Ration Cards for Butter and Margarine

From the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 7th February 1918.

BUTTER CARDS.

LOCAL SCHEME TO AFFECT 200,000 CONSUMERS.

The new card rationing scheme which is intended to operate in a wide area in and around Huddersfield has reached an advanced stage of preparation.  Cards should be in the hands of retailers tomorrow, and it is expected that the scheme will be commenced during the week ending February 23rd.  The scheme will affect a population of about 200,000 within the administrative areas of the following twenty-five Food Control Committees:—Huddersfield, Farnley Tyas, Thurstonland, Kirkburton, Lepton, Whitley Upper, Holme, Marsden, Kirkheaton, Denby and Cumberworth, South Crosland. Skelmanthorpe, Linthwaite, Meltham, Holmfirth, Shepley, Newmill, Shepley, Clayton West, Mirfield, Honley, Golcar, Scammonden, Gunthwaite and Ingbirchworth.

The new cards are in size 7in. by 6½in. and are printed upon white paper.  It is intended that in the first instance they shall apply to butter and margarine only, but it will be possible to extend their operation to two other commodities should circumstances necessitate that extension.  There are spaces along the top of the card for the applicant's name and address, and squares in which are printed the last dates of the twenty weeks from February 16th to June 24th, but it has been found impossible to bring the cards into operation next week, owing to difficulties of printing in the short period available.

From the Kirklees Museum Service collection

HOW TO FILL UP THE CARDS.

In the bottom left hand corner of the card is a perforated square in which the customer should fill in the name and address of the shop keeper at which he or she desires to obtain supplies.  On the back of the perforated piece the customer should sign his name and write his address, and by tearing off the perforated portion and handing it to the shopkeeper he performs the act of registration.  The customer should keep the remaining portion of the card and show it to the shopkeeper every time he purchases butter or margarine.  The shopkeeper will then obliterate the appropriate date and hand the card back to the customer.

It should be clearly understood that one of the cards should be obtained for each person in the family —it has been found impracticable to work a system of family cards.  The cards may be obtained almost immediately from the retailer with whom the customer is registered for sugar supplies.  But the customer can select any other retailer from whom he desires to obtain butter supplies.  Once having selected his retailer, however, he must go to him every week for supplies, for he will not be able to obtain them elsewhere.  One of the chief objects of the scheme is to prevent anyone obtaining double supplies, and so making it certain that someone else must go short.  It will be an offence either for a retailer to serve butter or margarine to a person who is not registered with him, or for the customer to try to get butter or margarine from a retailer with whom he is not registered.

¼ LB. PER HEAD.

By means of these cards customers will be entitled to butter or margarine not exceeding a total quantity of ¼ lb. [113g.]  per head per week.  The ¼ lb. may consist of butter, margarine, or a mixture of both, but the ration should not be exceeded. 

During the week the committee has commandeered 3 tons 19cwts. [just over 4000 kg.] of margarine, and distributed it in the usual way.

MEAT SUPPLIES.

It is probable that local meat supplies during the week-end will be only 25 per cent. of the October supplies.  Every attempt is being made to obtain increased supplies, but the outlook is not very promising.