Dear cita82-ga,
Liquor has never been rationed (from the point of a quantity per
person, per week) despite Britain suffering from limited imports
during the two world wars because of enemy action in the Atlantic and
other arenas. During both wars there was, however, some restriction
on the availability of some alcohol because of government action, the
lack of ingredients, and as a consequence, price rises.
During WWI the government did make moves to reduce the amount of beer
being brewed (barrelage), reduce spirit production, and to control the
hours when public house were open. These powers were exercised by the
Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic) under the Defence of the Realm
Act 1914. The main reason behind this though lay in a desire to
control drunkeness and improve efficiency. The government even took
over a number of pubs in the Carlisle area.
Defence of the Realm Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defence_of_the_Realm_Act
?1916 April, Beer Restriction Act, ?limiting output to 26 million
barrels for the ensuing twelve months' [...]
1917 March - ?Beer output limited to 10 million barrels by Food
Controller. Clearances of spirits from bond limited to one-half
previous year's.' ?
http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/cs/teaching/sle/altered/chronology/dates.htm
In April 3rd and 4th 1917 the Times newspaper reported wide-spread
disquiet over beer and spirit prices.
You can find more in this paper and this BBC site.
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~business/bhcweb/publications/BEHprint/v026n2/p0609-p0616.pdf
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A644645
You may also find this book of interest.
Drink and British politics since 1830: a study in policy-making
?What Greenaway calls ?a moral panic? about drink and national
efficiency and the rationing of raw materials led to a major reduction
in alcohol consumption, regulated by the Central Control Board on
Liquor Traffic.?
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1088234
During WWII the government introduced rationing. Every person was
issued with a ration card which they then used to obtain the supplies
they required. Alcohol was not rationed.
?Other goods such as cigarettes and alcohol were never officially
rationed, but were often in short supply.?
You can find out more about rationing here
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWrationing.htm
http://www.homesweethomefront.co.uk/web_pages/hshf_rationing_pg.htm
And in this man?s recollection of those times.
http://www.youth.net/memories/hypermail/0189.html
It was thought by the government of the time that it would be
injurious to morale to ration alcohol, especially beer.
On May 13 1942, the Times newspaper reported a debate in the House of
Commons when the government were challenged on this. The government
minister stated that the government did not wish to ration beer as
this would mean the government would have to supervise its fair
distribution. It did not wish to enter into this. In any event, the
percentage of water in the beer had increased. If rationing was
brought in then there would be widespread industrial discontent which
would be harmful to war effort.
(obtained through my local library)
The import of wine and spirits were banned in 1940 and spirit
production was reduced by the government. Whisky distillers
especially, were encouraged to export their product to increase
foreign earnings. Port and sherry was reported by impossible to
obtain, and gin was had to find.
Times newspaper 2nd October 1941, 22nd December 1942
(obtained through my local library)
This extract is from a television show which reconstructed life in 1940s Britain.
?Beer, like cigarettes was scarce but never rationed, much to the
annoyance of one House of Lords member. Lord Arnold argued that if
consumption was halved, the barley saved would feed 18 million hens
and provide 4 eggs per family per week. But the government saw beer as
a morale booster and so the scarcity of eggs remained, and people were
encouraged to keep hens.
In the first 12 months, supplies to breweries and distilleries were
drastically cut, so beer production was down by a twentieth, and
whiskey by two thirds. Wines were cut off after the fall of France,
and from October 1941, most imports of alcohol ceased. The 'No Beer'
sign outside pubs was a familiar sight and many imposed their own
restrictions, perhaps not opening until the evening, or only on
alternate days. Drinkers were often limited to one or half a pint of
watered down beer, and they might even be refused service unless they
brought their own glass. Bottles were also short, and there was a
campaign to encourage people to return milk bottles. ?
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/0-9/1940house/ref/food/rat.htm
I?ve covered a fair bit of ground here so I hope this answers your
question. If it does not, or the answer is unclear, then please ask
for clarification of this research before rating the answer. I shall
respond to the clarification request as soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder |
,
0 Comments
)