After civil defense precautions, the other most vivid WWII wartime memory was of rationing which hit everyone hard. President Roosevelt had created the Office of Price Administration (OPA) in order to place ceilings on prices of most goods and to limit consumption of goods through rationing. In Willimantic, local residents Robert Fenton and Joseph Tubridy were named chairmen of the local OPA “Emergency Retailers’ Committee”. They immediately organized a meeting and invited citizens, salespeople and members of the town’s “Defense Council”. It was hoped that they would become enrolled as volunteers for instruction in methods and regulation of the price ceiling on essential commodities. Soon after, “model stores” were set up in various parts of Willimantic to assist local merchants in procedures. The OPA rationed automobiles, tires, gasoline, fuel oil, coal, firewood, nylon, silk, and shoes. Americans used their ration cards and stamps to take their meager share of household staples including meat, dairy, coffee, dried fruits, jams, jellies, lard, shortening, and oils. One reader mentioned, “There was a lot of food in short supply, such as butter, cheese and meats and I stood in line many times at Ames butter store to purchase some butter.” Another said, “I remember my mother having rationing stamps for certain food items, shoes and gas.” “Folks had stickers on their windshields (A or B comes to mind) which told the gas station guys how much fuel they were allowed depending on their jobs as related to the "war effort." Tires were rationed also. Sugar, nylons -- forget it. Folks had Victory Gardens, trying to raise as much of their own food as possible. Scouts went around on scrap paper drives, scrap metal drives. In Willimantic there was a drop off point for tin foil balls. Folks saved it up and brought it in. It was used by our Air Force to drop shredded foil around our bombers to mess up enemy radar.” “Whenever we kids wanted something we couldn‘t have, we'd hear the same old phrase from our parents: "after the war - after the war." Man, I couldn't wait. And by that time the war ended I didn't want it anymore anyway.” Even the Willimantic Police Department felt the impact of rationing. City Clerk Arthur Clark, in January, 1943, said that because the gasoline rationing program, the revenue from automobile parking meters had declined by $100 per week.” Today, many people don’t remember that Willimantic had a bustling wartime industry or that in Windham, agriculture and especially poultry farming was a predominant. Willimantic industries, large and small supported the war effort. ATCO supplied thread for uniforms, Pratt and Whitney’s huge new plant on West Main Street produced aircraft parts, Electro Motive doubled its output of mica capacitors. Even the tiny New England Pants Company on North Street was turning out clothing needed by the military. (Today’s photo shows one of Electro Motive’s buildings with the giant “V” (for victory) prominently displayed). One unintended consequence of OPA’s pricing limits, however, hit the area hard. Poultry prices were capped but the expenses of local poultrymen were increasing. Connecticut’s governor had received Federal consent to seize chickens for institutions. Local poultrymen complained that chickens were needed locally but were being seized and even sent out of state. This led to “black market chicken” where local  poultrymen tried selling directly to the public. Federal Treasury agents arrested six local poultry wholesalers. State OPA director Stanley Crute argued,” When poultry dealers are willing to stand on the steps of Willimantic hotels and haggle over black market prices for poultry…we have a situation on our hands”. Crute went on to say that although he had no power to set prices, he would “present the Connecticut poultry farmers case to our (OPA) Washington office.”

                                         

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