The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-05-04

Il AlAdA AOO OHCA dbAOAAO dIC A1OU
to bootleg sales, as in gasoline, but
take In false yardage figures on in
voices, payment Of cash premiums
on the side, dealing through dummy
! wholesalers, discontinuance of less
expensive finishes on gray goods by
converters, quality depreciation by
garment makers, and their discon-
tinuance of lower priced lines of
merchandise. All such violations are
above the consumer level, but all
price increases resulting from these
practices are ultimately passed on
to and paid for by the consumer.
TRIPLE DAMAGE PENALTIES
Within the next few months, the
enforcement division of OPA hopes
that it will be possible to break up
these practices by the institutions
OF a number of criminal actions to
recover triple damages. as provided
for in the present price control law
and regulations, as well as through
settlements out of court.
At the beginnings of the year, the
textile and apparel sections of
OPAs enforcement division did not
have enough personnel to tackle
this problem, Today it has some
200 investigators making spot checks
on the industry centers in New
York, Chicago, st. Louis and the
West Coast. Much of the activity
is in New York.
| To date, about a diZen big triple
damage actions have been filed by
| OPA attorney-one in ST. Paul,
Mimi, two in New York, five in
Chicago and four in st. Louis. From
now on, it is expected that num-
Der of new actions will be filed each
week.
On the West Coast most of the
cases have been settled out of
court, with the recovery by the gov
eminent of damages from $1,000
to $4,000. Settlements out of court
in the east have included two cases
for $35, 900 and $4,000 in Balti-
more, one for $4,000 in New York
and one for $4,000 in Philadelphia
The treble damages recovered are,
in each case, three times the
amount of over-charge.
MONUMENTAL TASK
The size of the job of checking
the industry is almost beyond COM
prehension. There are some 5000
women's clothing manufacturers
alone. When textile mills, CONVEX
tiers. makers of accessories, chill
/ dren's and mems wear and shoes
are included. the number of manu-
facturers will run to 10000, the
number of wholesalers and retailers
to perhaps 10000.
Enforcement of existing orders,
If 100 per cent compliance could be
secured, is not considered the only
step necessary to stop the textile
| and apparel black market. These
and related industries are admitted
ly under extreme pressures due to
war production requirements, re-
Strictions on civilian production and
higher operating costs.
NO BLANKET INDICTMENT
Many of the practices of the
black market are not illegal nor
outside the provisions of the exist
ing regulations. To give an impress
4 olOA1 IIldI dn beAIlic ana apparel
manufacturers and distributors are
crooks and that the whole industry
needs indictment would be COM
pletely false.
The War Production Board is now
studying revision of its directives
on textile production and clothing
manufacture, and this is regarded
as necessary by the industry. An
other source of worry to the manu-
facturerS is the Vinson profit
limitation. directive of last Novem-
Der.
While reduction of supply of low
er priced lines of clothing is the
end result of the black market oper-
atoms in the trade. rationing of
clothing is not necessary and Is
not even being considered. Such
supplies as there are, however, will
be in the higher price lines unless
black market operations can be
broken