H.—44a

that a P.A.T.A. should be formed. No constitution appears to have been drawn up until May, 1926. Various meetings were held between the above dates, but no active steps were taken to put into effect the principles laid down by the English association. At a meeting held on October 28th, 1925, Mr. Emile de Fenq, formerly connected with the New South Wales P.A.T.A., was engaged to organize the association throughout New Zealand. In July, 1926, Mr. de Fenq reported that he had 443 lines applied for listing. He further reported that practically every chemist had consented to join the association, that wholesalers and manufacturers had given full support, and grocers were very favourable as a whole. At a meeting of the wholesale section of the New Zealand council, held on the 3rd August, 1926, it was recommended to the whole council that arrangements as to wholesale prices should not be permitted from manufacturer to retail distributor. At a meeting of the manufacturers' committee on 24-th August, it was recommended to the council that retailers might buy from manufacturers at wholesale prices in such quantity as manufacturers nominated. At a meeting of the New Zealand council on 25th August, 1926, the following rates of profit were recommended : — Wholesalers —per cent, discount (no extra for cash) ; 15 per cent, on quick sellers 20 per cent, on slow sellers: Retailers —2-|- per cent, discount cash (afterwards altered to 5 per cent.) ; 2| per cent, monthly; 25 per cent, on quick sellers; 33| per cent, on slow sellers, new patents, and toilet goods:! and the following constitution was adopted:— Constitution. (Adopted 25/8/1926.) 1. The name of the association is the Proprietary Articles Trade Association of New Zealand. 2. The office of management and control of the association to be in Wellington until otherwise determined by the New Zealand council, and sub-offices may be arranged in any other centres as required. 3. The objects are — (a) The discussion of matters of common interest to the branches of the trades represented, with a view to decision and, if necessary, concerted action. (b) The taking of such steps as the association is advised are legal to deal with cutting of prices ; to maintain fair distributing prices ; to give advice and render assistance to its members in preventing substitution; and to restrain excessive prices of listed proprietary articles. (c) The doing of all such other things as may appear to be of benefit to the trade. 4. Membership is open to manufacturers of proprietary articles or their agents, wholesale distributors, retail distributors. 5. For the purpose of the association— (a) Retail distributors are defined to be those who keep open shop, dispensary, or other place to which the public (other than those in trade) have access, or those who sell direct to the consumer ; and retail sales have a corresponding signification. (b) Wholesale distributors are defined to be those who sell to retail distributors for sale again to the public, but who do not keep open shop ; and wholesale sales have a corresponding signification. (c) Manufacturers are defined to be those who control the source of supplies of one or more proprietary articles. 6. There shall be a provincial committee of each of the branches of trade—viz., manufacturers, wholesalers, retail chemists, and retailers other than chemists —in each of the four centres —viz., Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, and Christchurch—to discuss and recommend matters relative to their particular section of the trade. Each provincial committee may consist of not more than seven members of the respective trades, and they shall be elected by the members of their respective section. 7. The election of the provincial committees shall take place annually. Any extraordinary vacancy occurring shall be filled by the committee, but its actions shall not be invalidated by reason of a continued vacancy. 8. There shall be a New Zealand council consisting of two members, or their proxies, of each of the provincial committees of manufacturers, retail chemists, retailers. other than chemists, and four members of the wholesalers' provincial committees (two wholesale druggists and two others, other than wholesale druggists) of each Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin ; such members to be appointed by ballot or otherwise by the respective committees of which they are members. The New Zealand council shall consist of three sectional committees —viz., manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers —to whom matters particularly affecting their branches of the trade shall be referred, but any decision arrived at by such committees to be subject to ratification by the council. All questions placed before the meetings of the provincial committees, sectional committees of the New Zealand council, the New Zealand council, or the executive shall be decided by vote, and in the case of

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