Wartime Rationing

Report Outline
Supply Shortages and Consumer Rationing
Consumer Rationing in World War I
European Rationing Systems in World War II
Special Focus

Supply Shortages and Consumer Rationing

Rationing of Automobiles, Tires, and Tubes

Civilian rationing, applied on January 5 to purchases of new tires, will be extended in mid-January to purchases of new automobiles, and may later be applied to a variety of articles and commodities needed to supply the war requirements of the United States and its Allies.

The President warned the country in his Annual Message on the State of the Union, January 6, that it must be prepared to forego many conveniences and luxuries to forward the war program, that civilian use of certain raw materials—steel, copper, rubber, aluminum, zinc, tin—would have to be severely restricted and in some cases entirely eliminated.

In his Budget Message, January 7, the President said the system of allocations—rationing on the business level—should be extended and made fully effective.