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the demise of our Blue Stamp Plan. Some contend that it 

 did not die; "it merely sleeps" and is peacefully resting in a 

 state of coma, awaiting revival. Others contend that it is be- 

 ing expanded to include the world. 



The Consumer Can't "Pull in His Belt" 



World War II brought on the "sacrifice" and the "pull-in- 

 your-belt" policies, popular expressions for reducing the con- 

 sumption of food. 



With the nation's industries and agriculture running at 

 capacity, men are putting forth greater physical effort than 

 during the latter phases of the Hoover regime and much 

 of the Roosevelt administration, when unemployment was 

 widespread. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that they 

 need more food. They have been asked to reduce the amount 

 of fuel they use. This can be accomplished only by increasing 

 the amount of clothes or food or both. With the restrictions 

 on gasoline consumption, increasing quantities of food are 

 required to provide the energy formerly supplied by gaso- 

 line. When a nation is taken off its gasoline and central-heat 

 standard and is asked to turn out more products, the con- 

 sumption of food will increase. The consumer cannot "pull 

 in his belt." 



As the food scarcity developed, one arm of the govern- 

 ment urged the consumer to "share the meat," to use the 

 butter sparingly, to reduce the consumption of canned goods, 

 and the like. Another arm of the government fixed low ceil- 

 ing prices for these articles, which encouraged increased con- 

 sumption. Still another raised the sights of minimum stand- 

 ards for adequate nutrition. 



John Q. Public was in a dilemma. He did not know that 

 he could not pull in his belt. He wanted to respond to the 

 government's patriotic appeal and reduce his consumption 

 of food, but he could not resist the temptation to eat increas- 



