#war rationing

Sign in a window, 1940s.

“Timmins First in Canada to Prosecute on Charge of Selling Sliced Bread,” The Porcupine Advance (Timmins). June 4, 1942. Page 1, section 2. ---- Two Convictions are Registered Here Tuesday Under Section of Wartime Prices and Trade Board and Bring. Fines of Fifty Dollars and Costs. Both Bakery and Cafe Plead Guilty. ---- Magistrate S. Atkinson, presiding at the regular weekly police court in Timmins on Tuesday afternoon, registered the first convictions in Canada under the section of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board Order that deals with sliced bread. Two Timmins business-men, Albert Tomchick and Andrew Fillafer, paid fines of fifty dollars and costs for contravening the regulations of the order.

Mr. J. Emile Lacouriere, local attorney, was named special prosecutor by the Wartime Prices and Trade Board. but he didn't have to use any of his argumentative powers to obtain the convictions as the two men pleaded guilty before court opened and paid their fines. Mr. Lacouriere was informed by the board that the two charges were the first of their kind to be preferred in the Dominion of Canada.

The charge against Tomchick was that he as the owner and proprietor of Albert's Bakery, in the Town of Timmins, between November 1st 1941, and April 29th, 1942, inclusive, did, "sell bread in sliced loaves, and sliced bread for another person, contrary to and in violation of Section 1 (a) of Order No. 55 of the Wartime Prices and Trade Regulations made and established by Order in Council P. C. 8528. dated the 1st day of November, 1941."

The charge against Andrew Fillafer was that he did "aid and abet one Albert Timchick to sell bread in sliced loaves and to slice bread for another person, in violation of Order No. 55 of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board and did thereby contravene the War tions made and established by Order in Council P. C. 8528, dated the first day of November, 1942."

The charges were preferred by Fred Noon, Wartime Prices and Trade Board investigator for this district.

The two charges were read by the magistrate at the court when he read the convictions against the men. The reason for reading the charges, the magistrate said, was to inform the people that there were severe penalties imposed on those people who contravened the regulations of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board.

Harold Grist 9 Centre Avenue, Schumacher, is the first to pay a fine under the new speeding regulations. He was apprehended by Timmins police a couple of weeks ago and this week he pleaded guilty to the charge and paid a fine of fifteen dollars and costs. This is the minimum under the new regulations designed to cut down the large number of speeding charges. The magistrate has the power, under these new regulations, to cancel a driver's license. and can also mete out a jail sentence.

Donat Crispin, 64 Montgomery Avenue, remanded last week on a charge of negligent driving (four persons in the front seat), pleaded guilty this week and paid a fine of ten dollars and costs Police stopped him almost two weeks ago on Fourth Avenue.

Lucille Desrosier, 69 Third Avenue, was given another remand on a charge of careless driving. She was involved in an accident on Third Avenue more than a week ago while she was said to have made a left-hand turn into a driveway. Personal service of her summons was ordered on Tuesday when she failed to appear.

Earl S. Campbell had a charge of operating a car without the necessary driver's license withdrawn, while Bernard Daley paid a fine of a dollar and costs for driving a car with defective lights. Ten other motorists paid fines of a dollar and costs on charges of illegal parking, while one man was given the benefit of the doubt when the magistrate adjourned his case till called upon on the same charge.

Visited the Canadian War Museum today and they had some cool WWII home front displays including this one on rationing.

Vintage matchbook cover for Grueny’s, the chain of roadside convenience stores founded in the 30s by iconic film star Baby Gruenwald, rightly famous for its pecan log rolls, pecan butter, pecan cigarettes, and novelty diaper products (including Diaper-in-a-Can and Oh, No, It's a Bloody Diaper!).

Stores were concentrated in the Southeast and Midwest, although operations were rumored to have existed as far west as Covenbridge County, Kansas (headquarters of the United Sisterhood of Witches and Cauldron Operators Union) and as far south as Tarhoop Parish, Lousiana.

This poster, from the Office of Price Administration, explains the new system of point rationing during World War II, seen on February 19, 1943.

With food still rationed in Britain, Ethel Merman of "Annie Get Your Gun" gets help from singers from the chorus as they pack boxes with the ingredients for a festive Christmas dinner for the cast of the London production, December 4, 1947

“Gas Ration Books or No Gasoline,” Kingston Whig-Standard. March 31, 1942. Page 5. ---- OTTAWA, March 31 - Only half the motorists in Canada will be able to buy gasoline when rationing comes into effect April 1, Munitions' and Supply Department officials estimated last night after scanning reports from regional offices of the Oil Controller.

Ration licence sales have been heaviest in Ontario which has 576,000 motor vehicles but only 321,000 licences have been issued. For other provinces summarized reports indicated the sale of ration licences runs from one-third to one-half the number of vehicle licences. 

When drivers pull into service stations Wednesday morning. It will be a case of “No coupon no gasoline," one official said last night. 

Posters have been distributed to all service stations explaining how the rationing plan works and penalties up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine up to $5,000 are provided for infractions. Already action has been taken in padlocking pumps of some companies which have violated pre-ration restrictions and warning has been given that spotters will he on duty commencing Wednesday to check infractions of the ration law.

Introduction of gasoline rationing, the first coupon rationing of the war in Canada is the climax of a lengthy campaign to conserve Canada's supply of gasoline and crude oil. Already restricted hours of sale, which willy apply under the rationing plan and a system of rationing to service stations have given driven some indication of the shortage they face. 

Rations for one person - for one week - in WW2 Britain. 

If you wanted more to eat, you'd better grow a garden, and pray it didn't get bombed. Think about this the next time you eat a meal - chances are, you are eating a huge chunk of the calories that they received for a week - in one meal.