The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-04
Prison Sentences Urged For 'Back Market Operators


 win not be rationed by that time win porhably Do fresh vegetables and fresh fruits, fresh fish, cereal pro. duets and bread, And before we get through, some of those may Do rationed also.
 Now we're going to get through all right, and there's no reason for any of us to get frightened or pan- icky. We can depend on our farmers to do their share, and more than their share. All of us who can spare any time at all for work on farms this summer should do so,
 To add to the regular supply of vegetables, every family in the State should explore the possibility of . Vlctary Garden. There will be plenty of seeds, although you may not be able to got all the varieties that you would like. There will also be Q sufficient supply of fertilizer al- though 1t will not he quite up to peacetime standards,
 But let mo offer one important suggestion to oil amateur gardeners, Make sure that you know what you are doing, Get some good advice from an expert alsd stick to 1t, Oth- erwise, you will only waste good seed, good fertilizer, and your own energy. Every garden that's started and then given up in midsummer Is loss and not Q gain to the com munaty.
 Another important job that con- cerns every ono of us Is tho black markets. We've got to lick them, and believe mo we are well on the way to accomplishing just that. Our OpA inspectors here in Connecticut started a sweeping investigation on the black market on meat several weeks ago. During the course of this investigation, more than 2b0 slaughter houses, wholesale and re- tail establishments were visited, Many arrests were made, and twenty-seven individuals and com. panies are now being held for crim- inAl prosecution, Robert Butler, federal attorney for Connecticut has made 1t clear that he will ask for prison sentences.
 Prosecution Looms
 By holding meat for sale to c few who arc willing to pay fancy boot leg prices, black market operators deprive tho ordinary citizen of his fair share of our Ireager meat sup ply. In addition, they threaten all of us with disease from meat killed under unhealthy conditions.
 You have my sincere assurance that wO will continue to investigate and prosecute every case of black market meat selling or overpricing which comes to our attention. At the tllne rNtioning starts around April 1, I nm hopeful that wo con also announce dollars.and- cents prices on all meat products. These easy.to- understand prices, together with rNtioning controls, will give us e for more even distribution of meat products. As Q result, once rNtloning starts, you will be able to got some meat whenever you want 1t, even though your ration tickets may sharply limit tho amounts,
 Now, I believe tho facts about our food supplies for i043 which I have given you tonight are the most trustworthy that are available, They hNVo como to me from reliable sources. They have been checked by men who should know their bus mess. I want to emphasize, however that any such figures must be con. sidercd Rt best only good estimates
 T'hero are many factors whicE nrO still uncertain, and the great est ono of all is the weather. Good weather and c normal amount of rain, well-spNced, will mean good crops. Long periods of draught or too heavy rains at tho wrong time will mean damaged crops and TO. duoed production,
 Basic Requirements
 So let's make up our mind that most of us are going to have less food thig yeart han perhaps ever bo. fore In our lives. But don't let's get frightened about it because we will got plenty of food to meet the basic health requirements of ourselves and our children.
 In closing, I would like to express my deop personal appreciation to the twelve thousand Connecticut teachers and other volunteers who worked 50 earnestly and 70 un- selfishly in the service of their noighborS during tho registration which was completed last week. Tn oil parts of the State, this reglS- tration went through with hardly Q hitch. To the volunteers who made this possible ... my thanks and my aaSaoNa kNitIAaa