Little Citizen What Next?

Food Administrator Claude Wickard picked a logical but startling time. Right after dinner last Sunday night, when well-stuffed U.S. citizens were ready to tune in on their favorite comedians, he went on a coast-to-coast radio hookup to spread the worst food news yet: hard & fast rationing of canned, dried and frozen fruits and vegetables.

Foodman Wickard hastily explained that there was no real shortage of these foods: supplies are the biggest ever. Big hitch is that the Army, Navy and Lend-Lease will gobble up about half 1943's production, leave only 33 Ib. for every U.S. citizen against a pre-war consumption of 46 Ib. The only choice was rationing, under a point system to be started when new ration books are ready in February.

Painfully aware of the grocery runs started by other rationing announcements, Information Director Elmer Davis prefaced Claude Wickard's shocker with an explanation and a plea. Everybody knew that it would be better to keep rationing plans secret until they were ready to be enforced, said he. But this program had to be explained to hundreds of thousands of grocers and to 1,500,000 Office of Price Administration volunteers; "partial and mistaken stones" of the plans were bound to get around; "it seemed best to tell the people tonight what is intended and why."

Added Elmer Davis: "It is perfectly true that this interval gives chiselers and hoarders a chance to stock up, if they are so inclined--and if they can get away with it. But I am confident that the over-whelin.ing majority of the American people are patriotic enough, and sensible enough, not to try to do that. . . ."

Some would disregard Elmer Davis' plea. But many citizens already were being rationed unofficially by their grocers. Most Americans greeted the announcement with a shrug of the shoulders--and wondered what comes next.

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