PRICE INCREASE NOW WITHDRAWN

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 199, 20 May 1936, Page 13

PRICE INCREASE NOW WITHDRAWN

> I ; Sawmillers’ Position — I RESULT OF INVESTIGATION AWAITED Following a '‘Dominion'' .Special Service message from Auckland published yesterday, to the effect that an individual milling firm at Taiimarunui, which is a member of the King Country group, had issued a new schedule of prices representing an approximate 15 per cent, advance, Mr. J. A. Bush, president of Hie Doriiinion Federated Sawmillers’ Association, slates that the notification of price increase by Ibis firm has been withdrawn.

It was stated in “The Dominion's” message that sawmillers themselves did not wish to make any increase in timber prices until they themselves had to pay more. -Mr. Bush states that in view of tin l esiH'cial investigation into timber prices now being conducted by the Department of Industries in accordance will) the Prime Minister's recent announcement, no increases in timber prices would be made by sawmillers anywhere.in New Zealand until that investigation was completed and the Government was satisfied what measure of price increase would be needed to accommodate the actual rise in costs due to new wages awards and working conditions in the sawmills and bush workings. The sawmilling industry was cooperating to the fullest possible extent with the Department in carrying out its investigations into costs, said Mr. Bush. All books and records of the industry were being made available freely to departmental officers. Those in Hie industry were entirely satisfied that any proposed price increases were thoroughly justified and that the employees in the industry were entitled to that degree of improvement: in tlie standard of living which was to be accorded to other workers of New Zealand through the Government's industrial legislative programme. The Sawmillers’ Federation took no part whatever in the determination of timber prices except to the extent of advising its members of price trends in different districts, Mr. Bush added. The actual determination of prices for wood from country sawmills was entirely a matter for individual firms or district groups of sawmillers. When, as in the present instance, any situation arose affecting the industry’s welfare or price considerations over tlie Dominion as a whole, tiie individual firms and district groups of sawmillers invariably respected the wishes of the Federation, though not in any sense bound to do so.'