NO PROFITEERING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 71, 21 September 1939, Page 19

NO PROFITEERING

GOVERNMENT POLICY

FIXING COMMODITY PRICES

"The policy . of. the Government should be: No profiteering of any kind whatever." With this statement the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) opened his reply to the debate. It, had been said during the discussion by one member of the Opposition that there should be no undue profiteering, but it was a policy akin to that that led to many difficulties during the period of the Great War. The member for Tauranga (Mr. F. W. Doidge) had said that great care should be taken in fixing the price of meat. "Extra care must be taken in fixing the price of every commodity," said the Minister. "I admit that it is a tricky thing to do." It was next door to impossible for any tribunal to ensure equity for any article, but the Minister of Supply had gone as far as it was possible to come to a fair conclusion. There were differences of opinion as to what 'was "reasonable," but he was satisfied that nobody could have done the job better than the Minister of Supply (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan), who went out of his way to see that everybody had a chance to state his case when a price was to be determined. Mr. Nash said that the Minister of Supply was justified in expressing indignation at what had been said in the House earlier in the debate. After having spent weeks,on fixing a price for the farmers' produce, he had been accused of Star Chamber methods. That was not fair criticism. The Minister had done everything possible to ensure that the farmer received a fair price and to see that the soldier was not exploited. As the war continued it would take a tremendous. effort to prevent those with an exploiting mind taking advantage of the position because the breadwinners had gone overseas. The Minister admitted that it was difficult to place a price on livestock, loui because a. task was. not easy to perform it did not mean that the task should not be tackled. Referring to recruiting, the Minister said that some men would be allowed to join up, but others would have to remain behind in essential industries. Mr. Coates: How will you stop them going? The Minister said that it was not necessary for men to go overseas immediately. The supreme objective was to ascertain how best New Zealand could help. It might be by growing grass. When the Minister of Supply had fixed the month of September as the basis for meat. prices, he had selected a. period when fairly .high prices were ruling and the injustice had not been done that had been suggested. If auction prices were taken a tragedy would be perpetrated. It was impossible to determine the price by that method as it might happen that three times the price that the United Kingdom could pay might be the basis. The price of commodities would be fixed in a scientific way. A new spirit had to be faced in the circumstances ruling today. The principle to be followed was one of non-exploitation. The various controllers appointed under the emergency regulations were subject entirely to Ministerial control and there was no question of interfering with democratic procedure, said Mr. Nash. When the great majority of the people fully understood the position they would be behind the Government in the measures that had been taken. FAIR-MINDED MINISTER. When the Bill was in the Committee stage the Acting Prime Minister (the Hon. P. Fraser) said that he had never known a more industrious and fairminded Minister than Mr. Sullivan in having matters under his control discussed with; all the parties concerned. A great part of the burden of the emergency regulations had fallen upon Mr. Sullivan's shoulders, and he had done everything possible to consult those affected. It was quite possible that he had. overlooked some points, just as other Ministers might have overlooked some points, said Mr. Fraser, but he was quite certain that Mr. Sullivan would do everything that was possible if representations were made to him. ' That applied also to other Ministers. There was no question about Star Chamber methods with Mr. Sullivan. The Leader of the Opposition (the Hon. A. Hamilton) said that perhaps the blame rested as much with Mr. Sullivan as with anyone else. It had seemed to some of the Opposition that the steps taken were sudden, and possibly rather crude, and it was with the object of getting an explanation that the debate was started. During the autumn the price of stock was exceedingly low and the farmers were having a lean time. . j Mr. Sullivan: The hon. gentleman will admit that September 1 prices were very good prices. Mr. Hamilton said that there was a certain rise at that time, but it was t just a flash in the pan, not as a result i of the war. He did not blame any farmer for ventilating his feelings. If the incentive, were there, production would be kept going and there would be co-operation with the Government. That was quite genuine, but the Opposition wanted to be taken as far as was possible into the confidence of the | Government. He did not think they could criticise the £72,000,000 expenditure that had been passed, and they would have to let that go. Mr. Poison gave an assurance of his co-operation in helping to solve the primary producing problems and in f putting aside all party politics in the j process. His only reservation was that I the welfare of the farming community j should be ahvays to the forefront, and '. that primary industry should be kept going in the national interest. jj i The Bill was passed.