PROFITEERING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 21, 20 October 1919, Page 4

PROFITEERING

ATTITUDE OF TBfcR.S.A. STRINGENT LEGISLATION DESIRED A discussion on profiteering look placi nt Saturday afternoon's sitting of the conference of tho New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association. Mr. A. IS. fiievwright (Wellington) said that he had no hesitation in introducing the following remit;:—"That stringent anti-profiteering legislation bo brought forward and passed by Parliament." The Speaker said' that profiteering was going on- in the country to an alarming extent, lie hoped that the motion would be passed in order that tho jieople of New Zealand would see that tho association was going lo take a keen interest in this important question, Tho Legislature of the country should take steps to introduce legislation dealing with profiteering and see that it did not contain any (laws. The speaker went on. to refer to the land speculation which took place during the war. The profiteering on tho land was enormous, and yet no steps had been taken,by the Government to check the obvious profiteering. Tho Government should have stepped in and stopped this at once. If they had dono so they would not be paying to-day the prices they were for land and residential property.. Th» land profiteers were exploiting the soldiers and the community generally. He trusted that, conference would pass the remit unanimously.

Mr. J. Petherick (Christchurch) supported the remit and instanced cases of alleged profiteering. It. was scandalous that the community sliould be called upon to pay the prices that: were asked for commodMies, He instanced the prices we were paying for meat and bonts, and he could not see why we should have to nav these prices when the meat was produced in New Zealand and the boots were manufactured locally. It was deliberate nvnfifeering of the worst kind. He would lik" lo see an export tax imnosed on articles until tl><> prices h the community dropped.

_Mr. H. Jr. Haycock (Palmcrslon Xorthl snnpiHwl the remit and remarked that the Government h»d not tackled f'p rrnrftion fnr th" reason that t'<e "liifj ninnonnl'sts wcr" behind tho two onrtie* in flip Tf on«e.0n«e. Tt w.*s t'ipy who prevented (lip Hoivse from the Wir landed interests and tackling the ouc=tion of Invntlon on unearned increlnwt. Re mainimVd that the worker* of the country should have a fair deal: lint "ot the part of fair or sriuare deal which was some years ago by the Prme > r; nH"r.

4 voi«e: The last man and the last shillimr!

Mr . IT-tvronk d : H not ohie"t to peonlfl holding lfir?c areas o? land provided "<'ery I'l'' was cultivated I" the utmost. TT" maintained that Ihp Government's scheme of land fo v soldier* was the opperhinitv for th* ln"d nrofitecrv

Mr. .T. 0 N" : ll (Levi") ■•■aid t''at ha was ft sun'! farmer, and ns ini" , h had linen fid *Wmt farmers and nroflteering b" wo'\M like to t'"-oir a little licht on tl<n snl-inet. TTo d'd l")t n?ree entirely v'th nil ihe remarks, for he considered that Tviiph.of Ihe was duo to faultv (?rtrani cr >tion of Bib country's food si'nnV'M. He eii"d the following ense:—Another small farmer, like himself. nlnnt"d four nerrs of paulifloT-"rs ""d mentioned this fact. to the speaker. Hiring noticed th« pr ; ces 'ivhje 1 ' vere ob. for cauliflower* in Wellin'.'ton, the sneaker rennt'M that he i"nst hivn obtained n (rood turnover. The other man replied that he had not—thet his net r n tiirn, after pavimr for evpryth'ng, irolndin" rai'ate and anotion fes, amounted to Ild. Tie had made a study of this nttP c fion, and he hod cnm» to the concln='nn that much of the profiteering was net real profiteerinc. but simnly tho cpst "f fan'tr organisation in the food sunn I !**. The farmer in had since tinned h : s pi"s into the cauliflowers. On the other hand, he had noticed that the cost of malprin's was constantly creepinr h'gher nnd higher without any apnarent reason.

Mr. E. F. A"drows moved .tlmt (bp'motion 1)6 i')iit. Thi<= was agreed to and the motion was carried.