COUPON VALUE

[Music] [Applause] [Music] who the Allied nations food is a weapon of freedom a weapon to be used in the interest of the people here is the answer to fascism me the Great North American continent with its vast potential food supplies is making this answer mean something sending more and more food to the United Nations we are feeding larger and larger armies abroad taking on greater food responsibilities with each new year of war meat a perishable commodity long term in production is one of the hardest food contracts to fill large defense projects such as the alaskan highway make sudden demands in our meat supply the army's at home and abroad are taking increasing quantities of food each year we are exporting meat to places where former food supply was cut off places like you can land in the British West Indies to prisoners of war dependent largely on us for food to maintain health the aim of the Canadian Red Cross is to ship one parcel of food to each prisoner of war per week Australia to maintains a Red Cross supply to Canada [Music] one of the main reasons why our meat supply is ration is our bacon contract with Britain Britain is dependent on Canada for about 85 percent of her total bacon supply the civilian ration of bacon in Britain is four ounces per person per week their total animal protein ration including bacon eggs fish and cheese is approximately two pounds per person per week our Canadian soldiers are fed from the British contract our farmers are producing at least 50% more meat than they produced before the war yet so great is the need for our meat abroad that there isn't enough left to meet the steadily increasing home consumption if we are to keep our promise to feed the Allies in the army we must cut down our home demand you must share our meat make it go round give every family in Canada an equal amount for home consumption of meat has increased with rapid strides since the beginning of war workers with full employment need food and are consuming more than they have for years [Music] so sharply did the demand for meat rise in the first years of the war that supply fell behind [Music] by 1942 localized shortages began to appear especially was this true of points polished from production centers half our meat is produced in the western provinces and is a long way from our heavily populated cities in the year [Music] conditions were increasing where shoppers women doing full-time duty as munition or office workers and with family responsibilities had little to choose from when they arrived at shots late in the afternoon or nothing at all in some localities fathers from the source of supply [Music] women with time and money to shop had been the rounds earlier in the day and bought their customary amount of meat which was more animal protein than was needed for the health of their family with prices fixed at certain levels normal restraint on buying did not exist and home consumption soared [Music] without some kind of restraint demand for meat would have continued to rise in 1943 - a figure beyond supply if we were to fulfill our promises to supply the United Nations and armies we must cut our home consumption by 20% of the 1942 figure to do this rationing was the answer in order to ensure an equal share of the National supply for each family the rationing of meat presented the difficult organizational problem to insure against black market a government stamp was made compulsory without this stamp no meat can be legally sold in the market the second step to arrive at a coupon value for each caucus and break that down into cuts and droopiness a series of tests were made keeping in mind as much as possible the housewives normal buying habits after weeks of weighing and averaging the test resulted in the coupon value chart to be a guide to us while the next step was to standardize the method of cutting to fit the coupon value government men and butchers were called into centers to attend meat cutting schools to learn some of the new problems of cutting which arose out of rationing in order to satisfy the ration coupons it was necessary to break this rump roast into four different cuts square in and with the round then divided into three cuts we end up with a 14 pound roast divided into weights running three to four pounds now we come to another problem roast the sixth and seventh bowl where we separate it by breaking at the natural seam and making a boneless roast of the entire cut the outside roll is an ideal pot roast remove the blade bone making a roll of it and by boning we can cut it to suit any ration coupons value after boning skewer this roast making an incision and it makes to ideal pot roast weighing two and a half to three pounds each we do the same with the inner roll which is a choice oven roast the choices rose to the riff cut this in half and we now have for ideal roasts ranging about three pounds each from a 15 pound cup a plan for standardized cutting so that butchers would have a pattern to follow a guide to cutting that would fit the coupon needs of their customers from the butchers point of view thinner steaks smaller roasts we butchers might as well recognize the need for change methods to further the rationing program there is no question in my mind at the butchers ability to follow standardized cutting methods to think in