PRICE CONTROL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23425, 15 August 1939, Page 5

PRICE CONTROL

SIMPLIFICATION PLAN NEW BASIS •SUGGESTED MASTER GROCERS' FEDERATION Simplification of the work of the Price Investigation Tribunal would result, it • is claimed, if proposals submitted by the New Zealand Master Grocers' Federation were adopted by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. D. . G. Sullivan. The federation considers that the regulations brought into force at the beginning of June are unworkable in their present form and quotes conditions in its own branch of industry as an example. "Xot more than 10 per cent of the grocers throughout Xew-- Zealand aro notifying price increases 'to the tribunal," the federation states." Exact information was not, however, available. The Trade's View • The view in the trade was that grocers generally were carrying 011. as before, varying retail prices according to fluctuations in the wholesale market, passing on increases or decreases to the public, and making 110 attempt whatever to notify increases to the tribunal. An offer was made by the federation to assist the tribunal by making immediate notification of increases in prices, on behalf of all grocers, but the tribunal stated, in reply, that tho adoption of this procedure might be regarded as a breach of the Commercial Trusts Act, under which it is an offence to sell or supply goods at a price which is unreasonably high, if this price has been in any manner „determined or influenced by any "commercial trust," or body of members. Removing a Difficulty The difficulty is one. which, tjie federation considers, could be easily removed. If notifications were forwarded to the tribunal by each of the 5000 grocers throughout the Dominion a tremendous task would be involved in investigating this huge mass of information, it is stated. The delays which would result would involve the difficult problom r of retrospective action. • If the federation were empowered to act as agent for its members tho system would be greatly simplified, with advantage 011 both sides.. "We desire to devise some system by which the spirit of the regulations will be given effect without the cumbersome work at present involved if the decision of the tribunal is adhered to," the federation adds. _ ... A case in point was the delay, which/*?#has followed the inquiry held la sir month into the June increase in the price of sugar. Since this had been followed by two reductions the whole question" was regarded as an illustration of the need for prompt decision.: