Colour TV club collapses: set-manufacturers blamed

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33777, 25 February 1975, Page 2

Colour TV club collapses: set-manufacturers blamed

(New Zealand Press Association} WHANGAREI, February 24. ,A five-year fight against “the monopolistic set-up of New Zealand colour television manufacturers” has ended in failure for an Auckland group.

The Mutual Colour TV Club, Ltd, is advising its members that it is being forced to close because it has failed in its object of arranging for its members discounts on colour television sets. In a newsletter, its chairman of directors, Mr R. E. Cooper, advises members to apply for a refund of contri-

buttons paid in over the ' years. i “We have already arranged for the realisation of the club’s investments of mem- 1 bers’ funds,’’ Mr Cooper i writes. “We intend to make I refunds to members progres- < sively—beginning with those who have more than S6OO to their credit—as those investments are converted to cash.” ‘4p.c. interest’ Mr Cooper adds that 4 per cent interest will be paid. He was not available for further comment today, and there was no reply from the club’s offices in Auckland. One Whangarei member said that the group had more than 1400 members when he > joined it tn 1971. His contri- ; buttons to the organisation > totalled. $523 and were paid ’ on the Understanding that the j group would be able to supply ' him- with a colour television : set at a 20 per cent discount ■ when such sets became avail- • able. ‘ When they began to be ’ manufactured in New Zea-

land, however, the group was unable to obtain them. Mr Cooper’s letter says: "We have recently made a further approach to every television manufacturer, to try to obtain even the promise of supply at some future date, but we have been told that they will not supply us in the foreseeable future.” Police raid Mr Cooper says that the club had been subjected to “a campaign, with innuendoes that members’ contributions were not safe.” Five months ago, the police raided the club’s offices and seized ’ the club’s records under a : search warrant, but no action ! followed, and the group was ■ now taking legal advice about i the legality of that warrant. I Mr Cooper adds that when s the supply position became a . problem in September, 1973, i the group offered to refund ; any contributions, plus interest, and almost $500,000 has been paid back since then. “As the supply question is unchanged, the organisation

now has to concede that it has been defeated,” the letter says.