The union times., 1944-08-19
Arpaia Appeals To Organized Labor
State OPA. Director Asks Workers Help In Smashing Black Market In Gasoline Seeks Assistance
 Of Leaders In Important Campaign
By Anthony F. Arpaia
 Director Connecticut Office of Price Administration

Administration
 During the .last meeting of the State OPA's Labor Advisory Com mittee we discussed among other things the inrOads made by our enforcement activity on the gasO- line Black Market. To illustrate the point of view developing among many gasoline station Op- orators, one of the committee members told the following story.
 Tn my neighborhood," he said, there was a man who operated his service station on a frank Black Market basis. It was common gossip among all car owners that any amount of gasoline could be bought there without stamps. Money on the line =. 5 or 40 cents a gallon and you got what you wanted.
 The local War Price and Ration ing Board was notified about the racket and apparently turned the in formation over to the State Office. A few months ago, the service station operator was called up for hearing before one of our commissioners and suspended from dealing in gasoline for as long as 1t is rationed.
 ''Now the station is being run by another man. The new proprie- tor has been frequently ap- preached by customers of his pre- decessOr with the offer of a con- fidential bonus for a little extra gasoline. But he's not playing that way.
 He tells these people that they can take their business somewhere else. He makes it clear that he's running his business honestly because dishon- esty doesn't pay. He points to the former owner as an example of what happens to men who think they are being smart when they do business the Black Market way
 Other members of our Labor Committee had similar stories to tell about the narrowing down of Black Market outlets. In Water bury, for instance, a man who often patronized the shady gaso- line stations, complained to a newspaper man I know because ''it's getting so that all the gasO- line you can get in this burg is what the ratiOning board gives yOu.'
 1 wish the state of affairs could remain as sad as this for the duration of the War. I'm afraid, though, that we're getting only short respite As the summer advances, as the urge to drive away from the hot cities be- comes stronger, the temporarily timid Black Market operators will again come out in the open.
 They'll come out when they feel that the market IS good.
 But if the market is bad if there aren't enough people willing to pay extra money for extra gasoline, a good many Black Market operators won't take the risk. So, as I told the members of our Labor Commit tee, it's up to us to keep the market as poor as possible.
 Organized labor here in Con- DC 1dCLOT discouraging gasoline racketeers. Representing thousands of car owners, our unions here can get across the doctrine of honesty in connection with gasoline to more people in shorter time than any other groups.
 strongly urge that every re- spOnsible labor leader spread this doctrine among his people. l know that if he speaks about this thing, he will get good hearing. For it is more evident every day that the citizens of this State are sick to death of the gasoline Black Mar ket. They want to do what they can to squeeze it into a place of unimpOrtance.
 It's up to us to show them how it can be done.