The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-14
By MARC J. PARSONS NEA Staff Correspondent

New York, Sept. 13 - (NEA) In comfortable, well-furnished office a neat, conservatively dressed bus inessman-the third generation of his family to be a butcher-admit- ted that he used to be black marketeer, and wondered whether he will be able to operate legiti- mately now and remain in business.
 Now that price control has been restored, he says he wants to oper- ate on the level. He would have pre- ferred to do business legally dur ing wartime rationing and price control, too, he says, but he felt that he had the choice between evading the regulations and losing the business that his grandfather established and his father kept go- ing.
 Maybe he'll fall again. He doesn't pretend to be certain. But not irn- mediately.
 DEMAND EATS UP
 HIS LEGAL SUPPLIES
 Tt looks too hot now" he ex- plained. He will wait and see what happens. He wonders whether the OPA, which has poured 1,200 of it's 5000 enforcement agents into this metropolitan area, is going to be able to keep his competitors in line so that he can get some meat to sell, make living and keep his old customers on the books in anticipation of happier days to come.
 Meanwhile, already he is seeing ardent demand eat up the small supplies he is able to obtain legiti- mately, while overhead expenses consume his financial reserves.
 Maybe we'll have to close up en- tirely," he says. About all were getting to sell now is poultry and some canned meats"
 As retail price control came back, the OPA reported that the most serious breach of regulations its agents had found here was a little predating of invoices, to get meat past ceilings Headlines. But on the first day of regulation the agents discovered that one out of every 10 markets that were open were over- charging from few cents to as much as double ceiling prices. And complaints were heard that some retailers who ostensibly were closed for lack of meat actually were do- ing back-door, delivery-boy bus mess with customers they could trust to pay whatever was asked ask no questions and say nothing
 The ex-black marketeer, who for obvious reasons did not want to be identified, said that for a few weeks he was handling an average of 12 tons of meat a week, and during the first week of control he received less than one ton. The truck strike had nothing to do with that; his truckmen are still on the job
 Sometimes I think maybe I car cut away down on help and just sell wild game. You couldn't get any during the war but it may be better now. But as it is now don't know how I'm going to get enough meat to stay in business anc I don't know how anyone else is, Ninety per cent of the people ir the meat business operated in the black market one way or another under the old OPA," he claims Some paid in kickbacks, some paid bills for goods they never received some paid in tiein sales.
 "A lot of the inspectors could be reached one way or another Many were old meat men who knew the problems we were facing | if we wanted to stay in business Some of the inspectors, energetic young lawyers trying to make g career for themselves, were tough Now I don't know
 AND WHAT IF OPA
 COOPS CHICKEN PRICES?
 There's meat stored. But inspec. tors are watching it every minute after it leaves the warehouse anc cold storage plants. It's too risky fol what it's worth.
 Even with the price rise granted by OPA end close inspection, how are you going to get meat? Every. thing that could be butchered ol was likely to be butchered for some months to come, was sold before the new ceilings went on. Meat hal been stripped from the farms anc EEa~&HA~G~&am@