THOSE PROFITEERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 118, 18 May 1920, Page 2

THOSE PROFITEERS.

PROSECUTIONS COMING. WORK OF THE TRIBCXALS. The chairman of the A-uckland Profiteering Tribunal, Mr. M. M. McCaUum, is of opinion that the deliberations and investigations of this body are having a really considerable; effect upon the jmc-es "in this community, especially as regards certain articles of clothing. The tribunal has been sitting three times iTwcek here in Auckland, and has dealt with more thes a hundred complaints covering the prices of very many commodities, especially food. On the eve of the depart»e of the tribunal to investigate complaint* in Oisborne, Mr. Mc Callum summed up the work done here. He said the publi:: was rather prone to ask when prosecutions were coming ac the "result of the investigations made by the tribunal. They did not understand the function of the body, which was not to fossick out profiteering, but merely to investigate complaints that were made either in person or by writing. This investigatioK usually took some time, as it was very thorough, and went into costs and all sorts of other things. But he couM say that prosecutions in the Auckland district were coming in the near future. Most of the complaints received, said Mr. McCallum, arc by letter, scarcely more than half a dozen having been made in person. Easily the majority were about food—groceries, wheat, flour, butter, eggs, and the like. FEW COMPLAINTS OF CLOTHING.

"Although the common talk on the street corners is always running round the price of clothing, it is a fact that tin- tribunal has had remarkably few complaints, only about two or three, concerning the price of garments, soft goods and drapery, tßbugh perhaps half a dozen have been made about the prices of boots." Asked how he accounted for so lew complaints being made about this vexed question, Mr. McCallum said he thought women a? a macs were so ashamed of the extravagant prices they were paying for clothing that they would not tome to the tribunal and complain. "Wγ can do nothing without the Complaint in the first instance." he explained. "We are merely hore in the capacity of a! grand jury, to "find either a true- bill or no bill. We go a little further than that, certainly, to the extent of investigating very thoroughly every case complained about, ordering refunds of purchase prices where there is scarcely enough evidence to warrant a prosecution, and recommending proeeeution ■yhe.Tc we think an action will succeed." ' "Of course many of the complaints ] are not endorsed "by facts," concluded | "Mr. MrfJaTium. "In fact most of them arc found, on investigation, to 1>« sincere prices, and even in one or two instances the tribunal has found that : I the pric-p charged does not bring even a reasonab:? profit to the vendor. Notably this is so respecting firewood, coal, and flour." SOME PRICES LOWER NOW. The chairman of the tribunal thinks that tb> sittings here in Auckland have done much good. Prices of clothing and many otlier things as well were lower in Auckland to-day than they were last month. People were rather concerned about charging excessive prices now, for it simply needed one complaint to have the whole case completely investigated. The meeting of women a few daya ago had also had its effect on drapers and clothiers, and the remarks of a wellknown lady, one of the organisers of that anti-high-pricc-for-ciothes meeting of women, completely endorsed this opinion. "Though that meeting was boolioood in come quarter?," the lady ex- |

plained, "personal investigation by some several people of my acquaintance shows that articles of clothing, hats for instance, bore the prices very clearly marked when they are now displayed in th<* windows, and these prices are more reasonable than they used to be. The lady went on to say that of course some women wouhi buy only the expensive things at extravagant prices, and cared littic about the money they spent -so long as they got what satisfied them.] And in bhe past, according to the opinions of the informant, wives and] mothers of families, people who had to! depend on work-won wages, had been| almost compelled to follow this lead.! But now they were breaking away, and as a consequence there were manifest reductions in the figures aeked for clothing, particularly hats and costumes. From this it would seem that the profiteering tribunal is doing good work i and that the movement among the j Auckland women is a!*o bringing good; revolts. ' The tribunal expects to be in Guborne until Tuesday next. The complaints noted down for investigation concern| the prices of meat, bread, groceries and' foodstuffs gener&y.T. j