CONTROL OF CAR PRICES

Chronicle (Levin), 25 September 1947, Page 2

CONTROL OF CAR PRICES

QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN HOUSE WELLINGTON, Sept. 24. Tlie ELouse oi' RepTeseiitativ.es dcvoted this afternoou to a discussioii^f Miuistcrial replies to questions. Alr. Nash, ansYvering Alr. G. H. Mackley (Wairarapa), said paynient at a relativelv early date would. be arrauged of the bonus due under last year's Finance Act to pcrsons wh'o, by reason of the superannuation ernergeucy iegulations, 1940, was unable to retire from. the servicc on superannuation when they desired to do so. Mr. Nash said the' conditions of the bonus were now being considered. Mr. Nash, replying to Mr. M. H. Oraui (Manawatu), said the (Joinmonwealtli Govermnent had made no approaches to the New Zealand Govcrnment with the view to purchasing the assets of t-lie Bank of New Zealand in Australia. Mr. Nash, replying to a question by Mr. R. Walls (North Dunedin),, said it was very desirable that New Zealand exports \to the United Statcs should be marked in full "made in New Zealand," with the object of stimuluting Aniericau iiiterest 'n them; The signifi canee of the initiais "N.Z." was probably not understood by.a large number of Amerieaus. Howcver, it was not necessarv to insist that goods of United States * origin importcd into New Zealand, should be marked iu full "Made in the United- States of Amhrica" as the mcauing of the abbreviation "U.S.A." was fully appreciated by all pureliasers in this etiuntry. Mr. Nash, answeriug a question by Dr. A. M. FinJay (North Shore), said he would be ploased to arrange for an inquirv into, (irstly, the non-liabiiity for payinent of rates by the Crown; secoiully, the benefits aceru:ng to Ipeal authorities from State activities {mdv owuersliip of land .within thoir boundaries; and, tliirdly, general finanirial assistance from the eentral government to lqcal authorities togellier with their non-liability for gcneral taxation. Control of Car Prices. Mr.*A. 11. Nordmeyer, replying to Mr. W. H. Fortune (Kden), said the uiatler of controlling the. prices of userl cars was at ptesenl r.eeeixing careful consideration. Mr. Fortune, diseussing the reply, said the Price Tribunal gave goud advice to the retail motor trade when it suggested that the trade should control its own alTairs, particularly the "blackmarketing" of new cars. Ile said the resale of new cars could be controlled by the lirms themselves by " vettingc" purchasers. The question of tlie resale of used cars was a differcnt problem aJlogether. Eacli car would be a law to itsolf. Mr. 1'. G. Gonnolly (Dunedin , Uen--tral) said in recent years transactious in used cars had become a rack-et of great magnitude and that the racket sliould be euded cvcn if a few persous suffered some hanlship in the process. It would be four to live years or longer before the doniaml for cars could be met in New Zealand and unless measures lo control it were taken, the racket would contiuue for a long while. Mr. J. O'Brien, repJyiug to Mr. Macdonald (Wallaee), said that the ques ti oti of iuviting the British whaling expedition to the Antarctie to use southern New Zealand bases and facilities, would be taken up with the United Kingdom authorities furthor. .Mr. Alacdoiiald, diseussing the reply said tlieie were to be 17 expeditious to tlie Antarctie during tlie coming seasoii but there was 110 guarantee that they would not penetrate thc Ross Bea area which was a dependency of New Zealanjl. Whaling operations in the Antarctie had greatly increased iu the last two years and it was obvious there would have to be greater control so thatthe whale population would not be exlerniiiiated. By iuviting a British expedition to New Zealand this country could send observers und scientists to the- Antarctie as a sat'eguard against poachers.