NO ARTICHOKES
NEW YORK DECREE
New Yorkers will be • forbidden io eat small artichokes for an indefinite period beginning ,on. Boxing Day. This prohibition, has been imposed by Mayor Fiorello La;Guardia in an.endeavour to break the, grip, of "racketeers" in this industry, ; wr;tes; the New York correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian." ; ; , . . <...-.- Small artichokes about the. size of lemons; are : eaten in vast- numbers by Italians, of whom there are nearly 500,000 in ■'New York City, and the authorities say. the trade has been monopolised by a small group of racketeers, all of whom are Italians, who levy, a tribute .of a' few cents on every artichoke'eaten. Any wholesale or retail' dealer who refused .to pay this tribute would-be ibeaten and'have his premises damaged; and, if he still resisted, would be.'killed. , Nobody, .ever resists,', except ■ temporarily. ..■'., ■•■ .. • ,-■ ■ . Every, few years the municipal or the Federal Government.attempts; to break this and. many other similar . rackets by gathering evidence and arresting racketeers.. These; efforts, always fail, however, because witnesses; refuse to testify, for the good, reason, that they will be killed if they; do so. , ; Such a campaign is now in progress, and the • authorities are seeking success by threatening prison for recalcitrant witnesses. .These .threats in thepast have..been -uniformly ineffective, however,.- since ; most , business .men would .prefer. -,a few ; months-, or years of imprisonment to being-"rubbed out" by machine T guns.'..: , .; . ' Many, wealthy ;and ,prominent merchants : conspire :with ■: the racketeers, justifying, themselves 'by-:saying', that if the rpresent .gangs' were eliminated others .w.ould Certainly take their places and might be worse: .These merchants pass' on: the;cost: of .the rackets to the customers, which helps'to explain the extremely high: cost of .living in New. York and- many: other American' cities'.
: Plush sofas,'once regarded as "chic," are to- disappear- from German houses under an 'official- "beautify the' home" campaign.] ' .
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 35, 11 February 1936, Page 16
Word Count
303NO ARTICHOKES Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 35, 11 February 1936, Page 16
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