Queueing Problems

From the Leeds Mercury, December 22nd 1917. 

BATLEY'S REMEDY FOR QUEUES.

SCHOOL OPENED FOR THE WAITING WOMEN.

In Batley an interesting scheme was put into operation yesterday to minimise public inconvenience arising from butter queues.  Instead of people standing outside the shops in a queue, arrangements were made to accommodate them in a Sunday school, and here tickets were issued systematically, without which it was not possible to obtain a supply at the shop.

Ticket-holders were then allowed to go to the source of supply in batches of ten or twelve, under the direction of the police.

The scheme worked fairly satisfactorily, and was greatly appreciated by the public as a considerable improvement on standing out in the cold.

THE BRADFORD QUEUES.

LOCAL "CONTROLLER" FAVOURS RATIONING.

Bradford, in common with other towns, is deeply concerned with regard to the queue problem.  The long drawn lines of waiting customers outside the butter shops have grown in length as the days have gone by, and the Local Food Control committee has been giving the matter very close consideration.
They have been in communication with the Government and Members of Parliament, and they have urged that the Ministry of Food should take into their hands the distribution of all available margarine.

They contend that it shall be distributed equitably amongst the retailers all over the district so that the people may be able to purchase quantities near their homes, instead of having to go into the city and stand in queues.

Mr. William Warburton, the Executive Officer of the Food Control Committee, has expressed the opinion that many people are coming into the queues, not out of necessity, but for the purpose of obtaining supplies which are in excess of their needs.

The effect is that some people have more than enough, and others have to go short.  The only way to meet the difficulty was by a system of registration and rationing.

A DEWSBURY PROTEST.

GUARDIAN'S ALLEGATION AGAINST THE WELL-TO-DO.

Some bitter complaints were made at yesterday's meeting of the Dewsbury Guardians concerning the butter queues which have grown to such extraordinary lengths in the district, and particularly in the centre of Dewsbury.

Mr J. H. Dyson (Thornhill) put in a spirited plea for the poor people who were receiving parish relief.  He proposed that the Food Control Committees be urged to make it possible for these people to get food in the districts in which they lived.  It was positively deplorable, he said, that these unfortunate people should be put to the expense of going to Dewsbury to obtain butter, and then to have to stand starving in queues for hours.

Mr. P. R. Wilson (Ossett), in seconding, suggested that the local authorities should use the Town Halls for waiting purposes, and supply the folks with tickets of admission to the shops.

Mr. J. T. Peace (Ossett) said that if the middle and upper classes would "play the game fair," and not send persons to stand for them in the queues after already obtaining their ordinary share from their grocer, the problem would be easier.

 Mr. F. Priestley (Batley) remarked upon the hardship of a family of eight or ten persons being only able to obtain half a pound of butter through the queue system.  At the same time, in Germany, where all the food was rationed, he had reason to know that the queues were worse than here.
...
The resolution was carried.

[The board of guardians administered relief under the poor laws to people within their district (a parish or a group of parishes).]