CONDEMNATION OF PROFITEERING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2044, 21 October 1919, Page 3

CONDEMNATION OF PROFITEERING.

K.S.A. URGES SPECIAL LEGIS-

■ LATION,

Profiteering avus strongly condemned at*the conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, at Wellington, on Saturday.

Mr A. B. Seivwright moved the Wellington remit; “That stringent anti-profiteering legislation be brought forward and passed by Parliament.” He said that there ought to be no difficulty in introducing such legislation. They all kneAV that profiteering was going on in this country to an alarming extent, and they all desired that such should be put doAvn. The Returned Soldiers’ Association should let the public know what its opinion was. The fact that a recent prosecution collapsed because of a fiaAV in the law shoAved the necessity for the legislation asked for. Mr J. Petherick (Christchurch) seconded. He thought the Government had been most lax in supervising the prices of general commodities. The remedy was to put an export duty on avool, meat, butter, cheese, etc. When they Avere charged 55s for a pair of bools to-day that four years ago (hey bought for 15s or 18s, there avus surely something radically Avrong somewhere, when they remembered that the cor nntry produced the skins and made the boots:

Mr 11., M. Haycock (Palmerston North) contended that neither the Prime Minister nor the Loader of thg Opposition had proposed any solution of the question at issue, The reason avus very apparent. It was that the big land-owners were behind the one, and the big commercial monopolists behind the other. Mr J. C. Neill (Levin) considered that much of the present cost of goods could lie put down to the faulty organisation of the country. The mid ion avus carried.