"INTOLERABLE ACTS"

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 11, 13 July 1931, Page 8

"INTOLERABLE ACTS"

B.EPJEAL URGED

BOARD OF TRADE LEGISLATION

(By Associated, Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand.) Under the Board of Trade Act, 1939, and the Board of Trado Amendment Act, 1925, the Minister of Industries and Commerce is empowered, in muiiy and various ways, to harass and persecute competent, honest, and law-abiding citizens of almost any and every calling. For instance, he is empowered., amongst other things, to: (1) Hold a judicial inquiry or mako an investigation into any matter whatsoovor relating to any trade, business, profession, or undertaking whatsoever, carried on for profit —for the- purposo of obtaining information to control such trade, business, profession, or undertaking. Such judicial inquiry or investigation must bo conducted iv privato, but tho Minister may publish anythinghe likes concerning- it, and if iv sb doing ho publicly libels or, defames any person, such person is donied any reined)'. • - (2) Mako regulations (via the Gov-ernor-General in Council) for tho coutrol iv. any ,way that he deems necessary of any trade, business, or profession or undertaking whatsoever carried on for profit. •(3) Mako regulations (via the Gov.-ernor-Gencral in Council) for tho establishment of maximum or minimum prices, or ratos for any classes of goods ov servicos, exeopt wages or remuneration of employees/ ' /RIDICULOUS RESTRICTIONS. Those Acts further extend somo'objeetionablo provisions of tho Commercial Trusts Act by applying to any and every . person : somo of tho ridiculous restrictions applied by tho' Commercial Trusts JSct to- a largo body of trader's. Tho Associated Chainbors of Commerce and other commercial,bodies have made repeated efforts- to have theso iniquitous Acts purged from tho Stntuto Book. Tho ; last Reform Government, elected on the slogan "Less Government in Business," promisod repeal of tho, objectionable portions of r tho Act. It is understood that legislation to give effect to this promise was prepared, but it was never brought boforo Parliamont. '■'■■ The United Government owed its' election in part to its pre-election promises' to remove restrictions from private enterprise, and its Leader, the late Sir Joseph Ward, categorically promisod repeal of the Board of Trade Acts in. the 1929 session of' Parliament. No* definite promise has been given by the present Prime Minister to repeal these Acts, but in 'June, 1930, Mr. Forbes.received representations on the subject very sympathetically. The Minister of Internal Affairs (and Industries and Commerce), Mr. P. A. do la Perrellc, however; promised the Associated Chambers of Commerce, at its annual conference iv October, 1930, that y at the next regular session of Parliament theso measures would be dealt with in a manner that would be acceptable to tho commercial community. ' ORDER-IN-COUNCIL. The time is now ripe for fulfilment of this promise. When repeal of these Acts. has. been under discussion with Ministers of the Crown it has been suggested that the Acts could not be repealed in toto because of tho continued necessity of -certain regulations made by Order-in-Council under these Acts. Regulations by Order-in-Council arc now so utterly befogging that it is impossible for commercial minds to keep fully .of them; but careful investigation leads the Associated Chambers of Commerce 1o believe that the only regulations under these Acts that aro today in any sense "live" aro (1) regulations of. January, 3925, re offerings of wool by auction, and (2) regulations of various .dates dealiag with the gas industry. Regulations (1) above, if they ever were necessary, -are no longer so, and if the Board of Trade .Acts were repealed the offerings of wool at auction would continue to be regulated as at present? " , Regulations (2) above have no right or reason to exist, as regulations by Order-in-Council at all. If the gas industry requires regulations, that should bo effected by separate legislative enactment and not by a general Act. Legislation by Order-in-Council bids fair 1o become as acute a public nuisance us even Iho Commercial Trusts Act or Board of Trade Act. The Associated Chambers of Commerce asks the present Government to honour its pledges to remove restrictions on private enterprise by completely removing from the Statute Book these.intolerable Acts which now have no justification for. continued existence.