Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-12

Government
Urged to Nip
Profi+eers
Only0Way TO Make War
on Black Markets -
BY DAMON RUNYON

~ piuNh maj htlS dIt HOW
doing an annual cash turnover
upwards of $500, OOO,O 900. but
when our native racket guys get
going good in that inevitabl~ il.
legal traffic In this country,
half a billion will be just pea.
nuts compared with the Ameri-
can business.
Our racket fellows are intui.
lively shrewder than the Brit
ish scallawags and have had
more experience and besides
they are bound TO find greater
scope for their transactions
than Britain offers. We would
not be surprised 10 see the
home grown black markets do
as much as couple of billions
per year at their peak.
Of course there is a possibility
that our government NAV take
cognizance beforehand of the
danger Of the black markets and
devise measures 10 guzzle the
pirate traders before they can
get moving. but unless the gov.
ernment displays greater fore.
sight in this instance than it has
IN many others that seemed TO
call FOR precautionary steps. the
racketecrs can expect to get q
good running start.
THE black markets represent
i traffic in commodities that
are supposed 10 be highly re-
Stricted IN war time and when
distributed 10 the public al all.
10 be spread around impaFtially
under the rationing system.
The black marketeers are simi.
lar 10 our old time bootleggers,
only far worse. and we hope -
trust that when they appear
this country they will not have
the moral support Of many OF
our most prominent citizens as
the bootleggers did. said citizens
being among the bootles best
customers.
The black markets exist In
France and all other countries
OF Europe under the con-
queror's heel and in Germany
itself. II is said Germans are
now paying their black markets
the equivalent ofSf.2O hound
Tor butter. $500 pound for
meat. s. 80 a pound for coffee.
S22 pound for goose and S.
pound for chicken.
In Brltain's black markets the
premiums are not quite as high
but they are said 10 he getting
higher right along. Food. cloth :
ing. rationed textiles and gaso-
line are among the things sold
in the British black markets and
the government has become
alarmed by the unlawful traffic
As a menace 10 national morale
through the creation of bitter
class feeling 1t is making an ef-
Tort 10 suppress the business.
WE IMAGINE, the difficulty
w Is about the same that the
law in this country met up with
IN trying 10 suppress the boot
leggers Of the prohibition era.
Too many supposedly respect
able citizens wanted their
booze and helped defy the Law.
Apparently in Britain too
many citizens sclfShly insist on
their Injuries and are willing 10
connlve with raScals TO get
them.
We still have so much Of
everything in this country and
so few regulations thai tha.
black markets could not do a
business. But As the war goes
and regulations increase and
commodities diminish the Illegal
traffic is sure 10 pop up unless
the government foreStalls il by
imposing some such penalty on
black marketeers as life i'm
prisonment with half the SEN
fence 10 be served hanging by
the thumbs.
WAR always produces the hu-
w man vulturcs. This one will
be no exception II is said that
some OF the great fortunes OF
this country were started on a
form Of black marketeering az
far back AS our Colonial wars.
The vile business flourished dur
ing the war between the states.
In our last war IL was called
profitcerinC and today many
men and their families are Nv.
ing on the fat Of tho land as a
result OF this preying on the
little people.
We regret 10 say We have no
illusions about human nature.
We know that, given the oppor-
tunity, there are always men
and women who will trade on
patriotism. on misery and even
on death 10 make dollar. You
see what is happening in nations
fighting for their existence.
II Will eventually happen here
unless the government squasnes
il before some of our prominent
citizens can start countenanciuy
tho black markets by buying Il
them as they did Of the boot.
leggers.
Copyright 1912. by kinE Features
Distributed ny International News Service