COMPULSORY RATIONS.
[To THE EDITOR or THZ SPRCIZZOR.”) Sias—Usually the reasoning of your articles appeals to me as so very sound that, finding a contrary case, I eel conetrained to write to you upon it. In the article on "Compulsory Rations" in the issue of November 17th the writer says :— " People who necessarily eat several of their meals in dabs. restaurants, or hotels are unable- to see how they can bring their meals within the foar borders of the new scheme with any hope of accuracy. Hotels are still allowed to nay* their customers with twelve- ounces of meat a day. This authorized ration sanc- tions an individual consumption of meat amounting to five and a quarter pounds per week. The man who tests his luncheon in a restaurant every day of the week except Sunday will find that he has a minus amount to his credit when lie comes to eat a meal in his own home on Sunday."
The man who knows that hotels are allowed to supply heeled ounces per day knows that this is the raw meat allowance; that two ounces are allotted to breakfast and five ouncee each to lunch and dinner, and a simple arithmetical calculation will tell him how many Meat meals he may have per day to keep within Limo
Food Controller's ration. Again, the man who eats his luncheon in a restaurant every day except Sunday, and has meat for every lunch—but has no other meat meal during the week—will have consumed six times five ounces and will find himself with a balance to his credit for Sunday's meals of two ounces, not with a minus amount as the writer of the article says, and he may increase this by diminishing his bread ration. There is no morn difficulty, therefore,. in calculating tho hotel or restaurant allow- ance than the home allowance, and if the individual is really desirous of rationing himself on accordance with the voluntary scheme he can do so without seriously overtaxing his mental powers. It is a pity that a good case should be spoiled by special pleading, for I agree that the weight of argument is entirely on the side of compulsory rationing.-1 am, Sir, de.,
CONSTANT READER.
[Our correspondent allows nothing for dinner in the. evening. According to this scheme, a man's total weekly consumption of meat in his own home world be two ounces. Personally, we should prefer to eat no meat in the restaurant and save up for home—En. Spectator.]
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