Retailers Object To Protection Bill

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31936, 13 March 1969, Page 24

Retailers Object To Protection Bill

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 12.

Delegates at the national conference of the Retailers’ Federation urged today that the Consumers Protection Bill, introduced to Parliament last session, should be withdrawn.

The bill is aimed at preventing deceptive or misleading packaging, labelling and advertising. A select committee of Parliament is at present hearing submissions on it. Mr P. Donnelly (Christchurch) urged the federation to table a major objection to be sent to the select committee, on the lines that the bill was superfluous and wrong in principle. The president (Mr R. L. Jones), said the federation did not object to the consumer being protected but felt the consumer was already well protected by six other pieces of legislation already on the Statute Book.

The secretary (Mr B. 1. Purdy) said that one of the most serious issues appeared to be the position of shop assistants under the bill, If a shop assistant misled or deceived a customer into a purchase the customer was given three years to lay an information against the assistant. “1 suggest that in Wellington you wouldn’t And a shop assistant in three years time,” Mr Purdy said. In some cases the cost of correct labelling under the bill would mean that printing costs would exceed the cost of the merchandise itself. “What worries me is the creation of another extensive organisation under the aus-

pices of the Trade Examiner,” Mr Purdy said. The federation decided to set up a sub-committee to decide what submissions should be made to the select committee on the bill.