Wartime Pencils

During the second world war, many pencils were made with paper or plastic ferrules in order to reserve critical raw materials for the war effort. This was mandated in Canada by the Wartime Prices and Trade Board. Below is an article describing this as well as the order itself.

Dixon Active Service 2940 HB pencils with green paper ferrules produced during World War 2.

The Ottawa Journal, Sept 4, 1942
Prices Board Now Trims Even 'Styles' of Pencils- Erasers and Metal Ferrules Are Banned From Wooden Pencils
     The production program of Canadian manufacturers making wood pencils and penholders will be simplified as the result of a Wartime Prices and Trade Board order announced today by G. P. Sabiston, administrator of sundry items. The new order reduces the number of lines and styles of from 68 to 38 without cutting the quantity of pencils and penholders available or impairing their utility.
     Henceforth no manufacturer of wood pencils may make more than 38 styles, and new ones may not be introduced without permission of the administrator. "Style" is defined in the order as "a combination of writing color, shape (with or without tip) and degree of hardness".
     Crude rubber erasers and metal ferrules will no longer be put on wood pencils, and fancy lacquered finishes may no longer be used except the trade-marked type know as "crackled finish". The standard shapes will be round, hexagon round-edge, hexagon and triangular. Carpenters pencils are not included in the limitation of styles and may also be made in oval oblong and hexagon oblong shapes.
     Each manufacturer must continue to make pencils in the same range of writing colors and the same degrees of hardness as he did in 1941.
     Pencil manufacturers have noted increased demand for their products since the war began, chiefly from industry, the armed forces and departments of Government. The simplification will enable the manufacturer to obtain more production per hour because of the eliminat9ion of many change-over in machinery.
     To conserve boxboard and paper, two large selling lines of pencils sold to schools, general stores, factories, etc., must be packed loose in gross lots in plain pulpboard boxes, but large orders of wood pencils sold in the commercial and professional fields may be packed in dozen bands.
     No manufacturer, the order states, may use, provide or distribute more than three styles of half-gross displays or change the style of them without the permission of the administrator.
     Wood penholders have been restricted to ten styles, and no new ones may be introduced. School pen and pencil boxes and pouches will no longer be available in more than four lines per manufacturer when present stocks are exhausted.
     The order does not affect the completion or use of partially processed stuck and raw materials on hand or the sale of any lines or styles completed prior to the effective date of the order, September 1.

A typical Canadian wood pencil with paper ferrule from the period 1942-1945.

Venus Peerless with a blue paper ferrule produced in Canada during World War 2.

