Shortages during World War II led to rationing of petrol, clothing, tea, sugar, butter and meat. Ration cards were issued to adults and to children who had reached their fifth birthday. Shopkeepers were required to remove the appropriate number of coupons from the cards at the time of sale.
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The adult ration for tea was half-a-pound per five weeks; sugar two pounds per fortnight; butter one pound per fortnight and meat two pounds per fortnight. Children received a lesser ration than adults but, from memory, a tea ration was not available for those under 14 years of age.
Rationing of sugar ceased in 1947, meat and clothing in 1948 and tea, butter and petrol in 1950.
The petrol ration varied with engine size but, for private cars, it was barely sufficient to make one round trip per month between Walcha and Tamworth. One result was that many cars were put up on blocks for the duration of rationing.
Petrol supplies were also inadequate for businesses causing many to fit charcoal burning gas producers to their work vehicles. The Walcha News of December 4, 1958, said Bowden’s Garage fitted gas producers to a part of its fleet of trucks, buses and hire cars. There is a gas producer from one of Erratt & Co’s trucks on display at Historical Society’s museum.
Tobacco and beer were two of many much sought-after commodities that were in short supply due to government restrictions on their manufacture. In December 1940 producers of tobacco products began rationing supplies to retailers.
Draught beer was in short supply while bottled beer was often unobtainable due to a dearth of bottles as a result of the great quantities of bottled beer being shipped to the armed services.
Many a man brought home a billycan of draught beer from the pub as a means of being able to have a beer at night.
The sale of tyres was subject to approval by the authorities with one unlucky Glen Innes man being refused permission to buy a much-needed tyre because it was deemed unlikely that his truck would remain serviceable for a further 10,000 miles.