MR. CROSKERY AT JOHNSONVILLE

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 139, 10 December 1919, Page 9

MR. CROSKERY AT JOHNSONVILLE

Mr. A. W. Croskery, official Labour candidate for Wellington Suburbs, addressed a large meeting of electors at Moore's Hall, Johnsonvillo, last evening. Mr. G. Townhill presided, Dealing with the question of ''profiteering," Mr. Croskery pointed out that since August, 1914, statutory legislation has existed for the purpose of preventing profiteering. During the whole of that period—over five years—only one prosecution has been taken, and it ignominiously failed. The fact that the authorities had taken no adequate steps to enforce the law • affotds clear proof that they never intended to do so. The Act providing for a Board of Trade to be set up to deal with the regulation of prices, etc., in order to stop profiteering, had been an absolute failure, and when one analysed the statement of a member of a deputation from the merchants of this city who waited upon the Prime Minister with reference to the new Board of Trade Bill, the full light of day was thrown on the reason for the failure of the Board of Trade to stop profiteering.; as a matter of fact they had by their action only encouraged it. Mr. Croskery gave examples of what he complained of, and said the deputation held that the Board of Trade had laid down the rule that the selling basis was to be on the cost of replacement, and while that body was in existence they felt quite secure. By making the above rule the Board of Trade handed the people of this Dominion ovpr to the merchants to be exploited at will. It was ono of the greatest pieces of barefaced robbery that had ever been heard of, and had been sanctioned by a tribunal set up to stop "profiteering." The candidate was accorded a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.