PRICE TRIBUNAL CRITICISED

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25448, 20 March 1948, Page 3

PRICE TRIBUNAL CRITICISED

“CHEAP SUPPORT OF INEFFICIENCY ”

ASSOCIATED CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE MEET

(P.A.) DUNEDIN, March 19. “The Price Tribunal has become the cheap support of inefficiency,’’ said Mr Stronach Paterson (Wellington) at this morning’s session of the Associated Chambers of Commerce. ‘‘Aided and abetted by the imoort control system, persons are getting import licences for goods they know nothing about—goods of inferior quality unadapted to our conditions and unwanted in New Zealand. The’thing has become a complete and utter farce.” It was agreed that the attention of the Government be drawn to the

“very inequitable methods adopted by the Price Tribunal in fixing prices and margins." After considerable discussion, the conference adopted a remit seconding its opinion that the turning of the Price Tribunal into a permanent Government department was both unnecessary and unjustifiable. and urged that the legislation be amended at the next session of Parliament to provide for an annual review of the situation.

Spread of Holidays The' effect of the Annual Holidays Act, 1944, in creating various forms of congestion was criticised in a Wellington remit, which urged the Associated Charrfbers to confer with other interested organiastions and to appoint a national committee to recommend a greater spread of holidays. The remit was carried after delegates had discussed the difficulties of staggering holidays. xln Auckland and Dunedin remit was aporoved this morning, as follows: “This conference deprecates the growing practice of conferring on Ministers final and arbitrary powers of making decisions which are not subject to appeal to any judicial authority, and recommends that statutory authority be enacted for the appointment of a committee with power to eliminate from future regulations before they become law all nrovisfions which are contrary to true democratic principals.”