PRICE INCREASES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 251, 20 July 1938, Page 6

PRICE INCREASES

Investigation Of Alleged Profiteering

governments policy

By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, July 19.

By the compliance of traders with the wishes of the Department of Industries and Commerce prosecutions have been avoided in more than 100 cases of alleged profiteering. This information was given by the Minister, Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in an interview to-day, when he expressed the opinion that the Government’s policy of not unduly harassing traders had given gratifying results. “Investigations are being made all the time by the department into complaints of excessive increases in the price of goods,” he said. When he introduced the Prevention of Profiteering Act he stated that he realised there would be some degree of failure in the administration if the Government were put in the position of harassing traders by anything in the way of prosecutions. “And we don’t look for prosecutions,”- said the Minister. Only when there was defiance of the law’ after the Department of Industries and Compierce had made its investigations and pointed out’ the facts to traders would the department take action. When mistakes were made or the department found that the law was not complied with, the attention of the traders concerned was called to their non-compli-ance with the terms of the law.

He was very happy to. say that in more than 100 investigations made by the department of such breaches of the law —very often probably unwittingly committed —nothing in the nature of resistance or defiance was exhibited by the traders when the position as represented by the department was presented to them, Mr. Sullivan said. All the traders showed most commendable willingness to comply with the Government’s request for a readjustment of prices in those cases. “In some cases and according to the circumstances money has been handed back to purchasers and in other cases prices have . been w’ritten down in terms of the legislation,” said the Minister. "Investigations are going on continuously. The methods we have adopted to ensure compliance with the terms of the law have overcome difficulties in a very satisfactory manner indeed.”