RESTRICTION OF TRADE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20235, 21 October 1927, Page 7

RESTRICTION OF TRADE.

GUARDING AGAINST MONOPOLIES. INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE’S REPORT. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, October 20. Concurrence with the findings of the Committee of Inquiry which investigated the proposed operations of the Proprietary Articles Trade Association w i expressed in a report presented to the House of Representatives to-day by the Industries and Commerce Committee which recommended to the Government that if and when necessary regulations bo made to prevent the P.A.T.A. or any similar combination from operating in New Zealand. Regarding the nine petitions bearing over 3000 signatures which asked for an amendment of the Board of Trade Act, 1919, against monopc’ies and t 1 restriction of trade, the committee reported its inability to recommend that legislation be passed to prevent the fixation of prices without any regard to whether the prices were reasonable or otherwise. It recommended, however, that careful supervision be exercised by the report of the Industries and Commerce Committtee with a view to preventing the possibility of exploitation by individual manufacturers or merchants. Mr P. Eraser (Wellington Central) said the petition showed that people were disturbed at the attempt to fix prices by proprietary trade organisations, and the committee was to bo thanked for its recommendation. Mr W. H. Field (Otaki) advocated a strengthening of the powers of the Board of Trade. “ I have made inquiries in Wellington lately about building prices,” added Mr Field, “ and I found that rings and combines are operating, and that as a result prices arc being kept up to an utterly unreasonable amount in other directions. The public have to pay far too much for their commodities, and there should be some effective means of checking this scandalous state of affairs.” Mr W. J. Girling (Wairau) explained that the petition was from individual manufacturers, and not from associations of manufacturers or warehousemen. It had been pointed out that very often a retailer would retail goods obtained from the manufacturer at a price below reasonable cost for advertisement purposes. The committee did not recommend that legislation should be introduced on the subject, but that the Department of Industries and Commerce should watch very closely the operation complained of. The report was tabled.