Toilet paper was the name of the game during the spring of
2020. There were shortages galore as the U.S. dealt with COVID-19 and the
shutdowns. In a dark time, it seemed as if toilet paper provided our only
humor. Toilet paper jokes and cartoons made the rounds, but comedy didn’t make
up for being caught without. It had to be toilet paper that prompted more than
a few laughing shoppers to stop in front of empty shelves. Why else would
somebody stand in front of empty shelves bursting out in laughter?
Throughout the 1918 pandemic known as the Spanish Flu, it
was flour., and folks weren’t laughing. During 2020, shoppers were limited to one
pack of toilet paper, sanitary wipes, and spray cleaners. Quite often, shoppers
finding empty shelves in one store drove around town hoping to find the
necessary supplies. In 1918, flour came in large bags or barrels and there were
no apps telling shoppers where to go to get it. For those living in a one-horse
town, there was only one place to get flour.
Hoarding was in the news in 2020. In 1918 there were no
radio or TV reporters to reprimand hoarders. Still, Wisconsin folks were
cautioned against hoarding and Wisconsin was the state that was abolishing it.
Did the state do it? What do you think? Through newspapers, the state said there
was abundant food for residents, the troops and those in foreign countries only
if there was no hoarding. Hoarding violated federal law, but were the
violations those of carelessness, ignorance, or fear?
Wisconsin residents were asked to inventory their supplies
and determine what would be a reasonable stock for 30 days. If people had more
than 30 days’ worth of food, the surplus was to be returned. Wisconsin residents
were told returning surplus was a patriotic duty. Did anyone return food
supplies as their duty.? As it was, war time food regulations were in place
before the pandemic.
County Food and Drug Administrations were directed to
immediately take inventories of flour and sugar sales and then use the lists to
give stores credit for supplies exceeding the needs for 30 days. Magnus Swenson
was Wisconsin’s food administrator while Algoma attorney James McGowan served
as Kewaunee County’s. It was Swenson’s plan to report to Washington – thus
beating every other state - saying Wisconsin was in compliance without one
prosecution. Prosecution? There was a fine of $5,000 and two years in prison
for hoarding violators. Swenson believed Wisconsin people were loyal, but it
was the disloyal that would be prosecuted. Swenson told Wisconsinites to begin
in their own homes and then insist their neighborhoods, cities, and counties
follow suit.
McGowan hit the ground running and immediately after his
appointment to the new office, he toured the county to meet with businessmen, discussing
foodstuff handling in the light of the new federal rules.
Sugar sales were limited to two to five pounds per customer at a time, however if customers were country folk, they were eligible for five to ten pounds. Rural residents weren’t given more to eat. It was travel that made the difference. Flour was limited to 1/8th barrel for city residents, however rural customers could get one-time quantities not exceeding 1/4-1/2 barrel. In either case, customers were required to purchase an equal amount of flour substitutes.
Regulations called for flour sales to be made in proportion of one pound of wheat flour to one pound of other cereals. Among the substitutes were corn meal, corn starch, corn flour, hominy, corn grits, barley flour, rice and rice flour, potato flour, soybean flour and a few more. Rye flour could not be lawfully substituted, however if one purchased rye flour, it was not necessary to buy a substitute.
Rules were specific. When potato flour was the substitute,
the proportions called for 4 pounds of potato flour to 1 pound of wheat
flour. Whole wheat and graham flours
were in a class by themselves. In a direct quote found in a February 1918
Algoma Record Herald, it was noted that “For every pound of graham or whole
wheat flour containing 95% of the entire wheat sold, six-tenths of a pound of
wheat flour substitutes must be purchased by the consumer.” Figure that one
out! Local farmers made the news and got positive press when they took wheat to Bruemmer's mill.
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| Bruemmer Roller Mills at Bruemmerville, 1909 postcard |
After a few weeks short of a year following the COVID-19
shutdown, stores are still limiting purchase of some products. Shortages of
sanitizing sprays have brought the advantages of white vinegar to the fore.
Vinegar is no longer something your mother used for canning and salad
dressings. But substitutes for toilet paper? The old Sears-Roebuck,
Spiegel’s and Montgomery Ward catalogues worked in the outhouses
when most didn’t even think of a commercial product. The old catalogues served
a purpose in the waste-not-want-not world of 100 years ago. While the catalogue
pages worked in an outhouse, they’d raise havoc with today’s sanitation
systems.
Humorists who kept us laughing about toilet paper last
spring sure thought the fed would come up with a toilet paper board. Fast
forwarding to fall, some high school kids did a little tee-peeing around school
to mark the virtual homecomings. A little normality.
Sources: Algoma Record Herald; Wikipedia. Graphics from Algoma Record Herald; postcard from the blogger's collection.
