M.R.P. scheme schedule unknown yet

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33941, 6 September 1975, Page 1

M.R.P. scheme schedule unknown yet

The Government appears to be having difficulty establishing a schedule for the Maximum Retail Price scheme which is supposed to be introduced on October 1. No schedule of the goods which will come under control has yet been announced, but already there have been conflicting statements made by the Minister responsible for the scheme (Mr Freer) and officers of the Trade and Industries Department. On August 11, the senior executive officer of the New Zealand Grocery Manufacturers’ Association (Mr M. F. Dawson), said that he met Mr Freer, and was told that the 1974 list of goods, gazetted as the Maximum Retail Prices Marketing Notice, 1974, was to be the operative list. The list was expected to come into force on July 4 last year, but did not. After their meeting Mr Dawson said that he was told that the schedule would be the one for 1973. This was similar to the 1974 one, but extended the list to some seasonal, and canned products. The Trade and Industry Department later told Mr Dawson that the Minister had made a mistake. How’ever, a letter from the department on September 2 said that the 1973 schedule was to be used, and set out some details on the proposed administration of the scheme.

The association has written to the department, asking for more information on the scheme. “Until we receive answers to our questions we cannot plan ahead,” Mr Dawson said. Mr Dawson said that he was disappointed by the refusal of the Consumers’ Institute to investigate the scheme. The association believed that it was very much against the interests of consumers. Mr Dawson said that negotiations were going on with several marketing, and business administration departments of universities, to see if an independent study of the scheme was possible.