The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-09-20
BY iris COFFIN
&C. B. S. Commentator
Washington, August q

Washington, August q
In these dull summer days there is
always one place restless with prob
lens and bullying with news. 1t is the
big converted warehouse in the sag
ging slum district where the OPA
lives.
Working there in their shirt sleeves
in the August heat, group of men
are trying to break a billion-dollar
black-market racket whose chief vic
tins are veterans. 1t is the black
market in automobiles. One-fourth,
perhaps more, of the cars sold since
the OPA went back into business were
sold at above-ceiling prices.
The bonuses paid for cars are fan
tastic-$50O, $1,000, $4,000, diamond
ring, city lot. Prodded into action
by the outraged squawks of the vet
Grams, the OPA is just beginning to
swing into a highly organized enforce
ment and educational campaign de-
signed to crack this spreading racket.
A specialized group of enforcement
time operations in counterfeit ration
coupons been augmented by
new agents from other government
agencies OPA top officials have given
the go-ahead signal for the agents to
concentrate on the automobile black
market.
Hundred Million Racket
Last Monday a number of special
agents moved into the sleepy Southern
town of Leesville, South Carolina, a
To stranger there was something
very curious about this town. The
shady streets and vacant lots were
jammed with cars, hundreds of them.
Leesville was the hub of what the
OPA claims was one-hundred-million
dollar ring operating in black market
cars. Its fingers allegedly spread all
over the Southwest and up into the
North
On this day the OPA agents walked
casually among the statesmen in
huge open-air sales lot a short distance
from the town. They stopped to look
at cars and haggle over prices. They
noticed that one-fourth of the autos
were new models. Other agents
roamed the streets jotting down the
license number of visitors. They would
follow these leads later to surprised
dealers who patronized the sales every
Monday.
bn 0uid oil
agents struck. They arrested six al
legged statesmen Using marked money |
the OPA officers had bought five cars
at over-ceiling prices, according to the
allegations. Two of the cars were new
and three were used. They paid ap-
proximately twice the ceiling price, it
is claimed The OPA says the agents
had had more money.
Cooperation Circus"
This raid had been carefully planned
for weeks. 1t was appropriately named
cooperation Circus" because of the
gala atmosphere of the open-air mark
et This, however, was just one OF the
many alleged organized black-market
centers spotted all over the United
States. Sales lots are ingeniously hid
den away in small country towns.
Another alleged ring worked out OF
Murray, Kentucky, a small town near
the Tennessee border, and according
to the OPA, included dealers in the
South and Midwest. It's operation was
well organized Spoilers were hlred
in large cities-busy legmen hanging
around bars, movies, even churches
looking for good buys, preferably new
cars. These scouts would stop owners
as they entered their cars; often they
Jumped on the running5board, The
driver would be offered a fancy price
for his car The standard rate was
$500 over the ceiling price for a new
car. The spoilers got $25 for each car
they brought in.
The OPA says that the cars were
then taken either to Murray or to
Cairo. Illinois. The alleged ring ad-
yertised to dealers throughout the