THE BOARD OF TRADE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 263, 31 July 1920, Page 7

THE BOARD OF TRADE

OPINIONS OF FAEMEES. Tlie question of tho fixing of prices by tho Board of Trade was considered by tho conference of tho New Zealand Farmers' Union yesterday, when the Auckland branch submitted the following remit: '"That this conference most emphatically opposes embargoes and price fixing, and protests against the Board of Trade being required to go outside its proper functions and interfero in any way with prices or the distribution and saio of commodities, as the results of such actions nro always harmful, and generally fail to prevent high prices except when dealing with the produce of fuo land. We strongly object to profiteering, especially with regard to common necessaries, but we do not see that lhc.ro are any effectivo remedies short of a decreaso in consumption and increase in production, and a removal a 9 far as possiblo of restrictions en overseas commerce." In moving tlie remit, Mr. A. A. Eos* (Auckland) said the farmers resented attempts at fixing tho prices of their produce. Tho law of supply and demand should regulate prices. The Board of Trade was set up to fix prices, but in his opinion it should be called a "board t'o restrict trade." ' Mr. It. Dunn (Auroaj said that pricefixing had been a' failure in every country in which it had been tried. If (ho Government could fix the price of production, then there might be some reason in attempting to fix the prices of produce nnd manufactured articles. Mr. R. D. Duxfield (Horotiu) moved aa an amendment: "That this conference urges that the Board of Trade Act should bo repealed as being injurious and useless." All that the Board of Trade had interested itself in, ho said, was the prices of alarm clocks and highly fashionable shoes. The Board of Trade was nothing but a useless institut'on. tho operation* of which resulted in n waste of public money. The amendment did not find a seconder, and the remit was rejected.