PRICE CONTROL AMENDMENTS

Chronicle (Levin), 8 November 1947, Page 2

PRICE CONTROL AMENDMENTS

PRICE TRIBUNAL TO BE SWORN TO SECRECY {Per Press Associationj WELLINGTON, Nov. 7. In the House of JLiepreseutatives today the Control of Prices Bill was preseiited with amendments. Mr. Nordmeyer explaiaed the prineiple of the aiuendnients to the Control of Prices Bill, efi'eeted by the industries and commerce committee aftev liearing. evidence. The Bill formerly made no veference to the director of price control, who would be charged with adniinistenng the Act, but the revised Bill deiined his d'uties. Tne evidence lieard hy the committee, the Minister said, had suggested the desirauility oi ail members of the Price Tribunal and all the staff of the Tribunal heing sworn by a special oath to maintain tne secrecy of all information about private businesses which they acquired in the co'urse of their duty, and the xiiil now gave that safeguard. Penaities for hreaches ranged up to three months' imprisonment, or a fine of £100. The Price Trihunal was now empowered to alloiv expenses to tliose called to give evidence bcfore it. Anotlier cliange extended from seven to 14 days the period allowed traders in which to ootain and display copies of prices orders, after tne latter were gazettcd. Anotlier amendment gave power to exempt from the Act certain goods sych as second-hand goods, which it was administratively impossible to sub- | joct to price control. Mr. Nordmeyer said the penaities for ! profiteering had been amended by reI ducing the minimum penalty for comI panies to the same fine as that for individuals, but the maximum penalty for companias remained much higher than for individuals. Tliis met the case of small companies which were no more able to pay a large fine than a single person. Penaities for "conditional, saies" wherebv a customer was required to purchase certain goods to obtain olhors in short suppiy liave also been modiiied, iiiaking tliis ollence subject to the general penaities of tlie- Act, instead of the heavier penaities for profiteering. There was power for the Trihunal todelegate povvers to its director, and for its director to delegate power to his otficers. ile lioped by that that there would be far less of the contention and resentment of delays which occurred at^ present. Mr. J. T. Watts (St. Albans) said a ! great deal of valuable evidence had I been lieard by the committee who were rsliown Ihe difficulties under which re- | tailers had worked during and since jtlve war under the present price administration. The Opposition still had its i criticisms to make, and oue of tliem j was that there was no timo liinit to the joperation of the Bill. Trade and iii1 dustry would have to make up its mind I to have control for years alicad. A helpful amendment was, however, 'that the Tribunal now would have the

I power to exempt certain goods from ' price control. The Tribunal was still a politicjil one, and the Bill did not bind , the Crown. j Tlie committee was given evidence showing that public hearings of cases j would ereate more delay, and actually there was nothing much' iu the Bill that would remove delays, It was up I to ihe administration to see that tlie Act was operated so as to prevent, or reduce, delays. j There was a strong exception, he j said, to the clausc providing the right !of search, but despite protests the jclau.se had been relained. j Mr. C. M. Bowden (Karori) said the i evidence given bcfore the committee 1 coiucided almost uuanimously with the I objcctions raised bv the Opposition to ' certain features of the Bill during the I second reading debate. The Bill was Ibettcr for the amendments, but tlie I (tovenuiieiit regarded it as a pennan- ! 1'iit part of its policy. The dolcgation | of powers would expedite applicat'ions | which canie l.efore tlie Price Tribunal, land tlie idea of decentralisation was a 1 good one. i Tlie success of ihe Act would depcnd j on tlie administ rat ion ot' it, and if the ad'iiinistral ion were reasonable tlie law. could be made to work so that the objectives sought could be attained. However, there was still a good deal of eriticism which could be made, and the Opposition would present its views jn dne course. The Bill was unfortiuiatsly a restrictive measure and typical of Government policy, which had not assisted , in hringing any more goods into being. Mr. C. IL Petrie (Otahuhu), rcplyiug, said the committee had donc its best to iniprove the Bill. It should be placed on record that traders had performed a good job during and since 'the war. The Bill was not really as restrictive as tlie Opposition members suggested, and it was true that it was dirocted toward unscrupulous traders. The Opposition eriticism of the Bill had been levelled on the assumpthm that the Bill would be part of tlie permanent legislation of the country. Tlie secrecy clause was a good oue, and had been inserted at the request of. trade organisations. There would always be a certain amount of delay in the transactions of the Price Tribunal, but the Bill now contained ineans to speed up prbceedings. The right of search was necessarv. if the Bill was^to be carried out efficiently, but that power -would have to be used with discretion. . The report was laid 011 the table. g— — ^ m mm