PRICES INVESTIGATION TRIBUNAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15222, 21 May 1920, Page 5

PRICES INVESTIGATION TRIBUNAL

A formal welcome was extended to the members of the ( Prices Investigation Tribunal at the Council Chambers this jnorning. The Mayor (Mr G. Wildish), and Crs. Coleman and DeCosta represented .the .Council, and Mr -Whiting, of the local Labor Department introduced Messrs M. ,M. McCallum (chairman), E. , Phelan, and W. Spr'agg, and the secretary, Mr C. E. .Phillips. The Mayor expressed his gratification m welcoming t-he members of behalf of the citizens of Gisborno, and he hoped that their visit would do much to alleviate the unrest m rogard to the cost of living ■md the complaints that had arisen of profiteering. Crs. DeCosta and Coleman also spoke, welcoming tho tribunal. They hoped that the -Council*- would, deal partifularly with • the mntter of the prices of food. Mr McCallum, chairman of the tribunal, thanked the Mayor and Councillors . for the welcome exttonded. He. outlined the powers of the. Board, to call witnesses, pay expenses, and to proceed against witnesses who did not appear when called. The provisions of the Board of Trade Bill wcm very drastic m the treatment of offehcrers, and it is the desire of Cabinet j to give everyone a square deal. If the provisions were more widely known the people would be bound to recognise this. , One matter he would like to make public, Was that it was for the public to bring complaints. The Board was m the position of a grand jury, empowered to investigate the. complaints and . prove the , substance of them. The complaints mv: •-• be laid, however. In the case of the tribunal becoming aware of tho prevailing i price .. being, above (Jre fixed , price ,, of a j commodity, the whole position would have i to be looked into und a recommendation I made to the Board of Trade, which would i take. action. . \ Messrs Phelan and Spragg also expressed era tifica (ion at tho welcome extended to them. They explained that the efforts of the Board would be particularly directed to; the question of the necessary commodities of life, but the powers of investigation . covered a wide range of sub- . jects. Tlie Mayor thanked the visiting niehi- . bers for :encouraging remarks on the progress of the town, and . assured the* chairman of every assistance" the Council can render. The chairman of the tribunal announced that the tribunal would sit this afternoon at 2 o'clock. Tho sittings would not be open either to the press or to the public, but' -information would be transmitted to the public as' tho sittings proceeded. The- onus of producing evidence was on the tribunal, and not on the person laying the complaint. Tho nrimes of com : pl&inartts will not be made known except ■vli'oio necessary to trace the sale of. an article. .Complaints may bo made m writing or m person at a sitting of the , tribunal. ..