COAL VEND APPEAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3995, 28 July 1913, Page 5

COAL VEND APPEAL.

PRIVY COUNCIL’S DECISION. DELIVERED BY LORD JUSTICE PARKER. THE APPEAL DISMISSED. C'ifNl'T'nj PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT] (Received July 27, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, July 27. Lord Justice Parker has delivered the reason of the Privy Council for dismissing the appeal of the AttorneyGeneral of the Commonwealth against the judgment of the High Court. of Australia-in favor of the Adelaide Steamship Company in what is knowr. as-the Vend case.

The reasons given set out that mere intention to raise prices does not prove any intention to injure the public) and tliQre is no trace in . the Vend agreement of any intention to raise the price of coal to an unreasonable extent. There is still ’ess justification for referring to “unlawful inltn tion” of the shipping agreement mcYng that the companies are still open to undersell each oUht. Their Lordships, amongst ofimr points, stated that they were ensile to accept the Crown’s proposition that all contracts are combinations in restraint of trade and commerce. If this were -true the effect of the Act would be that no Trades Union would would be free front the risk of being proceeded against and tlieir Lordships cannot believe that the legislature in-' tended to make the existence of trades unions dependent on the economic views of the Government for the time being. Their Lordships considered some provisions of the agreement in question really advantageous to consumers as tending to ensure a reasonably steady suplpy of coal. They say it is impossible to infer illegal intention from what is actually clone under agreements, though it must not be supposed that tlieir Lordships TTpprove of everything done in pursuance thereof. T . The Lord Chancellor and Lords Shaw and Moulton assented in the decision.