PREVENTING EXPLOITATION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2555, 1 September 1915, Page 6

PREVENTING EXPLOITATION

- THE NEW-BILL'. The Regulation • of' Trade and. Commerce ' Amendment Bill - (No. 2), which was passed by tho House of Representatives yesterday; is for the purpose of preventing exploitation of the. public in I regard to oils ; oil which ,an increased duty Jias'now to be paid. The: Bill prevents the imposition: of such duties from being used as a pretext for an .unjustifiable increase in the price of such merchandise by-fixing a njaximum price. In the interpretation the. term'."refined mineral oil" means kerosene, motorspirit, benzine, coal-benzine, benzol, petrol gasoline'j petroleum ethers, and petroleum spirits,' and .'includes - all mineral oils and mineral spirits similar to any of tlie foregoing, v Tho maximum price'of refined mineral oil imported into Now Zealand within the meaning of the' Customs Act, 1913, on or beforo August 26, 1915, shall be the current price at which goods of the . same nature. and quality were saleable in the same' locality oir'August 20,1915, if sold in the same quantity and oil the same terms as to .payment,, delivery, and otherwise. Clause s'' states :—"The] maximum prico of refined • minoral oil as'determined by the. :last preceding section shall for. all the purposes of the principal Act be deemed to have been lawfully determined .by, an Order-in-Council .under that Act, and all the provisions of.the principal Act, iiicludiiig tie penal' provisions thereof, shall.apply accordingly in the .same, manner as if suclr an ;Order-in-Council had been duly v made and had come into operation on Septembor 1, 1915, and the rights and liabilities of all persons for all things done or suffered on or after that day shall be determined accordingly." > ; A .provision is made whereby the pur- : chaser who lias paid in-excess of tbo maximum, price on oil imported before the date fixed shall be entitled to a Refund. When any; proceedings aro: taken under the-Bill, in alleged cases of exploitation, the burden of proving that Vho .oil-was imported after August >26 shall lio upon tbe seller. ' /• ; . i . Tlio Bill will be passed by the Legislative Council to-day, and will come into, operation at once. . - -