SPECIAL TRIBUNAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 200, 24 July 1936, Page 9

SPECIAL TRIBUNAL

TO PREVENT PROFITEERING. OUTLINE OF NEW BILL. . BASIC BRICE TO BE DEFINED. (By Telegraph—Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, July 24. A new offence, that of exploitation of the public in the price charged for goods and services, will be made punishable by heavy fines according to the Prevention ot Profiteering Bill which is expected to be introduced in the House late this afternoon. The Bill provides for the setting up of a special ■ tribunal presided over by a magistrate, who will be vested with all the powers under the Magistrate s Court Act and probably the Commissions of Inquiry Act. The idea ot aj>poniting assessors lias been dropped. A basic price will be defined as at a certain retrospective date to be specified in the Bill and the responsibility will be thrown on all sellers of goods and services of not increasing their prices to an unreasonable extent, having regard to the increases in wages, the shortening of working hours or any other relevant factor. The Bill will not fix actual prices, and the responsibility is thrown on the sellers of fixing reasonable prices for their goods and services .with the knowledge that they may be called upon to justify those prices before the tribunal. The Court will be an open one, and the public and the Press will be entitled to be present at any hearing. Persons who are declared to be guilty of chargingunreasonable prices will be liable to penalties similar to those provided in the Board of Trade Act. The main purpose of the Bill is to make it an offence to charge an unreasonable price, and the onus of proving that the price is reasonable is thrown on the seller. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. TO-DAY’S SITTING. FINANCE BILL DEBATE. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, July 24. The House of Representatives met at 10.30 a.m. The second reading debate on tlio Finance Bill was resumed. Mr A. C. A. Sexton referred to the effects of the depression on the people’s morale. He questioned the adv.tability of the payment, of expenses to members travelling on behalf of Ministers. , . TT Mr A. F. Moncur charged Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes with inability to look into the future and see any different state of society than the one existing at present, also with refusing to leeognise the advance of the machine age. He said the present state of civilisation, had been reached as a result- of governments which had tried to lift the unfortunate rather than >.. those who had tried to pull down the fortunate. The country was in the process of evolution and the Opposition must realise that.