PROFITEERING AND TOTALISATOR PERMITS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 290, 1 September 1920, Page 7

PROFITEERING AND TOTALISATOR PERMITS

Sir,—lf it is essent'ial to- the wellbeing of the community that service charges should be subjected to regulation, ought not_ the regulations to be framed with explicitness, and applied to every trade and profession,?. Parliament failed to clearly define what constitutes profiteering. Traders sought guidance from the Prime Minister without -result- Magistrates, who make no claim to be experts in; accountancy or trade, are burdened ■with the problom in a manner which is not fair to them nor anyone else. How can guilding principals be evolved from the hearing of a few petty charges, in some of which a few pence is the issue? Presuming the cases dealt with by the Courts are the worst discovered, then there is reason' for the deduction that the traders of the Dominion aro on the whole fair and honest folk. Every person who performs a service; is entitled to reward. If a retailer is charged in open Court with exacting too much for his service, then why should a solicitor, charged with an identical offence, have his bill of costs taxed in camera? If a grocer is to be penalised for a charge which a Magistrate rules is. excessive, then in equity he should be protected from oxcessive competition which cuts his service charge below a fair living basis. The State treats a trades unionist in such like fashion, but to retailers it is not an adjustor, but a prosecutor. If trades unionists were to be treated as retailers are, then every man who fails to give value in return for exacting the maximum wag© should be placed ia the dook. And every farmer who buys a line of stock at slump prices should be compelled to eell again—not at the ruling market price-but at the price he paid, plus the cost of grazing and driving.

If the majority of New Zealanders aro sincere in declaiming against profiteering—the obtaining of wealth without an equivalent of service—then there is no hope for thopossing of the Bill for increased totalisator permits, nor for the retention of those already granted. Tho popular 6port of getting the other fellow's money without rendering a service in return is exhibited on every racecourse, both naked and unashamed. In metropolitan race meetings, many persons never got far enough from th© machine to seo the horses run. It is hypocrisy to hail traders to Court for overcharging, whjle tho Government'receives its dividend from the running of n mnchino which does nothing else than cater to tho desire to profiteer. And what a prico to nay. If a racing club collected its percentage at the close of a day V racing, and a was put through the machine on each of eight Taces, what percentage of profit would the racing club collect? A retailer exacting 50 per cent, for keeping goods until they are wanted, if they ever are, and in the meanwhile paying the highest rates, and by advertising enabling us ordinary fplk to purchaso our newspapers Jess than they could othcrwjso bo supplied. is heavily fined; but the presidents of racing clubs are called to the Legislative Council to ena.ct laws on profiteering.—l am, etc., FRANK TRUE.