Evening star., 1943-03-04
Autoists 10 Be Placed
On Honor System in
Pleasure Driving Ban
Enforcement by Police
To End Soon; Brown
AssuiIs 'Hurussment'
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

oS 4NLV oA>s
Price Administrator Brown an
nounced yesterday that police en-
forcement of the pleasure driving
ban will be replaced Immediately by
an honor system of compliance
and that the wo-month- old prohibi-
tion against non-essential motoring
probably" will be lifted March o.
In a press conference statement,
Mr.. Brown lashed out at 'harass-
ment" of motorists by police and
OPA inspectors enforcing the ban.
and said compliance will henceforth
''be based on fortnight explanations
Of the need for saving gasoline" He
added, later, that he did not wish to
imply that fragrant violators would
not be questioned, but IF they make
any explanation at all reasonable,
don't want them picked up"
The need for conserving gaso-
line is still factor" the admins
traitor said, "but I believe the people
generally realize this and will CO.
operate fully with the Government
without continued stopping of cars,
holding hearings and removal of
stamps from ration books of viola
tors.
Feels Public Understands.
THE time has now come to stop
all unnecessary inconvenience to
the public. I believe. in light of
widespread understanding of the
situation which exists, we can
henceforth rely on what might be
termed the honor system of COM
pliance instead of police enforce
ment. I am instructing all OPA
regional, State and branch Offices to
put this policy into effect imme-
diately.'
The action, Mr.. Brown said, is in
line with his general ideas on en-
forcement of all OPA regulations.
He added that positive enforce
ment measures must be used with
criminals, but they are not neces-
sary with the general public"
Mr.. Brown said, however. that
pending pleasure ban violation
cases would not be dropped.
Questioned as to the possibility"
Of the lifting of the ban on March
%, Mr.. Brown replied that "possibil-
ity is weak word-I think proba-
bility is better word He declared
that he wanted to end the prohibi-
ton, and would do so as soon as Pc
troleum Administrator Ickes de-
clared the Easts supply position was
strong enough to warrant it.
Mr.. Brown did not comment on
reports that termination of the ban
would be accompanied by one-gal-
Ion cut in the value of A ration
coupons. Establishment of March
% as the probable date for the
action points to that conclusion, it
was said. since A coupons for the
current period expire at that time.
Five-Point Program.
The price administrator described
a fve-point program which OPA
will advance as means of eliminat-
ing widespread black market sales
OF meat which, he admitted, were
taking about 2 per cent of all meats
IN the Nation. Based on an esti-
mated annual kill of $4,000 900 900
pounds, this would place the size of
illegitimate traffic on a yearly basis
at 360000,000 pounds. The program
follows:
l. Uniform, city-wide ceilings on
all meat cuts, which will enable the
housewife to tell at a glance whether
the butchers price is too high, and
make black market operations un-
profitable for dealers. Dollars and
cents prices on pork prices to the
consumer are expected in the next
day or so.
2. The licensing of all slaughter
ers. large and small, through the
Agriculture Department., so that tab
can be kept on all in the business
as to the size of their kills.
3. A strict campaign of enforce
ment of all OPA meat regulations.
4. A large advertising campaign
IN the press and on the radio, re-
veallng the dangers to health in the
eating of black market meats.
Food firms and packing houses will
assist this campaign.
S. Rationing.
Mr.. Brown declined to say
when meat rationing will begin.
though he admitted the time was
getting close" It is understood
that meat rationing will be started
about April /, with cheese. butter.
cooking fats and oils, canned meats
and fish, all to be distributed
through use of single set of cou-
pons in War Ration Book 3 Mr..
Brown would not discuss plans for
rauoning Of cheese, butter or other
fats and oils. He said only that the
per capita meat ration each week
would be less than 2la pounds
Price Ceiling on Hogs.
Should these steps fail to shatter
Illicit trade in meats, Mr.. Brown
said he would suggest to Secretary
of Agriculture Wickard a ceiling
price on live hogs. He pointed out
that control Of live hog prices would
be much easier than controlling
cattle prices. because of the compar-
ative simplicity of the packer cut
involved. While cattle men are
violently opposed to ceilings on beef
there is not so much opposition to
controls on hogs" he added.
Whether sales of meat and all
other products will be frozen" be-
fore rationng is instituted was not
disclosed, but it appeared improb-
able there will be any lengthy period
of mo sales" as was the case with
canned goods. since meats are per-
ishable.
Under the present setup, he said,
II has been difficult To prevent the
sale Of black market meat at pre-
MUM prices to stores in a position
to charge more than their COM
petitors.
With ceilings thus limiting the
price. it should be TO no ones ad-
vantage to obtain black market
meat. he said
Prices will vary between one COM
munlty and another because of
transportation costs and other