terms of percentages these will decide to a large measure the success of the rationing plan our job is to make the meet and go farther to make for instance two small roasts were formerly there was one the butcher and the women he serves on them rests a good deal of the responsibility for the success of rationing what I don't like to hear is remarks like this I don't think there's any real need for rationing but I'll open says there's plenty of meat in the country food our own people first I see and ship the rest if there's any left women can and by an intelligent approach to the ration plan help themselves and the butcher if a woman arrives at the butcher shop in a hurry unprepared with no plan for the weekends needs in relation to the rationing aim to buy what she's always had for the weekend what chance has the butcher got to help her yes that will do nicely she says and never stops to think about her coupons then she is dismayed and angry with the butcher because the meat takes all her coupons for the week why didn't you tell me she says you should have told me how was I to know he says she learned her lesson dearly perhaps at the expense not only of coupons but of waste meat women should plan at home using the chart something like this I'm glad I carried that coupon forward from last week I can get her little three pound books this week perhaps a wing roast or a sirloin tip roast would do for Sunday and Monday and Tuesday too if I make a meat roly-poly with lots of gravy Wednesday I could buy some veal cutlets or some flank steak Oh a nice piece of round steak if I make up the coupon Avenger with minced meat I could make a casserole but spaghetti on Thursday and for the rest of the week I have one coupon left I could use it or save it and have a vegetable plate instead of meat to win a family that's perhaps the hardest group of all to plan for plan for the week plan to carry forward a coupon and so allow for a roast plan to use so much out of the different groupings and unrushed meats and occasionally alternatives now I wonder what we could have I know if we bought chops for Sunday dinners they weigh about half a pound we could make up the weight with sausages for Saturday night yes and if there are any sausages left over we could have them with the chops on Sunday as a mixed grill that's an idea I'm gonna be let's have Luther it's not rationed and we'd save a coupon Tuesday we could buy 3/4 of a pound the safe part of it for Korean Wednesday Thursday I think we could manage a couple of minutes takes if we couldn't get steaks we'd better have hamburger and make up the coupon wait with some cold ham or bacon for another supper if you are the mother of a family working outside the home the planning is a special responsibility in cooperation with the rest of the family now if we had a nice pork roast for dinner on Sunday Bruce a blade roast would be good well we could have a square and rump cut or a chuck roast is an economical buy that would do for Sunday and Monday we could have a kidney and beef loaf on Tuesday one pound of Hamburg steak and a beef kidney would make enough for two days there would be three coupons left we could have some steak or stewing meat um we'll be alright for the rest of the week now John if your speak to the butcher to say the pot roast I'll pick it up when I come home from work okay and on Wednesday I'll leave the meat pie already mixed and Bruce you put it into the oven at five o'clock have you decided who is to do the shopping this week yes it's me well then you'll need these Jim remember that when you have seen the last of your coupons it is only the first time they have been handled the butcher must keep track of everyone on his turnover of coupons defends his business as he says no coupons no more meat before he can get a fresh meat supply he must turn in the coupons either directly to his wholesaler or he can turn them into his bank and receive a coupon Bob sure this is his authorization to receive the value in meat or if his normal gross sales of food each month exceed $5,000 a year he must establish a bank account his coupons are treated in the same way as money he writes a deposit slip for the number of coupons he turns into the bank and then write the coupon check on his bank when he needs a fresh supply of meat meat rationing doubled the number of coupons put into circulation since the beginning of the war a coupon will purchase a certain amount of meat per person per week but does not guarantee the kind or cut it sets a control on the amount of meat sold for home consumption it sets a plan for organized distribution of the available supplies the rationing plan depends for its success on cooperation between the butcher and the public in the past many Canadians ate more meat than was necessary for health meat say the nutritionist has a special job that of building and repairing tissues if more is eaten that is sufficient for the job meat is being wasted for it is being used to supply energy which read our cereals to do equally well an adequate supply for the people of home but no luxury no weights no selfish rushing to buy other foods and so create further shortages but stretching yes making each piece of meat go as far as possible remembering that food saved today may mean life for the starving people of Europe tomorrow [Music] [Music]