PREVENTION OF MONOPOLIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 21 October 1927, Page 5

PREVENTION OF MONOPOLIES.

BOARD OF TRADE ACT. AMEND 1)1 ENT RECOMIMENDED. ; 11Y TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION. f WELLINGTON, Oct. 20. When the House or Representatives met t-nis arternoon, the Industries aiui commerce Committee reported on a number of petitions praying that an amendment of the Board of Trade Act should be passed to prevent monopolies ,rom acting in restraint of trade.

The committee was unable to recommend that legislation bo passed, but recommended that there be careful supervision by tiie Department of Industries with a view of preventing exploitation. Mr. 11. At more said the committee bad difficult questions to decide, and it was hard to keep them separate from the recommendations made by the committee of inquiry which investigated the position regarding the Proprietary Articles Trade Association. In the meantime the recommendation would ii 11 the bill, more especially if the Industries and Commerce Department vouki keep a close watch along the .hies of what the committee recommended. Air. W, H. Fife Id said the Board of Trade needed strengthening. Recently he had made inquiries regarding juilding costs in Wellington, and lie sad found there were rings and combines which were having the effect of keeping up prices. If that state of things existed, either the Board of Trade was not doing its work properly or it did not possess sufficient powers. Air. W. J. Girling, chairman of the ’ndustries Committee, said the prayer of the petition was against the fixation of prices by individuals. The committee could not recommend legislation to ileal with individual cases, but urged the Department of Industries mil Commerce to keep a close watch •egarding the Proprietary Articles Association .