PRICE MOVEMENTS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 204, 26 May 1936, Page 8

PRICE MOVEMENTS

Government Will Check Exploitation CONSUMERS COMPLAIN Inquiry Into Increases Careful attention is being given by the Government to price movements for all commodities throughout the Dominion. Moreover, it intends to take action, if necessary, to maintain them at what it considers to be a reasonable level. This was indicated by the Minister of Industries and Commerce. Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in an interview yesterday, when he stated that any tendency to exploit wage-earners by unduly high prices would be checked “Officers of the department all over the Dominion are keeping in touch with the situation through the trade organisations,” said the Minister, “and in any cases where increases are noticed business people are being asked to justify their action. There have been definite instances of people anticipating wage- increases by higher prices, but we will not stand for that. I have ‘ received a great timber of requests from individual consumers about the high prices they are being asked to 1 pay for goods, and where these are : found to be genuine they are being passed on to the department for inves ’ tigation.” ! The Minister added tha; apart from ■ the action taken with respect to the cement and timber industries, it had ' not been necessary to seel- any ad- ' justment of prices in any other ’ lines. In fact. lie was bound 1 to say that, on the whole, ' business people had so far met the ' position very fairly. There had been ■ no suggestion of defiance, but if there was the Government had al. the pow ’ ers necessary under the Board of ’ Trade Act to deal with unjustifiable in- ; creases in prices. Under the Act the ’ Government could go as far even as.is- ■ suing blanketing regulations covering prices in all industries.