PRICE TRIBUNAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 144, 21 June 1939, Page 8

PRICE TRIBUNAL

.. FIXTURES ANNOUNCED MINISTER EXPLAINS PROCEDURE [ Per Fis*» Asfctx'ialion. J WELLINGTON, June 20. Fixtures made by the price investigation. tribunal for the holding ol judicial inquiries into prices of a number of commodities were announced to-night by the Minister of Industries and Commerce.

The inquiry into the prices of Australian bran and pollard is to commence on June 27 and that into Auckland laundry prices on June 28. The following tentative dates of further sittings of the tribunal have also been arranged:— June 30: Inquiry into prices of oatmeal.

July 4: Inquiry into prices of sugar. July 7: Inquiry into prices of galvanished hollow-ware. July 11: Inquiry into prices of tinned fish. All these sittings are to be held in Wellington and this will be the case with the majority of lhe tribunal’s inquiries, though if it is considered essential for purpose of obtaining evidence in connection with-any particular inquiry, sittings will be held elsewhere.

“Where inquiries are of a purely local nature, the tribunal will arrange for the commencing dates of sittings to be advertised in the local papers and where inquiries are of Dominionwide interest, the dates of the sittings will be advertised in the papers in the four chief centres,” said Mr. Sullivan. “This procedure will give persons affected an opportunity either of submitting a written statement to the tribunal or of appearing before the tribunal and giving’ oral evidence. In addition, parties directly concerned in any particular inquiry will be notified in writing by the tribunal so as to give them reasonable opportunity of preparing their submissions to the tribunal and of arranging to attend before the tribunal, either personally or by representative. All oral evidence will be required by the tribunal to be given on o ith and witnessess should attend and give their evidence orally, but where that is impossible the tribunal will give due consideration to statements in writing furnished to it.” Mr. Sullivan said that in addition to these judicial inquiries other inquiries of a less formal nature covering a wide range of commodities were also in hand.