MANY COMPLAINTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19135, 2 October 1936, Page 13

MANY COMPLAINTS

INCREASES IN PRICES INVESTIGATION IN HAND STATEMENT BY MINISTER (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. ' Since tho Prevention of Profiteering Act was passed early in August, officers of the Department of Industries and Commerce have been actively investigating complaints in A~> separate industries and trades, and a great deal of information has been secured which is in process of analysis and tabulation. This information was given in an interview by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. 1). G. Sullivan, when asked regarding the action being taken under the Act.

The Minister said that the Act was designed to prevent profiteering by prohibiting the making of unreasonable increases in prices charged for goods and services. Complaints have been received from many parts of the Dominion that prices had been advanced. The investigations would ascertain the extent to which prices had been, advanced over and above tho basic price as defined in the Act and the extent to which those advances appeared to be reasonable. Tho latter point involved the extent, if any, by which the expenses of the person or firm complained of had, since June 1, been directly or indirectly increased by the operation of any amendment of the law relating to rates of remuneration of workers, or working hours, and also the extent by which business was likely to be increased through the increased demand for the kind of goods sold or services performed due to the increased purchasing power.

Tho Minister added that when the information was complete it would be placed before him to decide whether there were sufficient grounds to justify any of the complaints being placed before the magistrate appointed under the Act.