[What's Cooking?]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

...... Form R 1315-I>'	z ___
X WHAT’S COOKING
OPA BULLETIN for Restaurants, Hotels, and Other Institutional Users (To be mailed by War Price and Rationing Boards with allotments)
Washington 25, D. C.May 1945
Practically all of you are now familiar with the new food rationing rule covering the recall of surplus inventories. Many people, however, still ask about OPA’s reasons for this step.
Inventories Reported
Back in December, when the unused stamps of consumers were canceled, it was announced that institutional users would be required to report their inventories.
Eating places were required to report to OPA the amount of their rationed food stocks as of January 1, as well as their ration bank balances and the amount of ration evidence they had on hand.
These establishments also were required to report their supplies of lard, cooking and salad oils and shortening and also of grapefruit juice and blended orangegrapefruit juice on hand as of January 28. 1945. The total of the items thus reported was considered as their total inventory for rationing purposes.
Working Inventory Permitted
Institutional users are permitted to retain approximately 2% months’ supply of processed foods and sugar, and 1% months’ supply of meat-fats. Moreover, provision has been made for building up inventory, in the case of meat-fats to the extent of 10 percent of the January-February 1945 meat-fats
allotment (before reduction) because of the restoration of many of these items to the ration list.
All in all, OPA, after consultation with the Restaurant Industry Advisory Committee, considers this a satisfactory working inventory in relation to the current supply situation.
Recall of Surplus
In March 1945, when surplus inventories were recalled, institutional users were required to surrender only that portion of the total inventory in excess of the working inventory just described. Thus, if an institutional user had on hand a 3 months’ supply of processed foods, he was required to surrender only a one-half month’s supply.
Reason for Recall
Recall of surplus inventories was necessary because of dwindling supplies in relation to our over-all wartime needs for food. It was absolutely essential to the war effort that surplus inventories be drawn upon for current requirements.
Actually, all that has been asked of eating places is that they use up the excess over their allowable working inventory before they r ecejVe—aijdm	„
allotments of rationed fpods. The wMrkC/v ing inventory which^ all establishments have been allowed to maintain should be adequate for normal operations.
JUN 3 1948 -
OVERDRAFTS WILL CAUSE SUSPENSION
Under an amendment to the rationing regulations that became effective early in February, eating places that overdraw their ration bank accounts will now face suspension of their ration banking privileges.
When a bank notifies an OPA district office that an account for a particular rationed food is overdrawn, the district office will inform the operator that he must pay up the amount of the overdraft within 15 days after the beginning of the next regular ration allotment period.
While under notification of an overdraft, the operator is not permitted to draw any further checks against the account until full repayment of the overdraft is made. However, if he has more than one account for the rationed food, he may draw on a solvent account for deposit in the overdrawn account.
If the operator does not repay the overdraft within the prescribed time, or if he repays and later overdraws the same
account a second time, immediate suspension of the account will follow.
When an account is closed in this way, the operator must surrender all ration checks and checkbooks he has for that account. Further, he will have to pay points at or before delivery for such rationed foods for which the bank account was closed.
The OPA district office also will notify suppliers when the ration bank account of an institutional user has been closed and instruct suppliers that points must be collected at or before delivery.
If the operators of eating places will review briefly the many advantages of a ration bank account, such as the safekeeping of their ration currency and the privilege of paying by check, they will want to use every precaution to avoid overdrafts or any other violation of the regulations which would lead to the suspension of their banking privileges.
32, ^25 7
& 7
BUDGET YOUR POINTS
Numerous cases have come to our attention in which eating places have been unable to serve rationed foods for short periods because they had used up their entire allotments before the end of the allotment period.
This problem cannot be solved by the granting of supplementary allowances. The regular periodic allotments as well as point values are based on the total supply of rationed foods available to institutional users. Granting additional allowances would only result in making outstanding more ration purchasing power (points, ration checks, etc.) than there are supplies of rationed food available for purchase.
The only solution to. this problem lies in the operator’s spending his allotment carefully enough to make it last the full period. There are three important steps which will greatly simplify planning for any operator, they are:
1.	Budget your points. Some eating places will.be able to do this merely by dividing the total allotment by the number of days they intend to operate during the allotment period and using the result as their daily quota. Most places.
WHY THE MEAT-FATS
Various institutional users have asked OPA why the current allotment of meatfats was fixed at 80 percent of their basic allotments. They felt that, in view of present high point values and the restoration of so many items to the ration list, this percentage somehow put them at a disadvantage as compared with other groups under rationing. The facts in the case, however, do not justify this attitude.
The whole food rationing program has for its object the fair and equitable division, among the eligible groups, of the rationed foods available for distribution.
By carrying out rationing under the point system, we can, by raising or lowering point values, keep the total point value of rationed foods approximately equal to the supplies available.
however, have some variation in volume of business, and the operators will have to make allowance for such fluctuations by decreasing their point quota for slow days so as to increase the quota for busy days. In any event, the total of the daily quotas for a period should not exceed the total allotment.
2.	Maintain a working inventory. The rationing regulations permit you to retain an adequate working inventory (see “Recall of Surplus Inventory” in this issue), and possession of one makes possible more economical and efficient operation. It will also help you “even out” the use of points as between rush periods and slack periods. In addition, it will give you points for operation between the end of an allotment period and the time you get your next allotment.
3.	Include on your menus as many meals as possible made from low-point and no-point foods, as well as from the various nonrationed substitutes such as poultry and fish. This practice not only saves points but actually gives you a better balanced menu.
ALLOTMENT IS 80%
Institutional users are on substantially the same rationing basis, in relation to their original allotments, as household consumers. In the beginning, institutional users received 100 percent of their basic meat-fats allotments, and household consumers received 64 red points a month. For some time, now, household consumers have been receiving 50 red points a month.
In December 1944 a number of items were restored to this rationing program. At that time we had two methods by which we could aline current allotments with the new rationing situation. First, we could continue giving consumers 50 points a month and give institutional users the proportionate quota of 80 percent of their basic allotments, or, second,
we could raise consumers to 64 red points a month and give institutional users 100 percent of their basic allotments In the latter case, however, it would have been necessary to increase the point values of all items in this program in order to compensate for the additional number of points then outstanding. Both the consumers and the institutional users would receive the same proportionate amount of rationed foods in either case. In these circumstances OPA took the simpler of
the two steps, leaving point values where they were, conftinuing consumers at 50 points a montri, and giving, institutional users 80 percqpt of their basic allotments.
It should be pointed out that 50 points represents 78 percent of the original 64 points granted to consumers. Thus, with institutional users getting 80 percent of their original allotments, it can hardly be said that they are at a disadvantage compared with the consumer group.
DATES FOR ALLOTMENT APPLICATIONS
Here is a little calendar which will help you to remember the allotment periods and the final dates for applying for your allotments if you want to get your full ration quota.
If your application (on OPA Form R-1309) is not received by the board on or before the 15th day of the first month of the allotment period, your allotment will be reduced. The re
duction will be in proportion to the number of days elapsed from the first day of the allotment period to the day on which the application is received by the local board.
Obviously, it is important that you get your application in on time. Keep this table handy as a reminder of the proper time for filing.
ALLOTMENT PERIODS AND APPLICATION DATES
Allotment Period
January-February March-April May-June July-August September-October November-December
Final Application
Dates*
January 15 March 15 May 15 July 15 September 15 November 15
♦Application must be received by the local board on or before the dates shown above in order to avoid reduction of your allotment.
If you make it your practice to mail this application as near the first of the month as possible, and never later than the fifth or sixth, you will be sure of getting it to the board in time to get your full quota of rationed foods.
U S GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 639673