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They may be displacing men —No, because they are only young girls. They are paid according to the Shops and Offices Act or under the award if they come under an award ; there is no such thing as " wrappers." Are they not displacing ironmongers and chemists who would be in other stores ?—No, they are not. "We do not sell ironmongery. There is that danger, for instance, in regard to those people selling tea, essences, extracts, and .other commodities which should be sold by grocers, and I think the law as it stands if interpreted properly would stop that. We have to follow suit by stocking cheap essences ; we have to meet that competition. That is' the very point I was stressing. —It is just to meet the opposition. You said that you had thirty-five hands and eleven of these are women ? —Yes. How many married men employed, in the business «—About nine on my staff are married men and two or three others are getting adequate wages to get married. The Chairman.] You have a number of juveniles employed ?—Nine out of thirty-five are married. Only nine out of thirty-five able to keep up a separate house ?—Several of the others could marry ; they get as much as £5 a week. We have here a petition from something like two hundred individual grocers and other people who are asking for this legislation to be passed. You also are probably aware that there is a widespread cry in this country, as well as in other countries, for the fixation of prices. You do not agree with that ? No, and I think if you look through those names you will find that possibly more than 50 per cent, are perhaps members, of a buying combine (?) ; they ask for one thing with one hand and something diametrically opposed with the other.

Jefpery Clark, Head Buyer for National Distributors, Auckland, cross-examined. Mr. O'Leary.] You do the buying for the Auckland district? —Yes. Your company supplies the Self-Help stores ?—Yes. Any other stores ?—We have about, two hundred other customers. Is the so-called price-cutting in evidence in the Auckland district ? —No, not at present. Have you extensive knowledge of the operations of the retailers in the Auckland district Yes, I have to study, that for my own business. You say that there is no price-cutting in the Auckland district; is that the result of combines or simply the general position ? —The general position. There is no arrangement for the prevention of price-cutting ?—No. The Chairman.] It amounts to this: that you also represent a combine ?■—ln what way? In the business that you are running ? —No, I represent National Distributors. I am wondering whether National Distributors is not on an combination basis. Mr. O'Leary ': They supply Self-Help stores and two hundred other customers. The Chairman : The Self-Help must be obviously a combination for the same trade purposes. Whether it is a beneficial combination it must be for the Committee to decide.

Arthur Francis Humphries Sutherland, Shareholder and Managing Director of National Distributors, Ltd. (Wholesale Company), Head Office, Wellington, with branches at Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill. Mr. O'Leary.] Your company supplies the Self-Help Co., Ltd. ? —Yes, that is so. How many other customers ?—About four hundred other customers. When did the National Distributors, Ltd., come into existence ? —About 1928. Since its inception has the company been obstructed in any way in the purchase of goods on the best possible terms ? —lt has been hampered and harrassed in every possible way. This harrassing, as you call it, has come from whom ? —lt has come from both wholesalers and retailers. Just what has it resulted in so far as you company is concerned ?—lt has resulted in pressure being brought to bear to urge manufacturing firms to remove us from the wholesale lists and also prevent us from getting wholesale rates when we made application. Would you give us examples as to what happened ?—National Distributors have repeatedly requested to be . placed on . the best buying terms, but that request has not been granted by the Australia Dried Fruits Board for the supply of sultanas and currants. Some nine months ago this firm altered their selling-arrangements and decided to supply direct on the best terms to any concern which would take 400 cases. National Distributors placed orders and were supplied on the best terms, but when the next order went forward they were refused supplies, and they had to purchase the dried fruits from another wholesale house and pay 12f per cent, more than their competitors paid. That is the experience within the last twelve months with reference to Australian dried fruits ?—• Yes. You have referred in your statement to your company being the largest buyer ? —We believe that we are.

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