CEMENT ENQUIRY

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 15 October 1921, Page 6

CEMENT ENQUIRY

ORDER OF REFERENCE

QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE

WELLINGTON, Oct. 14. A warrant appointing' commission under the Commissions of inquiry Act, lyub, promised by the too«e*iunciit to inquire into and report u^on tne allegations made recently m tlie Mouse oy Mr U. Masters (member tor btratlordj, relating the production, distribution, importation ana price of. cement during certain periods of control by the Board of Trade, was signed-this morning by the Governor-General, The commissioner is to be Mr Justice 6|m. The.scope of the commission, which was* niijde available this afternoon by the Minister of industries and Commerce, is as follows: (1) Whether the Hoard of Trade, in .December, 1920, in sanctioning the maximum retail price of cement of .New Zealand manufacture at £9 13s " 6d per ton, ex store Wellington, was guilty oi any impropriety or ot grievous error oi judgment. (2) Whether tne companies manufacturing cenwnt m New Zealand during the period ot the acute shortage oi cement from January 1, 1920, and thereafter, took advantage of the demand over the supply to extort unreasonably high prices from the public, r(3) Whether the agreement dated May 5, 1921, set out in_the schedule hereto constituted an oaence against the Commercial Trusts-Act," 1&#),--or any other Act, or was in any way criminal or illegal. (4) Whether tne price for cement of New Zealanfl manufacture was directly or indirectly determined, controlled or influenced by the parties to the agreement in such a manner as to make the price unreasonably, high. (5) Whether the said agreement has in any. manner operated detrimentally to the'public interest. (6) Whether the Board of Trade, being aware of such agreement, was lacking in any duty m taking no action with respect to such Agreement. The date upon which the commission is to sit will be decided by Mr Justice him. The cement inquiry was referred to, in the House this alternoon-. The Hon. E. P. Lee, in reply to Mr T. M. Wiiford Reader of the Opposition) stated that the order of reference in connection with the cement inquiry was now in the hands oi Justice Sim, and it was for him to fix the date of the inquiry. Mr Wilford said there were several directions in which he thought the order of reference should be amended. In the first place the period over which the inquiry was to extend started on January 1, 1920, when it should have been 1918, for that was the period covered by Mr Master's comments, and on which he based his allegations. The order of reference also-spoke of the jretail price ex store at Wellington, while Mr Masters had spoken of the wholesale price at the works. Another clause. in the order of reference asked the Judge to say whether the agreement rnaae between the cement companies constituted an offence against the Commercial Trusts Act, 1920, or any other Acf, or was in any way criminal or illegal. He suggested the last part of this should be altered to read "criminal, illegal, immoral, or in restraint of trade." He further suggested that the Judge should be asked to inquire into • the Government's knowledge of the agreement entered into between the cement companies; the order of reference only mentioned the Board of Trade. Mr Lee: "That is the same thing." Mr, Wilford contended it was not the same thing, .and the inquiry should go into the question of whether or not the" Government had knowledge of the '■ agreement. He also asked that counsel be allowed^ to appear at the inquiry. { Mr Lee: "That is for the Judge to say." i M$ Wilford: "I know it is, but the Government can assist.'.' \ ■ Mr Lee: "I do not- object; we will s ask that counsel be allowed to appear." j Mr Wilford said JVfr Masters wished to get counsel from a distance, and he wanted to know if the Government ■ vrould pay his costs. Mr Lee: "That is another story." ! i