COUPONS ON PURCHASES

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1930, Page 11

COUPONS ON PURCHASES

DAIRY FARMERS’ BURDEN

RESTRICTIVE ACTION ASKED FOR.

c A RIVET TO CONSIDER QUESTION.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A request that the Government should prohibit the coupon system being applied to primary products was made to ? the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon. P. A. de la Perrellc, by a deputation from the National Dairy Association. It was contended that the application of the system to butter was costing the farmers a halfpenny per lb., and this cost was aggravating the already serious plight of the farmer. In introducing the deputation the Hon. J. B. Gow said the question was one of serious importance to the dairying indusTlle president of the association, Mr. A. Morton, said they represented the whole of the dairy farmers of the North Island. The farmers had experienced a heavy fall in the price of their products, and the coupons were adding to their 1 burdens because it meant they had to make a concession to the system. The managing director of Amalgamated Dairies, Ltd., Auckland, Mr. William Goodfellow, said the coupon system had only recently been applied to the sale of butter in Wellington and his company, which supplied one-third of the. local market, would lose £16,000 because of it. The manager of one of the chain store companies in Wellington told him it would cost his firm £25,000, or 2J per cent, of the turnover if it applied to all goods. That, would mean that people who dealt at that company s stores would have to.pay £25,000 more for their groceries. The system'had been stopped in South Africa and Australia. The Minister said he realised the seriousness of the position, especially at there had been a big fall in prices on the overseas'markets. To-morrow lie was to receive a deputation from a chamber of commerce protesting against universal coupons,' and after hearing its views he. would place the whole matter before Cabinet. He could see something must be done. , Mr. Goodfellow: Will you make a favourable recommendation to Cabinet? ... Mr. de la Perrelle: I think something must be done. • Mr. Goodfellow: It is an abominably vicious thing.? Mr. de la Perrelle said he was very sorry that farmers: were suffering as a result of the system. Mr. Morton: It affects the whole of the people. ; '■■/-?'•", : '/, ’ ■ . The Minister: Yes, there is no doubt it affects the whole country. . ■'-■■■ SYSTEM OPPOSED IN TIMARU. . : PROHIBITION ADVOCATED. - ' . Timaru, Last; Night.' ■ A largely, attended meeting of retail ' shopkeepers in Timaru to-day discussed different trading coupon, systems now being introduced in'New Zealand. The - meeting' asked the South Canterbury Employers’ Association and,' Chamber of Commerce to support representations- to the Government seeking - the prohibition of all rebate or free gift schemes whefdby the purchaser’s coupons are redeemed in goods of any kind, the only rebate that should be permitted in the form of coupons being a percentage discount for cash or monthly credit terms. DEPUTATION TO MEET MINISTER. Wellington, Last Night. Representatives of. the Associated Chambers of Commerce and the New Zealand Employers’ Federation - will wait upon the Minister of Internal Affairs tomorrow morning to protest against the coupon or. prize giving, system. Members of the 'Wellington Master Grocers’ Association are behind the Associated Chambers of Compierce and the Employers Federation in any action they intend to take in the direction of seeking discontinuance'of the coupon or prize giving system. The association which is affiliated. with the New Zealand Employers' Federation, has passed, a resolution condemning the practice. . /“We consider that • the system--is a grossly unfair method of trading,” said a member of the association, to-day. “We are absolutely against it and are wholeheartedly behind any movement to suppress'it. We cannot condemn the scheme too strongly.”