Show What Makes The Black Market The Saturday Sal Evening l' Post re re- recently recently ran an extraordinarily gra- gra graphic article entitled Confessions of o a Market Black Butcher Dutcher The dodges used to circumvent the law law laware are arc described in detail In ono one in instance instance stance a local undertaking establishment and anil the undertakers undertaker's hearse were used to collect anc and handle illegal beef The were Ta enormous Ta the an an- anonymous anonymous' anonymous anonymous' author own words Ive cleared more in the thc last las three years ears than my father who owned the shop made in thirty thirty- five years Ive I've been socking i It away where the tax income boys wont won't find it Legitimate meat meal dealers he ho ob ob- observes observes serves such as the chain stores honest independent merchants and the he old established packing houses sold meat at ceiling prices when prices when they could get meat But their sup supply supply supply ply was nothing in the light of the tho demand The black market was as siphoning off the bulk of it And Andin in this connection the writer makes this extremely important ob observation observation serration You got a black mar- mar maret market market ket et because the government didn't enforce price ceilings and brain- brain who knew about the busi busi- business business business ness made dumb rules that en en- encouraged encouraged breeders packers farm farm- farmers ers and dealers like me to cheat That's worth thinking about now the OPA ceilings on meat prices have been restored The purpose of this article isn't to dis dis- discuss cuss the extremely intricate problem lem of what meat should and should not cost It should be clear to everyone however that artificially artificially low prices will result only I in the of the black mar mar- market market ket on its old time scale You cant ant police every lIY store tore 1 every elY farmer armor oven every eWI village slaughter slaughterhouse house During ing the lime period when 0 O l' l 1 A meat meal controls contros were off meat of f all kinds appeared in abundance in n legitimate out Prices went at p up al least in part because of o the he elimination of government gO sub sillies but idles but buyer resistance was las gradually controlling the rise So was vas competition with stores hon hon- hone honestly estly e competing against each ench other othel her once more for consumer busi bust ness The logical cure curc for the black market is adequate production real and open Ollen competition cum petition among retailers and the till normal process process- processes es IS of supply and nl demand backed by Pectoral Federal and debt y economy reduction re re- luct ion |