The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-18

Peter EdsOm pie buy only within their rational allowances of foods, gasoline and fuel oil, price control and rationing schedules can still be broken down if 10 per cent start buying bootlegged supplies.
 The black market, rationing off cials believe, doesn't consist of in- dividua ltrades between families over the back fence. Rationing sys- tems have to be set up on the prin- ciple that everyone consumes pretty much the same quantities of the ra- toned items, whether he does CT i not.
 Adninistratively, 1t would be irn- possible to set up any rationing sys- tenn that would take into considera- ton the varying tastes of every Jack Spratt and his wife and his neigh bors and in-laws. From practical standpoint, therefore, the basis for every rationing scheme is the as- sumption that every citizen 1t en- titled to the opportunity to get his equal share of every item rationed.
 It isn't case of Come the revo- lution, you'll take coffee, and you'll take sugar in your coffee and like it", though every person holding a ration card is entitled to his pound of coffee and his pound of sugar when the time rolls round for @ ticket to be due.
 SWAPPING IS OKAY
 So, if the family of Dick Diabetic doesn't use sugar and the family of Ike Inscmniac doesn't use coffee, there is no objection on the part of the Rationing Boards if the Dialect ics draw their allowance of sugar which they don't use and swap it with the Insomniacs for coffee which they have drawn and don't use. That isn't considered black market operation.
 Where the black market comes into the picture is when some Sam Slicker organizes route, makes the rounds to collect whatever undistri- buted supplies he can lay his hands on, then goes into the business of selling these surpluses at fancy pric- es and without benefit of ration stamps. They have to be fancy prices because the black market op- orator has to pay the going retail price to build up his stocks, cover his costs of operation and still make a profit.
 The money is there for paying the fancy price. Income is up. The supply of goods to buy with that in- come is down. Not just the things like automobiles and refrigerators and radios and coasters which aren't being made any more, but things like towels, candy, infants wear and the essential foods like butter, meat, and canned goods.
 COMES THE BREAKDOWN
 When that situation obtains, you have the makings of a black mar ket. First price ceilings are broken, then rationing is broken. Going back to the prohibition parallel, one of the reasons bootlegging thrived in that era was that everyone was pros porous, making more money than he know what to do with, and therefore perfectly willing to pay outlandisn prices for terrible hooch.
 Policing a black market is almost as impossible as policing prohibition. Enforcement of price and rationing regulations is in the hands of less than 2500 paid officials, whereas en- forcement of prohibition was the 1 work of a million or more law en- forcen1ent officers. m
 Enforcement of rationing and price regulation begins really with every housewife who goes to mar ket, every clerk behind a counter.
 If the country escapes imitation 1t will be only because the people at home won't put up with black market.