FIXING OF PRICES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 304, 18 September 1943, Page 6

FIXING OF PRICES

Allegations Of Delay Denied REPLY TO COMPLAINTS Complaints that there had been delay on the part of the Price Tribunal in fixing prices of certain liues of goods were replied to last night by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr. Sullivan. He said the Auckland Drapers’ and Allied Traders’ Price Committee had stated that a number of applications had been forwarded to the Auckland office of the tribunal some considerable time ago, and had not yet been returned to the committee. Reference had also been made.by the committee to applications forwarded to the Auckland office at, the end of June and,, during July and August, it being alleged that these had not as yet been returned by the tribunal, with the result that releases of underwear, pyjamas, sheets, working clothes, etc., were being belli pending receipt ot approved prices. The Minister said that these statements made by the Auckland Price Committee had been checked up yesterday by the Price Tribunal, and the result was that it could be stated without fear of denial that the statements were entirely unfounded. A member of lhe tribuna, contacted the secretary of the Auckland Drapers’ and Allied Traders’ Price Committee for the purpose of ascertaining which firms were involved in connexion with applications which were alleged to be outstanding. On receipt of this information the firm was immediately contacted by telephone with respect to the application alleged to have been made iu June and not yet dealt with. The reply of the firm was to the effect that. a complete check up was made to see if there were any applications outstanding, but absolutely nothing was found in the records. . The firm stated that they were quite clear and that everything was squared up. The second firm with respect to whom it was alleged that an application had likewise been made in July, which application had not yet been dealt with, replied when contacted on the telephone by a member of the tribunal that the application had been made to the Auckland Price Committee on July 12. and had 'been received back by the applicant together with the tribunal’s decision ou August 16. “The firms themselves state that they have been dealt with and that there is nothing outstanding, ami yet the price committee, apparently for the purpose of political propaganda, makes the statement that the applications are outstanding. In the third instance the position is that application was made to the tribunal but the firm has so far failed to supply the information required by the tribunal to enable it to deal with it. though several requests have been made for the information. In this case the responsibility must lie with the firm and with the firm alone . for the fact, that the application lias not yet been finally disposed of by the tribunal. . “The tribunal,” concluded the Minister, “is most anxious to work in with organizations of traders to the fullest possible extent, and. it has endeavoured to do this ever since the outbreak of war, but if sueh organizations are themselves not prepared to co-operate fully, then there is no way out but for the tribunal to revert to the procedure of requiring individual application.