The decrease in the production of wheat and other foodstuffs in France was accom panied by an increase in price of about 50 per cent for wheat, meat and all the main foodstuffs. In regard to the regulation of consumption and victualling the most impor tant public provision was the buying of all wheat imports by the government. This regulated automatically the prices of native wheat and prevented speculation in interior markets. After December 1916 the food prob lems of France were in the hands of a Minis try of Supplies (Ministere du Raviteillement). Among the food laws which were adopted to meet the situation in France was one providing for an increase in the amount of wheat grain used in bolting for the making of flour. An other law instituted two meatless days a week and reduced the menu of meals in hotels and restaurants to three courses only. A third pro vided for sugar cards which reduced the monthly consumption of sugar for each person to 750 grammes and later to 400 grammes. On 1 Jan. 1918 a new system for the control of the cereal supply of the country went into oper ation in France. It provided among other things for the requisition by the state of all crops of native cereals except what was retained by the grower for family consumption, for seed and for fodder for his live stock; state control of all mills; the fixing of a uniform price for flour which affected bread also; the control of all transports of cereals by rail, water or road on a system of transport permits; and the alloca tion to each department of a monthly quota of cereals based on a declaration of requirements in accordance with the number, occupation, etc., of the population. Bread rationing did not be come an institution in France until the last days of January 1918; but the measure was ap proached with considerable hesitation. Pre vious to the introduction of this system nothing in the way of general or national bread ration ing had been actually in force.
The immediate enforcement of this bread rationing was decided on after an interallied conference on the subject of distribution of grain supplies in January 1918. A flat ration was provided of 300 grammes (10.5 ounces) a day to each individual regardless of age or con dition. The scheme was introduced in Paris and suburbs and gradually extended. Tickets were issued to applicants presenting sugar cards, those not possessing the latter having been required to supply proofs of identity satis factory to those in charge. No tickets were re quired of individuals for bread served in res taurants; but permits were issued to the res taurants entitling them to purchase to an amount estimated on 3.5 ounces for each meal served.
Up to the time this regulation went into effect the supply commission which had been estab lished by a decree of 8 Sept. 1914 had suc ceeded in keeping the price of bread down by buying foreign wheat and reselling it to the departments in need; but the shortage of the 1917 crop made even the work of the commis sion inadequate to meet the situation. Sugar
had been the first article of food subjected to rationing in France and it remained the only one until the bread-rationing scheme went into ef fect in January 1918.
The sugar card permitted the holder to buy one and a half pounds of sugar a month for each person in the family if all three meals were taken at home; or an annual allowance of 18 pounds for each person.
Except for a gradual and sustained upward movement of prices of most articles of common consumption the food problem in Great Britain had not offered any serious difficulties during the first two years of the war, that country hav ing been largely a spectator of the food troubles of enemy countries; but there was a perceptible change in the latter part of 1916 and a growing belief among the working people that an unfair distribution enabled the wealthy to get supplies without trouble whereas the poor were not get ring supplies without difficulty. Food control in Great Britain did not take definite form until the end of 1916 when wide powers were con ferred on the Board of Trade for the use of food. Several days after the granting of this power a milling order was issued which made obligatory a 76 per cent extraction of flour from wheat. In the following month a food con troller was named, Lord Devenport being the first to hold this office, which he occupied five months. He made an appeal for a voluntary ration of bread. meat and sugar. This did not accomplish all that was desired, although many people did obey the request. Profiteering be came marked and Lord Devenport finally re signed. He was succeeded by Lord Rhonnda, who obtained by an Order in Council the power to deal with speculation and profiteering, and for the requisitioning of supplies and con trol of prices.
The first direct attempt at rationing was made in the order issued 5 Dec. 1916, regu lating meals in hotels and restaurants. In February 1917 an appeal for voluntary ration ing of bread, meat and sugar according to a specified scale was made. The first products after sugar to be rationed in Great Britain were butter and margarine, although meat cards followed rapidly. On 1 Jan. 1918 the weekly sugar ration was fixed at one-half pound per person. Under the rationing system one and a quarter pounds of meat per person was allowed and one quarter pound of butter. Owing to the difficulties in fixing general maxi mum retail prices over the whole country, the Ministry of Food allowed considerable latitude to the local food committees in fixing the charges permitted to retailers. In the first part of January 1918, the Ministry of Food issued to all local control committees a memo randum for their guidance in schemes of rationing. With the consent of the food con troller any food committee was permitted to adopt any practicable scheme for controlling within its area the distribution and consumption of any article of food. An order allowing a supplementary ration to persons engaged in heavy work was issued in the spring of 1918.