6 minute read
Pain at the pump
On the bright side, we still have not heard the ‘R’ word
Story by
Steve A. Maze
I’ve been trying to track down George Jetson for a few months now. Remember him? He was one of the characters from the 1960s cartoon series, “The Jetsons.” He drove a space car that was propelled by oxygen and water.
A little air and H2O would certainly be more affordable than the astronomical prices we are paying at the gas pump these days. I wonder if I could talk George into trading his hovercraft for my pickup truck.
The energy sector is a main driver of our economy, and the high price of energy affects every item stocked in stores. The more it costs in fuel to deliver the item, the greater the mark up at the cash register.
Most consumers are trying to cut back where they can … if they can. I bet more people are planting vegetable gardens this year, as well as freezing and canning the bounty from them. And many are putting their gas-starved automobiles on a low-fuel diet with fewer trips from home.
You recall the fuel crisis Hurricane Katrina caused in 2005 – a shorter lived version than our current crisis appears to be. Some of us are even old enough to remember the energy crisis of the mid-70s, but there was one significant difference from the previous ones.
There were long lines at the pump to purchase liquid gold at any cost. Many service stations across the nation had large “out of gas” signs posted in front of their businesses.
That shortage caused good people to go to desperate measures at times.
If the fuel gauge on your car showed full the night before, it was possible to wake up and discover a half-empty tank the following morning. Attached to the windshield would be a $20-bill or two and a note: “Sorry! Needed gas to get to work!” Even though the price of fuel is through the roof, as of this writing we have not heard the R-word … rationing. At least not yet.
That wasn’t the case, however, when World War II was raging. Nationwide gas rationing began on Dec. 1, 1942, and did not end until August 15, 1945.
Drivers were assigned classifications and issued ration books with the appropriate amount of stamps, or coupons. An “A” classification entitled the general public up to four gallons of gasoline per week. A “B” classification for war workers was worth approximately eight gallons a week. A “C” classification allowed for even more fuel for those in the medical profession.
All drivers were required to post a classification sticker on their windshield, and use the appropriate amount of stamps torn from a ration book to purchase fuel. If all the stamps were redeemed before that ration period ended, drivers could not purchase any more gas until the next time coupons were issued.
As it turned out, there was another reason beyond general shortage that the government rationed gasoline. The primary purpose was to conserve tires. Japanese forces in the Far East had cut the U.S. off from its chief supply of rubber, and it was going to take a lot of rubber to keep the military trucks, jeeps and other vehicles rolling.
A new tire was hard to come by for most U.S. consumers, and recaps soon became commonplace on passenger vehicles. The recaps, as well as the national speed limit of 35 mph, helped to conserve the scarce rubber.
Gas rationing did not affect farm folks as badly as others. Many Model-T’s had already become a casualty of the Great Depression and were sitting on blocks.
The only fuel their means of transportation needed was hay, corn and fodder – a pair of strong mules pulled a wagon when called upon, and they could also drag a plow so crops could be raised.
Some food products were also rationed during WWII, and a book of coupons was also required for those purchases.
People living in urban areas were encouraged to turn their small flower beds and lawns into “victory gardens” to fight off the food shortage. People in the rural South fared better since most had a sufficient amount of acreage in which to grow food crops.
Neither was the availability of meat a large problem on farms. Hogs would be slaughtered each November, and the meat preserved in salt boxes or smokehouses.
Chickens also scampered about on most farms, and the eggs they produced came in handy for breakfast, baking cakes, or to trade with peddlers for other needed items. If an old hen quit laying, it was a sure bet that she would end up in a pan of dumplings or dressing.
Some food products, however, could not be grown on farms.
Flour was needed to make fat cathead biscuits used to sustain men in the work fields. Upon hearing it was going to be rationed, people headed to town and purchased two 24-pound sacks to hold them over. Those who failed to do so wound up eating cornbread three times a day.
Still, there were some anxious moments, like when word got out that a government representative was going to be checking individual houses to ensure no one had more than their allotted ration. Many hid their stash of flour in the attic, but very few actually had a G-Man visit them.
By far, the most precious commodity to hit the ration list was sugar. Many people purchased a huge sack of the tasty white granules before nationwide food rationing began in the spring of 1942. Unfortunately, one sack didn’t last but about a year.
Most southern women considered sugar a critical baking ingredient but learned to substitute homegrown syrup and honey to make cakes and pies.
Sugar was also needed for canning jellies, preserves and other items. Most homemakers canned fruits such as strawberries and peaches in their own natural juices since sugar wasn’t available. While not tasting as sweet, no one complained since all families were forced to make do with what they had.
The people most affected by sugar rationing were not farmers, but moonshiners. They needed the sugar to distill their shine. As a result, a black market developed and a five-pound bag sold for a whopping $2.50.
Clothes, shoes, coffee, butter, cheese and many other items also landed on the ration list.
These items didn’t affect country folks much since they made clothes and underwear out of feed and fertilizer sacks. Coffee grounds were used two or three times before discarding. Kids saved wear on their shoes by going barefoot, and a cow kept families supplied with milk and butter.
Isuppose our current energy crisis could be worse. We could be riding around on retreads, going barefoot, wearing fertilizer sack underwear and hiding flour in our attics. Still, with overpriced fuel that few of us can afford, don’t think anything about it if you spot a worn out writer sitting atop a worn out mule clip-clopping down the road during the next few months. I’ll just be headed to the editor’s house to turn in my latest article.
M A G G I E B . & C O . arab al.
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