DAIRY PRODUCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 35, 11 February 1937, Page 15

DAIRY PRODUCE

INTERNAL MARKETING

PURCHASE OF PICOT BROS

Particulars regarding the purchase and operation of the produce business of Picot Bros., Ltd., are not to be made public before Parliament meets, according to advice received from the Prime Minister (the Ht. Hon. M. J. Savage) by the executive of the Associated Chambers of Commerce yesterday. ■ '■'.. - < '.. ...-■..'■..

, "The- comments, and. opinion of you? organisation have been noted, and the ' whole: matter' has again' been given Careful" consideration," wrote the Prime Minister. "I regret that I' am unable to depart from the decision which' I conveyed to you in my letter of December 24. As intimated, the whole matter will be placed before Parliament at a suitable date, when all the conditions of purchase will be; discussed, together with the Government policy; in relation, to food distribution on the-local-market." . ;

The secretary; said that the Prime Minister had been advised that it was felt to be a matter of considerable public concern for full information to be given before Parliament assembled, 'because the State would be taking the business- over this month, and Parliament would -not be. meeting until August. ..The Prime Minister had been thanked for his advice that the business, would operate "under exactly the same conditions" as private competitive concerns, and .had been asked whether1 this meant that the.-business would also pay income taxi The association was particularly concerned regarding the'point of;' profits arising from the business, ,fo'ij the reason that if the concern, was efficiently conducted at cost that .must eventually spell the elimination^' of private competitive units. •.Consequently, the association had, urged the aim of the business should be .to show a reasonable amount of profit on the capital invested in it, and had asked for an assurance that this would be the objective.