AN INTERESTING ADMISSION

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 127, 2 June 1927, Page 8

AN INTERESTING ADMISSION

(To the Editor.; Sir,—Mr. W. GoodfeUow, who seems to protest overmuch, states (according to Ihe Post ) that the Dairy Control Board intormed the Prime Minister on 6th July 1920, of its intention to apply price fixing. lhat is aa interesting admission, in view of tho facts. When editor of tho "Now Zealand limct," I cabled the "Daily Mail (London) predicting that the board would embark on a policy of price fixing, lhat cablegram brought mo rounds of abuso from the board's chairman, several Ministers of the Crown, and the Leader ot the lmbour Party. Among other things, I was charged with gross misrepresentaI tion, and with having wantonly damaged New Zealand's credit. That tirade wns followed by a statement i oil 24th June last year by the Prime Minister. In that statement, which was made to the House, Mr. Coates said that "after consultation with the board" he was "informed" that the "Daily Mail" message was ' erroneous in fact" and contrary to the reiterated pronouncements of the board, which repudiated all idea of price fixing. A few days later (vide Mr. GoodfeUow) the board announced to the Prime Minister its decision to fix prices—a decision which was promptly put into effect with rather disastrous consequences I If Mr. GoodfeUow is right on this point, Mr. Grounds and his friends on the board must have somersaulted at short notice. And if they did not somersault the plain inference is that the chairman's flood of indignation over the cablegram was merely eye-wash"—to use an expressive colloquialism.—l am, etc., O. A. MARRIS.