THE CEMENT CHARGES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11045, 31 October 1921, Page 5

THE CEMENT CHARGES

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY .MR MASTERS AND RESTRICTED ORDER OF REFERENCE, LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER. In connection with the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, proposed to bo set up to investigate the charges made by Mr R. Masters, member for Stratford, in connection with the price of cement and other matters relating thereto, the following communication has been forwarded to the Prime Min- ' ister by Mr Masters: — “Dear sir,—-1 respectfully desire to draw your attention to clause 1 of the order "of reference herein. It is as follows: ‘•(1) Whether the Board of Trade, in December, 1920, in sanctioning a maximum retail ""price of cement in New Zealand of £9 13s 6d per ton ex store, Wellington, was guilty of any impropriety or of a grievous error of judgment ? “I did not in any part of the speech made by me in the House, on September 29th, refer to the maximum retail price of cement in New Zealand as being ‘£9 13s 6d per ton ex store, Wellington.’ My speech is reported in “Hansard” of that date, and you will find that I did not in any part of it use the figures £9 13s 6d or the words ‘ex store, Wellington.’. HANSARD QUOTED. “What I did say was: ‘I want hon-. ourable members to follow m’e with the prices of cement during the last few years. In 1918 the price of cement was £2 3s at the works; in 1919 the price was £3 17s; in the middle of 1920 had risen to £6 os. 6d per ton. In spite of these heavy rises some of these companies approached the Board of Trade for a further rise. What happened then ? “ ‘Mr Wilford: Which companies were those ? “‘Mr Masters: They were the Milburn Company, Wilson’s Company, and the Golden Bay Company. In spite of the heavy rises that had taken place up to the middle of 1920, the Board of. Trade agreed to a further rise of 36s per ton, to take effect from January Ist, 1921, bringing the price up to £7 10s per ton between 1918 and 1921.’ “You will, therefore, see that I complained that, in spite of the heavy rises that had taken place up to the middle of 1920, the .Board of Trade agreed to a Turther rise of 36s per ton to take effect from January Ist, 1921. SUPPLEMENTARY CLAUSE. “I therefore respectfully suggest that a supplementary clause bo added to clause (1) of the order of reference, as follows; “(1) Whether the Board of Trade, in December, 1920, in sanctioning a further rise of 36s per ton in the retail price of cement, was guilty of any impropriety or of a grievous error of ludgment? “I also desire to draw your attention to clause 3 of the order of reference. 1 said that the agreement therein referred to was in restraint of trade. I therefore respectfully request that the following words be added to that clause: ‘Or m restraint of trade.’ “I make these requests with confidence, in view of the fact that tho Hon. Minister in charge of the Board of Trade distinctly stated in reply to the Leader of the Opposition (that ‘Counsel appearing for the Crown will be instructed to inform the judge that the Crown desires the order of reference to be interpreted as broadly as possible, and any widening of tbe order that may he suggested by counsel for the other side will not be objected to by the Crown.’ ”