[or-roots] Rationing and shortages circa WW2

[Aileen Itzen]

In our small community during the war the local general store owner held 
most of the ration books and if one family needed more of one item and less 
of another he used those stamps to even things out.  It wouldn't have 
occurred to anyone to distrust him or what he was doing.  We lived on a 
dairy farm so meat was readily available to us.  I also learned to can 
fruits using Karo syrup instead of sugar.  I still have some partially used 
ration books, the leather-like case to keep them in and a couple of wooden 
tokens which I believe were used as a form of change with the stamps.  I 
remember meat, sugar, shoes (one pair a year), butter, and even liquor 
where each adult with a liquor card was allowed one fifth of hard liquor 
per month all being rationed..

Aileen

At 04:33 PM 01/31/2005, you wrote:
>Even before the little plastic pills for the coloring of margarine was the 
>plastic pouch that had powdered coloring in it.......One of my 
>grandmothers used the margarine, sold all the cream to the local creamery.
>
>Jacqueline
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <mailto:dgoodma02 at comcast.net>dgoodma02 at comcast.net
>To: <mailto:or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us>or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
>Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 4:17 PM
>Subject: [or-roots] Rationing and shortages circa WW2
>
>Well I'll throw a few memories in;  My Dad worked for Texaco in Tacoma and 
>then Portland.  He had a C Stamp for gas and actually had more because he 
>drove all over the NW Supplying oil and gasoline to military and also to 
>Russian Ships.  Also Remember the butter shortage? and we got this awful 
>stuff called margarine?  and it was white in a plastic bag and you had to 
>break a little yellow pill and then massage the package to make it look 
>like butter. I told my mother I wouldn't eat that stuff and she said 
>"OK".  I found out later that she just made margarine into nice bricks 
>like butter and fed it to me and Dad and we didn't know the difference.
>
>--
>Bob Goodman
>USAF Retired
>University Place, Washington
>
>-------------- Original message --------------
>
> > Trisha;
> >
> > Last question first, according to;
> > 
> http://www.quanonline.com/military/military_reference/american/war_ration.ht
> > ml
> >
> > every member of the family recieved a "ration book"
> >
> > http://www.prewarbuick.com/id389.htm has some more discussion of why
> > rationing existed.
> >
> > I can't find anything online in any detail about the issuing process, they
> > talk about "proving to the rationing board" that you needed "whatever" and
> > restrictions, such as you had to swear you only owned 5 tires to get some
> > ration coupons and that sort of thing. As near as I understand it, 
> everybody
> > had to have ration coupons, if you didn't a lot of "basics" were denied to
> > you, or severely limited.
> >
> > Any of you that were there might be able to explain this easier than a
> > "boomer" like me.
> >
> > Les C
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Trisha Neal
> > Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 9:02 PM
> > To: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
> > Subject: [or-roots] Government Ration Stamps 1940s
> >
> >
> > Is there anyone on the list who knows how Government Ration stamps were
> > issued around 1944-1945? Who were they issued to? How old did you have to
> > be in order to be issued the stamps? How quickly could they be issued?
> > Please contact me offline and I can give you more information. Thanks!
> >
> >
> > Trish
> >
> > Coos Bay, OR 97420
> >
> > "For I know the plans that I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to
> > harm you. Plans to give you hope and a good future.--Jeremiah 29:11
> > --
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