ems to ensure supplies. It does not and where, under
voluntary rationing, people go round and find other food and get along
with the supplies there are, under compulsory rationing there would
always be a tendency to demand their ration and to make trouble about
the lack of any one commodity in it.

Compulsory rationing to be workable must be a simple scheme, and no
overhead ration of bread, for example, is just. The needs of workers
vary and so do the needs of individuals, and bread is the staple food
of our poorer classes. They have less variety of foods and need more
bread than the better-off people. Compulsory rationing may have to
come, but most of us are determined it will not come till it is really
unavoidable and we are appealing to our people to prevent that, and
masses of them are economizing and saving in a manner worthy of the
greatest praise.

The rationing we appealed to our people to get down to, was three
pounds of flour per head in the week, 21/2 lbs. of meat and 1/2 lb. sugar.

The King's Pledge, which we had signed by those willing to do this,
all over the country, pledged people to cut down their consumption
of grain by one-quarter in the household, and the King's Proclamation
urged this, and economies in grain and horse feeding.

An old Proclamation of the 18th century appealed to our people to cut
down their consumption of their grains by one-third and was almost
identical in form, and copies signed by Edmund Burke and other famous
people were shown in our Thrift Exhibitions in Buckinghamshire.

We arranged meetings for the maids of households in big groups to
explain the need and meaning of economy in food with great success.
Every head of a household knows that the maids can make or mar one's
efforts to save food, and we have found many of ours admirable, and
willing to do wonders in the way of economy and saving.

If compulsory rationing in more than sugar comes as it may, the
basis of rationing will, we believe, be worked out with as much
consideration as possible of the needs of the workers.

Our Co-operative movement is, in a simple way rationing its buyers, by
regulating supplies, and it is in voluntary work of that kind, which
is going on extensively, and in the people's own efforts and economies
that our great hope lies.

The Ministry of Food arranges meetings and sends speakers to
associations and bodies of every kind. The schools are very
extensively used for demonstrations to wh