Restaurateur On Price Control Charges

Chronicle (Levin), 10 July 1948, Page 4

Restaurateur On Price Control Charges

>..■■■ The unusual claim that he hatJ actually lost money on certain lines until the visit of a tribunal inspector, was made in the Levin Court yesterday when Ivon Glucma, restaurant proprietor, was charged with three offences under the Frige Control Regulations. Two of the charges related to overcharging and the third for not 'displaying a price order in a prominent position in his premises. - Considerable difficulty was being' experienced in keeping traders to prices, sard Mr. G. I. McGregor, in prosecuting for the department. In the defendant's case the overcharge was not great, but it would mount over a period of time. Defendant was charged with featuring on his menus steak an'd chips at 2s 6d instead of the authorised price of 2s 3 d, and steak and chips and tomatoes at 3s 3'd instead of 3s. I • For defendant, Mr. J. P. Bertrami said that his client ran a one man business. He had written for a copy of the price list two years ago, butj had not received a reply. He thought that the price for steak and chips was 2s 6d and that 9d was allowed if tomatoes were supplied, and this ha'd accordingly affected the other price. When the inspector had arrived he learnt that he was under selling In the main djshes he provi'ded, and- was now^better off since the inspector's visit, as he had put up the price of these other lines accordingly, said Mr. Bertram. This was the first time an inspector had visited his shop. He submitte'd that it was not a'case of excessive overcharge, and that in some respects his client had actually been losing money by not having a Price Tribunal list. It was highly desirable that proprietors of businesses were made to adhere to the price orders, said the magistrate, Mr. H. J. ThompsonThis case, however, was not a bad one. On the first eharge defendant was convicted and fine'd £3 and on the second convicted and disiharged; while on the third, failure to display the price order, he was sonvicted. and fined £2.