Prevention Profiteering

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1938, Page 9

Prevention Profiteering

j [Special to “Northern Advocate.’! I CHRISTCHURCH. This Day. | By the compliance of traders with I the wishes of the Department of Inj dustries and Commerce, prosecutions have been avoided in more than 100 cases of alleged profiteering. This information was given by the Minister. ; the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, in an inter- ; view yesterday, when he expressed the definite opinion that the Government’s policy of not unduly harassing traders had given gratifying resulis. Only when there was defiance of the law after the Department of Industries I and Commerce had made its investi- | gaticns and pointed out the facts to | traders, would the department take i action, said the Minister. When mis: | takes were made, or the department : found that the law was not complied j with, the attention of the traders conj cerned was called to the non-compli-i anco with the terms of the law. Ho j was very happy to say that in more | than 100 investigations made by the department of such breaches of the i law —very often probably unwittingly i committed —nothing in the nature cf i resistance or defiance was exhibited by | the traders when the position as repre- | sented by the department was preI sen ted to them. l “In some cases, and according to the circumstances, money has been handcd back to purchasers, and in other cases prices have been written down," said the Minister. "Investigations are going on continuously. The methods we have adopted to ensure compliance with the terms of the law have overcome tire difficulties in a very satisfactory manner.”