WHAT OF THE PUBLIC?

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 8, 10 July 1926, Page 7

WHAT OF THE PUBLIC?

"BENEFIT^" OF PRICE-FIXING.

. "A Local Retailer" write* to "The Post" era the question of pric«-fbdng, with particular reference to an article published last Tuesday. The writer »t»te§ that he noted that the manufacturer, packer, trader, grocery trade, wholesale houief, and retail trade were all mentioned .as those receiving the benefits, but no mention was made of the general public, the poor innocent who had to pay for the benefits the various people mentioned were to receive. _, . "Price-fixing, as advocated by the .'Bayers and Grocers' Review* and other interested parties is another name for priceraising, as it means that the prices paid for many articles at many shopß would b« compulsorily raised, and those of the general public who deal at the so-called price-cut-ting shops, would soon find that the bane wage was losing ; its buying power. Would the basic wage then have to be raised in order to gratify the price-fixers lust for greater profits? "Not long ago we had various interests •crying to the Government Tseep out of business'; now the cry is for legislation to enable the various interests to demand bigger profits at the expense of the public. Surely the time is ripe for a big cry from the general public, calling upon the Government' to "make it an offence punishable by imprisonment to conspire to raise or fix the price of any article. There is an old saying that competition is the «oul of business. That may be wrong according to the price-fixer's idea, but it is the one regulator which prevents _ organised robbery in the form of extortionate profit*. "Let the manufacturer, packer, wholesaler, and retailer all look after their own business in which, their capital ig employed, and let no one interfere with the other.

By this means each watches his own interest and the public is protected. If any. manufacturer or packer , is not satisfied with these ordinary channels of business, he has a perfect right to refuse to supply anybody, open his own shops, and supply direct to the public, thereby retaining control of both his goods and the price. without any need for legislation1. But will he? Certainly not. He wants the benefit of having his goods in all retail shops, but he also wants to dictate the management of these businesses in which he has no capital invested, but merely a selfish interest in one line of goods stocked by the shop." The writer quotes what he considers to be glaring cases of price fixing. "The result is that hundreds of people are paying more for their goods to-day and many shopkeepers are compelled to take a profit they consider unwarranted and extortionate. Perhaps the advocates of price-fixing will come forward with a list of goods which have been reduced in price as a result of price-fixing. As an illustration let us suppose that the retail price of 'Bill Jinks' flour is fixed at 10s per bag, and every retailer must charge 10* for it. One store takes net cash over the counter and does not even'wrap up the goods. Anothers delivers free. Another gives discount coupons, Is in the wound, making the price 9s 6d. Another gives discount tickets and delivers free also, while the family grocer calls for the order, delivers, puts the amount on the books for a month, and then gives 2% per cent, discount on payment. The price is fixed; they all charge the same! Nuff Bed!"