WHEN PRICES ARE FIXED.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 155, 1 July 1914, Page 4

WHEN PRICES ARE FIXED.

LACK OF KEEN TENDERS. HARBOUR BOARD EXPERIENCES. There is n rrrtain amount of interest (in view of the recent agitation concerning the matter) in the fart that th e Harbour Board's call for tenders for a .supply of New Zealand timbers has met with no response. It -was announced at yesterday's meeting, when the tenders were to be opened, tha-t the only "ten. der" received was the printed price list of the Taupo Totaxa Timber Company Other firms had intimated that they could not quote but had submitted thenprinted price lists. It was obvious, the chairman remarked, that there wa« a timber "ring." Mr. TV. E. Hutchison commented on the fart that there -was a hard and fast price, and that there -would be no different*" to the Board whether large or small quantities were purchased. j Mr. Virtue: Well, Mr. Chairman, w e have a quarry of our own. We should now jro in for a forest and a sawmill. Mr. Virtue's little sally was received with chuckles of amusement, and the tender was referred to committee for consideration. On the question of tenders generally, Mr. H. R. McKenzie commented pointedly on the lack of competition in the tenders that had been called for by the Board. It had been an eye-opener to him, he said, and he thought it a pity that a public body should be at the mercy of that sort of thing. He realised now that the engineer had been wise in refusing tenders from time to time.

Mr. Alison did not agree with Mr. McKenzie. Competition haxr, he thought, been quite satisfactory.

The chairman remarked that on occasions of the kind one could not say all one knew because it was impossible to give proofs. It was a fact, however, that there had been several attempts at bribery in connection with the last tenders.