PANIC BUYING

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 188, 10 July 1942, Page 4

PANIC BUYING

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Mr Sullivan's address at New Brighton on June 29 described hoarding as a crime against the community. He said the problem of the future would be more acute than the country had yet experienced, and the civil population would have to make more sacrifices of goods they were accustomed to, but which were not required for war purposes. Panic buying and hoarding deprived others, including women and children, of goods. 1 wish to point out to your readers, sir, that restrictions before the war on raw materials and finished goods coming into the country were the biggest cause of panic buying. Restrictions on articles coming into this country are the cause of much of the shortage at the present time. For instance, orananges, pineapples, bananas, lemons, we only see once or twice a year at unreasonable prices, grapes up to 5s 6d a lb if you want to take a few decent ones to the hospital. Before the Labour Government took office there were plenty of these articles all the year round at a reasonable price. Now, sir, it is not hoarding and panic buying that cause articles to be short; it's the restrictions. The Marketing Department requires hundreds of thousands a year from the taxpayer. The biggest crime I know of is big salaries and hoarding money.—l am, etc., TIN TACKS.