Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-22
Chickens
ments were consigned to either New
York City or Newark, N. J.
Officials declared the ranuicitio,,
Continued From First Page. y

ments were consigned to either New
York City or Newark, N. j.
Officials declared the requisition-
ing of poultry will continue today
in the Delaware section and prob
ably will be extended to other COM
modities and areas. They declined
to name the other sections where
action is likely because of the danger
of tipping off the truckers.
The first breakdown came on
Route 10, near Dover, because that
road is an outlet to the big markets
for shippers in the Delmarva (Dela-
ware, Eastern Maryland and Vir-
ginia) area, the East's largest poul-
producing section and the seat
Of the biggest black market in the
country.
OPA officials said poultry supplies
fan out in Delaware, with portions
divided between markets in WASH
ington, Baltimore, Philadelphia New
York and points to the west. The
action was not taken at markets
since supplies there are limited and
many shippers have been bypass
ing regular markets to reach outlets
of the black market"
Shipments from the Delmarva
area run to about 100000 pounds a
week. The Army needs about a
quarter of this supply. officials said
the Army buying only at ceiling
prices, has been able to obtain only
a fraction of this amount
Ceiling prices are paid for all the
reQuisitioned supplies. OPA said
not all the poultry trucks are being
halted, implying the action was
applied against shippers suspected
of illegal operations.
Power to requisition poultry in the
Delmarva section was granted the
Army by VIA under authority of
the Second War Powers Act. The
ceiling for live poultry there is 281a
cents a pound at the farm. For
poultry requisitioned by the Army,
the payment is 29l2 cents, repre-
senting the ceiling plus = cent al
lowed for sales to the Government,
plus 3. cent for shrinkage and truck
ing to the point of requisition.
Blow at Black Market.
I'VE are moving into this section"
Price Administrator Brown said.
because we are determined to put
an end to black market operations
affecting important consuming GEN.
tiers such as New York City. and we
are going to see that the Army,
buying at ceiling prices, obtains the
food our fighting men need.
This action strikes directly at the
chiseler and black market operator
who places personal profit above the
needs of our fighting men to defend
the country. No honest trucker or
shipper can be hurt, since the Army
pays the owner the maximum lawful
price.
"The only man who can suffer is
the black market supplier who has
truckload of poultry for which he
may have paid or cents a pound
above the legal ceiling, and this man
will suffer to the extent he has vio-
lated wartime price regulations. BY
eliminating the black market we
shall enable the Army and the
housewife to buy poultry at fair
prices through normal channels of
trade"
40 Indicted.
OPA Investigators have been work
ing in the area since January. A
special Federal grand jury, in SEES
sion for the last two and half
months, already has returned 40 in
dictments arising from black market
activities in the area.
Officials pointed out that recon-
mendation that the armed forces
requisition poultry, where necessary.
was contained in report of the
Senate Small Business Committee
submitted July 6. The report
stated:
ITO assist in the drying up of the
black market and to secure adequate
supplies, the committee advocates
that the armed forces requisition
poultry found on the black market
apy pay the ceiling prices for it.
The committee has heard frequent
testimony in it's recent hearings that
the armed forces have been unable
to get adequate quantities of live
poultry to meet their current needs.
Dealers on the black market who
lost money by such requisitioning
would be properly penalized without
further enforcement in their cases. ,"
Senator Stewart, Democrat, of
Tennessee applauded today the
Army's seizure as "a most practical
method of discouraging the black
market
Senator Stewart, chairman OF the
Senate Small Business Subcommit-
tee which recently recommended
such a course, declared in a state
ment telegraphed from his home at
Winchester, Tenn, to his Office here:
Il think the Army's requisitioning
of black market bound poultry from
trucks will put real respect for
our Government and our law in
some of the poultry dealers"
Meantime, the National indie