from https://archive.org/details/canadianwarorder1942cana/page/371/mode/2up​ 
THE  WARTIME  PRICES  AND  TRADE  BOARD
Administrator's  Order  No.  A-371
Respecting  Wood  Pencils  and  Penholders
Pursuant  to  authority  conferred  by  the  Wartime  Prices  and  Trade  Board  I  do  hereby order,  on  behalf  of  such  Board,  as  follows : --
1.  For  the  purposes  of  this  Order,
(a)  "Administrator"  means  the  Administrator  of  Sundry  Items,  N.O.P.  from  time  to time  appointed  by  the  Wartime  Prices  and  Trade  Board  with  the  approval  of  the Governor  in  Council;
(b)  "style",  in  the  case  of  wood  pencils,  means  a  combination  of  writing  colour,  shape (with  or  without  tip)  and  degree  of  hardness.
2.  No  person  shall  hereafter  manufacture  wood  pencils,
(a)  in  more  than  38  styles,  provided  that  carpenters'  pencils  shall  not  be  included  in such  limitation;
(b)  in  any  styles  other  than  those  manufactured  by  him  at  the  date  of  this  Order unless  the  Administrator  gives  written  permission  otherwise ;
(c)  in  any  shapes  other  than  those  known  to  the  trade  as  round,  hexagon  round-edge, hexagon  and  triangular,  provided  that  carpenters'  pencils  may  be  manufactured in  oval  oblong  and  hexagon  oblong  shapes;
(d)  of  the  kind  known  to  the  trade  as  "Fancy  Pencils"  having  fancy  lacquered  finishes such  as  mottled  and  marbleized  effects,  provided  that  this  paragraph  shall  not prohibit  the  use  of  the  trade-marked  finish  known  as  "Crackled  Finish";
(e)  with  crude  rubber  erasers  or  metal  ferrules.
3.  Subject  to  the  restrictions  set  forth  in  Section  2  above,  each  manufacturer  of  wood pencils  shall  continue  to  manufacture  and  supply  wood  pencils,
(a)  in  the  same  range  of  writing  colours  manufactured  and  sold  by  him  during  the year  1941,  provided,  that  any  manufacturer  may  eliminate  one  oversize  hexagon shaped  colour  line  comprising  4  colours;
(b  )  in  the  same  degrees  of  hardness  or  softness  as  manufactured  and  sold  by  him  in  the year  1941.
4.  Each  manufacturer  of  wood  pencils  shall  within  15  days  from  the  date  of  this  Order file  with  the  Administrator  a  list  of  all  styles  of  wood  pencils  which  such  manufacturer  is manufacturing  at  the  date  of  this  Order.  Such  list  shall  indicate  the  styles  which  the manufacturer  proposes  to  retain  and  the  styles  which  he  proposes  to  eliminate  as  provided in  sections  2  and  3.
5.  The  Administrator  may  confirm  the  lists  of  styles  retained  and  eliminated,  or  may alter  or  vary  such  lists  and  direct  any  manufacturer  to  retain  any  style  of  wood  pencil which  such  manufacturer  proposes  to  eliminate,  and  may  direct  that  any  style  retained in any list  be  eliminated.  Each  manufacturer  shall  be  governed  by  such  directions  of  the Administrator.  The  Administrator  in  giving  such  directions,  shall  have  regard  to  the retention  or  inclusion  of  essential  lines.
6.  To  conserve  boxboard  and  paper,  two  large  selling  lines  of  wood  pencils  sold  to schools,  general  stores,  factories,  etc.  shall  be  packed  loose  in  gross  quantities  in  plain pulpboard  boxes,  provided,  that  large  orders  of  wood  pencils  sold  in  the  commercial  and professional  fields  may  be  packed  in  dozen  bands.
7.  No  manufacturer  of  wood  pencils  shall  use,  provide  or  distribute  more  than  three styles  of  half-gross  displays,  or  change,  except  with  the  written  consent  of  the  Administrator, the  styles  of  such  displays  from  those  now  used  by  such  manufacturer.
8.  No  person  shall  hereafter  manufacture,
(a)  wood  penholders  in  any  styles  other  than  those  manufactured  by  him  at  the  date  of this  Order;
(b )  more  than  10  styles  of  wood  penholders;
(c)  an  4  lines  of  school  pen  and  pencil  boxes  and  pouches.
9.  Each  manufacturer  of  wood  penholders  shall,  within  15  days  from  the  date  of  this Order,  report  in  writing  to  the  Administrator  in  detail,
(a)  the  styles  of  wood  penholders  manufactured  by  him  at  the  date  of  this  Order;
(b)  the  styles  which  he  proposes  to  retain  as  provided  by  section  8  (b).
10.  The  Administrator  on  receiving  such  lists  shall  proceed  with  respect  to  wood penholders  in  the  same  manner  as  set  forth  in  Section  5  of  this  Order  with  respect  to  wood pencils  and  shall  give  such  directions  as  he  may  deem  suitable.
11.  Nothing  in  this  Order  contained  shall  prohibit,
(a)  the  completion  or  use  of  partially  processed  stock  and  raw  materials  on  hand  at date  of  this  Order;
(b)  the  sale  of  any  lines  or  styles  completed  prior  to  the  date  of  this  Order  or  manufactured under  the  provisions  of  paragraph  (a)  of  this  section.
Dated  at  Ottawa,  this  1st  day  of  September,  1942.
G.  P.  SABISTON,
Administrator  of  Sundry  Items.
​Approved:
D.  GORDON,
Chairman,  The  Wartime  Prices  and  Trade  Board.