Evening star., 1943-02-20
Curb on Meat Racket
In 10 Days Forecast
By 0PA Official
More Than 100 Injunction
Suits Filed; Issuance
Of 81 Disclosed

Suits Filed; Issuance
Of 81 Disclosed
The legal machinery of the
Government was being speeded
up today to wipe out black mar
ket operations in meat in the
Chicago area, center of the Ma
tons livestock trade.
Illicit slaughtering of meats will
be halted within 10 days by the
filing of more than 100 injunction
suits against country slaughterers
and meat wholesalers, according to
Alex Elson, regional attorney foc
the Office of Price Administration,
while Raymond S. McKeough, OPA
director in a seven-State MidWestern
region, said Investigations continued
with view to bringing criminal
| charges against marketing regula-
ton violators. Mr. Elson said e. in
functions already had been issued.
As this development was reported
by the Associated Press, officials in
Washington were studying methods
of breaking up black market opera
tions.
Licensing System Proposed.
From C. NJ Elkinton, an econo-
mist, the House Committee on Small
Business yesterday heard the sug-
gestion for controlled slaughter of
all livestock through licensing sys-
tenn to insure that meat will be di-
verted into normal trade channels.
Earlier George E. Casey, Phila-
delphia, president of the National
| Independent Meat Packers Associa-
ton and president of a packing
house, had accused Secretary of
Agriculture Wickard of doing moth
ing but pass the ball from one Office
10 the other, and Frank Kracick,
representing the Amalgamated Meat
Cutters and Butcher Workmen of
| North America, AFL, informed the
committee that 1000 Cincinnati
butchers plan to seek employment
| in defense industries because in
adequate meat supplies under OPA
regulations are limiting their work.
Chairman Patman told Mr.. Kra-
cick that efforts are being made to
remedy the meat difficulties.
At the same time, the OPA said
it had authorized an ALLEGATION sys-
tenn in an effort to obtain fairer
distribution of meat supplies in the
San Francisco and Los Angeles
areas, and. in Rhode Island.
Supply to Be Divided.
The agency authorized its local
| officials in those areas to divide up
the meat supply according to res
taurants, war worker cafeterias and
different types of retail stores.
The action was described "as an
experiment" intended to relieve
particularly critical meat situations
in the three areas before Nation
wide meat rationing begins about
March %.
The order did not provide for
actual rationing.
If successful in the three areas,
OPA officials said, 1.-The ALLEGATION
scheme may be put into operation
elsewhere" if some stopgap becomes
necessary before formal meat ra-
tioning.
The order applies to beef, pork,
lamb, mutton and veal.
The ALLEGATION will apply only to
meat coming into the areas in the
normal course of business, and OPA
emphasized that local officials have
no power to increase the supply of
meat-only to distribute it more
thoroughly.
The Governments proposed pro-
cedure TO curb the illegal operations
in meat in Chicago was announced
yesterday shortly after the Amer
lean Meat Institute, representing
most of the country's packers, said
speedy correction of a desperate
situation" was deserved in the in
terest of the war effort"
Calls for Early Action.
The institute said that immediate
remedial action was necessary to
protect the national health, bring
meat supplies up to the Govern
ments military requirements and
save many packers from being
forced out Of business.
without adequate enforcement" 1"
the institute said. "the situation in
creasingly is playing into the hands
Of the racketeers and menacing the
existence of many in the meat in
dustry and the honest retailer"
The institute said it had received
the following typical reports from
various sections of the country:
"A New England plant which nor
mally handles $500 to 1000 calves
week now is dressing $50 to 200.
"A Louisiana plant formerly dress
ing TOO cattle week now is handling
200.
"A Georgia plant is handling so
per cent fewer cattle than normal.
The same is true with a large plant
at st. Paul, MINI.
Some locker plants in Illinois and
Texas have been killing four times