THE MONGREL SCORES AGAIN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 83, 20 June 1944, Page 4

THE MONGREL SCORES AGAIN

A LOCAL motorist who advertised in one of the metropolitan dailies for a pair of used car tyres, and was prepared to pay a reasonable figure, was astounded to receive practically by return mail a reply to the effect that he could have a completely new set of the size he required if he was prepared to pay the sum of £59 and ask no questions. The operators of the 'black market' are growing brazen enough when they do" not hesitate to answer advertisements in the daily press. Obviously the articles concerned were dishonestly obtained; ob- • viously they were being capitalised to suit the stringency of demand, and obviously they are but a small instance of what has become a systemised racket to bludgeon the public and defraud the authorirties. The 'black market' was never more flagrant than in the motoring industry, where it can be readily understood in these days of transport restrictions the average car owner would seek to nurse his depreciating asset and also to improve his mode of independent travel. There surely can be little complaint from the country where the need to move about is much more essential than in the cities. What is required however, is to break up the wartime racketeers who are apparently operating in an underground ring in large towns, where their identity is harder to discover,-and where the avenues for exploitation exist on practically every hand.