POLITICAL NOTES

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 21034, 9 December 1933, Page 14

POLITICAL NOTES

♦ [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, December 8. Price of Bananas. Whether the Government would take steps to protect South Island traders and consumers against the "exhorbitant monopoly prices" threatened by the successful Auckland tenderers for Samoan bananas was a question put to the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) by Mr D. G. Sullivan (Lab., Avon) to-day. Mr Sullivan said that the tenderers had recently indicated to South Island wholesalers the range of prices, which would inevitably mean an increase in prices to South Island traders ana consumers. The Prime Minister replied that the whole output of bananas from Western Samoa was put up for competitive tender annually, and the best offer was invariably accepted. "The price payable in 1934 is an increase over that payable for the current year, and will enable the increased price to be passed on to the growers, which is thoroughly justified by the progressive improvement in the fruit exported from the territory," said Mr Forbes. "When sold the fruit becomes the property of the purchaser, and its subsequent disposal is a matter for him. The trade is, of course, a risky one, and has involved considerable losses in the past. It is not correct that the successful tenderers hold a monopoly, and the fact that the fruit must be sold, a large proportion of it by public auction, should be a sufficient guarantee that no exhorbitant prices are charged." Auckland Water Supply. The committee on the Waikato Water Supply Company, Ltd., Empowering Bill reported to the House of Representatives to-day that it had found that the allegations of the preamble had not been proved to its satisfaction; that the evidence tendered to the committee had proved conclusively that it was imperative that an abundant, clean, and permanent supply of water should be provided for the whole of the Auckland metropolitan area, and that the present method of divided control was unsatisfactory. The committee was of opinion, however, that the interests of the public would be best served by setting up a metropolitan water supply board, with full power to control the water supply in such area. Magistrates' Petitions.

The statutes revision committee, reporting to the House to-day on the petitions from 16 magistrates praying that a constitutional principle of fixed salaries for the judiciary be adhered to, and for an enquiry into the remuneration granted to stipendiary magistrates, recommended that they be referred to the Government for consideration.

Ordcrs-in-Council. The Statutes Revision Committee recommended to the House that the Orders-in-Council Confirmation Bill (Mr C. Carr) be not allowed to proceed, but that the Government investigate the question of orders-in-council and the resulting regulations with a view to preventing the issue of regulations which were ultra vires.

Mr Carr thanked the committee for the report, which was referred to the Government for consideration.