. All the Ministry asked was that certain essentials should be embodied, subject to which the Ministry had empowered him to sanction a scheme. These essentials were that a customer should be tied to some shop, and that the customer should have free choice of the shop in his shopping area to which he wished to be tied. He mentioned what had been done in Walsall, Cannock, Bilston, and Willenhall, and suggested that Wolverhampton might be a convenient centre for a grouped area. He commented on the position of the food problem, hinted that a general rationing scheme was coming, and urged the adoption locally of a scheme which would best merge into the general scheme.

After discussion a committee was formed to formulate a rations scheme for the Wolverhampton area, other authorities having a scheme to join if desirable, for distributing purposes.

COMBINED RATIONS SCHEME FOR LICHFIELD AREA

The Food Control Committee for Lichfield City, Lichfield Rural District, and Rugeley Urban District have decided to adopt a rationing scheme on lines similar to that of Walsall. They have combined with other food control committees in the surrounding district, and a joint committee has been formed for the whole area, with Walsall as the centre. A distributor of foodstuffs has been appointed, whose duty it will be to see that all districts within the area are treated alike, and to take steps to obtain supplies from wholesalers as ordered by retailers.

For the present, the scheme will relate to tea, butter, and margarine only, and the weekly ration for the united area will be as follows:- Teas 1oz. per head; butter or margarine, or a combination of both, 4oz. per head. Subsequently, the scheme will apply to such other articles as may be directed.