Dealing with Black-marketeers

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 62, 16 March 1944, Page 5

Dealing with Black-marketeers

Speaking about meat rationing in England, Mr. W. Hankes Araery, who is on a visit to New Zealand, said that to begin with some ot‘ the butchers were awkward. “Some of them thought it rather smart to buy extra pigs or sheep from a farmer, to kill this meat illegally, and to sell more than the proper" quantity to their customers. When they were caught both the farmer and (he butcher were dealt with very drastically. In one case I handled myself, at the Ministry of Food in England before I left, it was decided to shut up 17 shops in different towns in the North of England because the butcher who owned them had proved himself a confirmed and regular illicit slaughterer and not fit to be trusted with the important task of distributing the people’s food in wartime. But gradually these difficulties were overcome, and the people soon saw that black-marketeers are a danger to the .State and that the only possible method of ensuring fair treatment all round was to support the rationing system and not to try to dodge the regulations.” By special arrangement Reuter’s world service, in addition to other speciai compilation of oversea intelligence published in this issue, and all rights therein in Australia and New Zealand are reserved.