Extension Of State Trading Urged In Conference Remits

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22916, 7 April 1949, Page 6

Extension Of State Trading Urged In Conference Remits

Extensions of nationalisation and price control are among the many proposals contained in remits on the order paper for the annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Tarty opening in Wellington on May 21.

Among the remits are those proposing that the Government take over gas and insurance companies and take over and or control the freezing industry, the distributive side of the fish industry, all industries esesntial to increased housing production, all electric power schemes, all trading banks, and industries similar to those nationalised by the British Government.

Other remits propose (hat the State should be the sole authority for the issue of credit and currency and that all companv profits in excess of 5 per cent be subject to steeply graduated taxation. Control of Trices On price control there are remits proposing that the membership of the Price Tribunal should be amended to include (1) a consumers’ representative. 12) a workers’ representative, (3) a women’s representative; that all hearings should be public, and that the tribunal should require evidence from workers with the requisite knowledge of production facts. Extension of price control is proposed in other remits as follows: that the Price Tribunal investigate with a view to reducing (1) racecourse refreshment charges (2) the price of clothing, including second-hand clothing, (3) the price of timber, cement, workers’ tools, and footwear. (4) the prices charged for full board.

It is suggested also that the conference should ask for extension or price control to cover professional fees, the transfer and price of second-hand cars, and the price of firewood. Relation to Quality

From one party affiliation is a proposal “that in making price orders the tribunal relate price to quality.” Others propose: that there should be radio publicity to acquaint the public with the cost and supply of commodities, that the prices for all commodities be fixed from producer to consumer, and

“that the profit mark-up be reduced, and. like tobacco, based on margins and not percentages.” It is proposed also that the conference should ask that the stabilisation policy be interpreted more strictly and implemented more fully. These are some among a long list of remits, hut none of these proposals becomes the policy of the party unless endorsed by the conference.