BANNING THE "BLACK MARKET"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 138, 13 June 1942, Page 4

BANNING THE "BLACK MARKET"

"Black market" operations, described in a London message yesterday as "the war's biggest racket,"! are at last being stamped out in Great Britain. Measures taken by the Board of Trade and supplemented by the j Courts, involving long terms of imprisonment and profit-removing fines, have proved effective in dealing with large operators and a new issue of unforgeable clothing coupons has succeeded in eliminating small racketeers. Prosecutions, it is reported, fell by 500 between December and April. One of the most serious aspects of such operations, apart altogether from the extent to which operators may "get away with the swag," is the effect which they have on the morale of 'die people. The knowledge that "black markets" exist inevitably gives rise to a feeling in the mind of the decent law-abiding citizen that by his decency* and his respect for laws designed to ensure a fair deal for all he is being placed at a serious disadvantage. He may be inclined to ask: "Does unselfish-, ness pay?" The mere suggestion of such a question is sufficient to seriously affect public morale. The existence of "black markets" is not, of course, peculiar to Great Britain, and the number of operators there, in relation to the whole population, is doubtless very small. The fact that such transactions do occur, j and in sufficient numbers to necessitate stringent measures to cope with them, is, however, a warning to other countries, including New Zealand, where rationing schemes have had to be put into operation. Although there will always be, in any community, some people who. are prepared to put their own selfish interests first, the public as a whole can play an important part in preventing the operation of "black markets." This can best be done by the exercise of moderation in meeting their own needs and by showing consideration for the needs of others. What is required, above all, in these difficult clays is a spirit of co-opera-tion, in small things as well as in big things. By acting unselfishly and with restraint the public can do their share in ensuring a sufficiency for all and in keeping the morale jof the people at a high level.