ALLEGED PRICE RING

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27640, 22 April 1955, Page 9

ALLEGED PRICE RING

SUPPLY OF CABLE TO WELLINGTON

DECISION DEFERRED BY CITY COUNCIL

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 21. Another spirited discussion of the alleged British cable price ring arose at a meeting of the Wellington City Council last night. The council’s electricity committee recommended that none of the tenders recently received for the supply and delivery of cable to the city be accepted. and that new tenders be callecT.

This was opposed by three councillors on the ground that a report, on tenders received outside the alleged price ring had not yet come before the council.

“Are we going to readvertise for tenders without ascertaining whether the lowest tender measures up to the specifications required?” asked Cr. J. G. Churchill. “That seems a haphazard way of doing things.” Cable was only one of many items bound up in “this vicious system,” said the Mayor (Mr R. L. Macalister), who earlier in the day had led a deputation before the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) to discuss price ring tendering. It was the council’s duty to investigate every tender it received, he said. If it were found that the tenderers were outside the ring, and could supply goods to the right specifications, then import licences could be obtained. The council decided to hold over the recommendation for discussion by the finance committee.