[Transcribed from The Agriculturalist 14 March l942]
TIN CANS WILL BE SCARCER
No Tins This Year for Strawberries, Apples, Carrots, Baked Beans, Spaghetti or Soups
It's now definite that in order to save tin, Ottawa will enforce reductions in quantities of tin cans used by processors this year says Canadian Grocer in its current issue. Hon. J. G. Taggart, Food Controller, has made suggestions to the Metals Controller for cutting out smaller sizes of cans for certain foods as well as a number of items themselves. If adopted there will be no canned strawberries or raspberries, except large cans for hotels; no canned beets, carrots, apples, apple sauce, baked beans, spaghetti and several other lines. Only condensed soups will be permitted and as far as tin cans are concerned, jams (apart from glass) will only be permitted in 4-lb. Size. So it seems the housewife will have to go back to the kitchen again.
Most of our tin has been coming from the Malaya Peninsula which has been overrun by the Japanese. Both United States and Canadian can manufactures are working on a new type can that will save tin.
Many ceiling problems still occupy the attention of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board.
There seems to be plenty of pepper for two or three years consumption. Canada is said to have sufficient for at least a year and United States buyers bought heavily from the Dutch East Indies prior to the war, sufficient, it is said, to last them about three years. But on account of extra storage and other costs some spice prices have been advancing across the line.
Retail business continues good and this should be the case right through the year. There is plenty of money around, the only fly in the ointment from the standpoint of the grocery trade being reduction in gross margins due to ceilings.
