Firm alleges blacklisting

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32565, 26 March 1971, Page 10

Firm alleges blacklisting

Alleged blacklisting of a stationery supply firm in Christchurch by four wholesale firms has led to a complaint to the Trade Practices Division of the Department of Industries and Commerce.

Mr N. Carswell, a joint director of the firm, Wallace - Carswell, Ltd, said that his company had laid the complaint after wholesalers had refused to supply stock.

“They’re doing this because we are underpricing them and eating into their business,” he said. Each of the four wholesalers, one based in Wellington and three based in Christchurch, have retail outlets in Christchurch. “We are not in the New Zealand Stationers’ Guild as they are and so we are not bound by their agreed-upon price list and can sell to the public at a much cheaper price,” said Mr Carswell. He said that the 10-month-old company could run for a couple of weeks in spite of

the blacklisting without any inconvenience to customers. “The manufacturers are right behind us and most of the customers seem to have taken an attitude of, ‘well if you haven’t got it now, take the order anyway and fill it when you can’,” he said.

“At the moment we are prepared to pay cash for the stock, if necessary, although it is an impractical way to conduct our business and will lower our sales initially. “The part of our trade most affected by this is in imported lines such as staplers, paste, paper-binders, etc. Generally these are hard to get unless through the wholesalers who are now refusing to sell to us,” he said. Mr Carswell said that the other sectors of the firm’s business art materials, draughting equipment and job printing—were unaffected.

He said he felt that the ban on sales to his firm had been brought about by a recent advertisement in which a range of prices and a special offer available at WallaceCarswell had been given.