Statistics released last night by Arthur B. Lord, superintendent of schools, who was in charge of the sugar rationing registration for the Island, show little evidence of hoarding, with one town, Gay Head, issuing books to every person who applied, and also reveal some interesting facts about the Island population as compared with the census figures for 1940. They show no such great drop in population as had been rumored and even believed, and one town, West Tisbury, has grown ten per cent since 1940.

The total number applying for sugar rationing books on the Island was 4,883, or 88.2 per cent of the population in 1940. Of these 4,684 were eligible to receive books, reporting no more than six pounds of sugar on hand.

Here is the registration by towns:

Chilarm: 212 applied; 210 were granted books; population represented 94 per cent of that in 1940.

Edgartown: 1,253 applied; 1,218 books issued; 91 per cent of 1940 population.

Oak Bluffs: 1,269 applied; 1,218 books issued; 80 per cent of 1940 population.

Gay Head: 101 applied; 101 books issued; 80 per cent of 1940 population.

Tisbury: 1,763 applied; 1,687 books issued; 90 per cent of 1940 population.

West Tisbury: 285 applied; 269 books issued; 110 per cent of 1940 population.

Obeyed All the Rules

Old and young of the Island's population all are registered – their names complexion, height, weight, and other pertinent facts – with the sugar rationing boards. Why all the description is required in order to obtain sugar, only the powers that be know, and possibly even they have forgotten, but the rules have been obeyed. Announcement made last night by Arthur B. Lord, superintendent of Island schools, serves to show that no one has failed to carry out the provisions of the wartime ruling.

The registering was carried out without confusion, and the schools where the work was done were not unduly swamped on the opening day, as might have been expected. More than 2,800 registered on Monday in all the Island schools, a number assumed to be about half the present population. The remainder was divided among the next three registration days.

Although many people have expressed the opinion that they may not be able to obtain as much sugar as they would like under the rationing, a couple of the families registered are not likely to run short. Peter Moreas, of Vineyard Haven, is the head of a family of fourteen, and another family of twelve was reported. Of these, the majority were school children and below school age.