VEND APPEAL DECISION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 178, 28 July 1913, Page 5

VEND APPEAL DECISION.

END or A FAMOUS CASE. HO ILLEGAL IKTENTIOM. LONDON, July 26. To-day Mr Jusiice Parker delivered the reasons of the Privy Council for dismissing the appeal of the AtLorney-Geiieral of the Commonwealth of Australia against the judgment of the High Court or Australia in favour of the Adelaide Steamship Company, in what is known as "The vend Case." The reasons giren are as follows: The mere intention to raise prices does not prove any intention to injure the public. There is no trace in the vend agreement of any intention tn raise the price of coal to an unreasonable extent; there is still less justification for referring to the "unlawful intention of the shipping agreement," seeing that the companies are open to undersell each otier.

Court amongst other points stated that it was unable to accept the. Crown"s Propusttion that all combinations were for ■toe restraint of trade or commerce. If this were true, the effect would be that there would be no trades union free from t!l ljisk of being pror-eeded against. The Court could not believe that the Legislature intended to make the exist- "">« of trades unions dependent on the economic viewa of the Government for tne time reins.

The Court also considered that some provisions in tho agreement were really advantage-ms to tho consumers, tending to ensure g reasonably steady supply of Ti , Jt vras imnossibie to infer any "legal inicTuior. from what was octuallv none under the ag-eement. though it was not to be supposed that the Court apprarad of even-thins done in nursuance Hareof.

The Lord Chancellor 'Viscount Hal"Mel. and Lords Sua* and Moulton ""seated.