CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 156, 17 June 1936, Page 9

CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

Industry Must Not Exploit Changed Conditions GOVERNMENT AS REFEREE By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON, June 16. A suggestion from Christchurch that the Government intended to appoint accountants to investigate the affairs of important firms particularly to see the effect of the new industrial legis lation was specifically denied by the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, in an interview to-night. ‘‘Such a suggestion has no fonnda tion at all.” said Mr Savage, ‘‘because it would imply for one thing that the Government is out looking for trouble. As I have said time and again from tho public platform and elsewhere, we bare no intention whatever of harassio;business people and putting obstae'es in their way. ‘‘At the same time, this doe; not mean that the Government will not watch very closely any tendency on the part of industry to take undue advantage of the changed conditions. There can be no argument against the fact that if one industry is allowed to ex ploit the people and make undue profits it can only do that at the expense cf some other industry or of the consumers. We intend to watch developments of that sort and, if necessary, to make use of all the powers that are already available under the Board of Trade Act for dealing with exploitation. •‘ln the meantime our desire is to play the part of referee, seeing that both sides get a fair deal, because we have already recognised that the man who pays wages is entitled to consideration as well as the man who receives them.”