item details
Overview
This ration book and hosiery ration card were issued in October 1943 to Beatrice Maud Shepherd (1897-1970). This was the third series to be issued in New Zealand during World War II (1939-45). From this period, ration books were graded by age groups, which were marked on the buff covers. For those under 10 years old, there were full rations.
Rationing in New Zealand
Petrol rationing was introduced as soon as war was declared in September 1939 and lasted until June 1946. It was the war’s first impact on civilian life in New Zealand. When Japan’s attack on Southeast Asia threatened other resources, more rationing was introduced.
Ration books
Ration books were first issued in April 1942 to control the purchasing of sugar and stockings. They were issued through the Post Office to the head of each household and became an essential part of daily life. Generally women were in charge of the household’s ration book, as they tended to do most of the shopping. The coupons were cut from the books by retailers.
Clothing and footwear were rationed in May 1942. Each household was given 52 clothing coupons per year. A man’s three-piece suit required 16 coupons. A woman’s dress required four to six coupons – either as a store-bought dress or the material to make it.
Hosiery rationing
Initially, women aged over 16 had an extra page of X coupons for stockings. They were only allowed one new pair of stockings every three months.
Why ration stockings?
Japan was a major producer of raw silk, so when war broke out supplies dwindled. Nylon was invented in the late 1930s, and started to replace silk in the 1940s. Americans first saw nylon stockings in May 1940. But from 1942 most nylon production went into parachutes and tents, so nylon stockings were also scarce during the war.
Significance
Ration books are reminders of the food and material deprivations experienced by New Zealanders during World War II.