Conservation
When the war first started people were asked to conserve all items of consumption. When this failed to be enough, firmer measures
had to be taken. The Wartime Prices and Trade Board, launched a conservation program in March of 1943. Textiles were diverted
away from the domestic fashion scene to the war effort. The military had to be dressed. Rather than buying the latest style you
were expected to alter last year's style to the new one. Dress hemlines shortened in order to take less material to make a
dress or skirt. Adult clothing that was no longer suitable was cut down to make clothing for children. This was nothing new for
the people of Summerside who had recycled in this manner for many decades. The style of double-breasted suits for men was outlawed,
because of the amount of material required to make one. Patches on clothing were a common sight, and it was a good thing to have
shiny sleeves on your shirt from many washes and ironings. Women of the day didn't wear pants; that was men's attire.
(No matter how cold it got for women in the armed forces they were refused permission to wear pants.) Thus it came as a serious
blow when silk stockings could no longer be bought (Silk was used for the making of parachutes). Nylon stockings, advertised as being more durable than silk, had come onto
the market but were very expensive. However, nylon was also diverted to the war effort, leaving women's legs bare. Someone,
somewhere came up with the idea of liquid silk stockings. Women could buy a powder that when mixed with water and painted
on their legs gave the look of silk stockings. Real stockings had seams up the back of them so ladies used an eyebrow pencil
to paint on the seam. Leather was restricted during the war so shoes and boots became difficult to buy.
Canadians were asked during the war to make do with what they had. Most times they had no choice but to do exactly that.
With consumer goods manufacturing plants taken over for war goods production, things like washers, fridges and furniture,
were almost impossible to buy. One young air force woman stationed in Summerside who married her sweetheart and moved into an
apartment couldn't even buy a pair of scissors until after the war. This was difficult for people in many ways. They now had
jobs making good money but couldn't spend it on the things they wanted or needed.
The rationing of gasoline was hard for people to accept since the car was now a popular mode of transportation. The speed
limit was reduced to forty miles an hour since lower speeds give greater gas mileage. The next restriction imposed was that
people were not allowed to travel further than a thirty-five mile radius from home without a special permit. On top of all
this, one had to worry if someone would steal the gas from one's car when it was unattended. Then there were the tires to
worry about. Having a blow-out was a disaster as tires became increasingly more difficult to get as the war went on. Even
tubes were rationed. Things got a little better in 1944 when synthetic tires started to come on the market.
Corney Brothers of Summerside saw a business opportunity in re-treading tires and repairing them by vulcanizing.
It became hard to even heat your home. Twenty-five Summerside homes that had modern oil-burning furnaces had
to go back to burning sooty coal. Even some homeowners who burnt wood had to convert to coal when the shortage of farm
workers cut down the supply.
Things To Do!!!
Click on Journal-ad "Their sacrifice-your Response"
Does driving slower actually save gas? If it does, what would be the amount saved by reducing your speed by twenty miles per hour?
Car motors available in the 1940s were V8s and V6s. By special order you could even get a V12. How would this effect gas mileage? What size engines can be bought today?
Using a compass on a map figure out what Island communities you could visit from your home.
Check the Homefront website to see how businesses handled the gas rationing. Was a bicycle the answer to the gas shortage?
During the war a car owner could buy just over 500 gallons of gas per year. Convert that into liters remembering the conversion is 1 gallon equals 4.5 litres. Talk with your parents about
gas rationing. If one were imposed today and your family could only have half its current weekly supply, what would your family have to change? What could they most easily change? A Journal editorial in January 1942 praised the benefits of walking. Are there times you choose to drive when you could just as easily walk?
What are some of the ways you could cut back on your consumption? What is the difference between a need and a want?
What were some of the other materials used for stockings besides Silk and Nylon?
