ALLEGED PROFITEERING

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue XXXXI, 15 June 1920, Page 5

ALLEGED PROFITEERING

INFORMATIONS AGAINST CKIIIST-

CHURCH FIRMS.

(BY TELBGBiPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

CHRISTCHURCH, June 10. Charges instigated by the price investigation tribunal against several commercial firms came on for hearing before Mr McCarthy, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court to-day. Hastie, Bull and Pickering, of Christchurch, were charged with having sold Geo. Hart Christie, the price investigation tribunal's investigating officer a Big Ben alarm eJo-J. at a price of 255, which was unreasonably high. Similar charges were heard against the following Christchurch firms: G. AY. Drayton and Co., Ltd.; Mason, Strutheiis and Co., Ltd.- and E. Recce, Ltd. The /offences were alleged to have occurred on April 20. A. J. White, Ltd., were charged with offering for sale on the date mentioned a Big Ben alarm clock at 255; the Drapery Importing Co. (D.I.C), of Christchurch, were charged with having offered for sale on April 27 to George Hart Christie a coat at 4os, wliich price was unreasonably high; Brown and Dureau, Ltd., of Wellington, were charged with having un- • lawfully counselled another person—, I Hastie, Bull and Pickering, Ltd.—on [ March 1. to commit an offence under section 32 of the Board of Trade Act, 191.9, by asking and advising Hastie, Bull and Pickering, Ltd., to offer for sale alarm clocks at a price which was unreasonably high. Brown and Dureau were charged also with a similar offence on the same date, it being alleged that i they asked and advised A. Minson, of Christchurch, to offer alarm clocks at unreasonably high prices. Mr W. R. McGregor (Dunedin) and Mr A. T. Donelly appeared for the Crown; Sir John Findlay appeared alone for "Recce, Ltd.; Mr C. P. Skei> lett appeared alone for Drayton's, and they appeared jointly for A. J. "White, Hastie, Bull and Pickering, and Mason, Struthers and Co.

The cases are proceeding.